How restaurant reservations actually work here
식당 예약 채널
Restaurant bookings here run through four kinds of channel, and a restaurant often uses only one of them. Working out which one is most of the battle.
The four
A dedicated reservation app is one. The national tourism board lists one that books tables and also shows the queue in real time. A Korean portal's booking widget is another. A phone call is the third. The fourth is no reservations at all, where you may put your name on a list or a tablet at the door and wait to be called or messaged.
The catch for visitors
Some of these want a Korean phone number to verify you, see “The Korean phone number wall”. Where an app has a separate international version, its restaurant coverage may differ from the Korean one, so a place that looks unavailable may simply be missing from the version you are using. We have not measured that gap ourselves yet and we will not pretend otherwise.
Deposits and no shows
Some places take a deposit when you book. Read the cancellation terms before you confirm, since cancelling late or not showing up can cost you the deposit.
A fallback for phone bookings
Ask your accommodation to call. Show them the venue and the time on your screen. This takes a couple of minutes and works for any restaurant that takes phone bookings.
What we show
Whether a venue takes reservations at all, and through which channel, is collected per venue with a date.
Phrases to show staff
Show the Korean line on your phone, or say it aloud: the spelling in brackets reads like English.
- 죄송하지만 이 가게에 전화로 예약 좀 부탁드려도 될까요?
- Sorry to ask, but could you phone this place and book for me?
- Joesonghajiman i gagee jeonhwaro yeyak jom butakdeuryeodo doelkkayo? (jweh-song-hah-jee-mahn ee gah-geh-eh juh-nwah-roh yeh-yahk jjom boo-tahk-tteu-ryuh-doh dwehl-kkah-yoh?)
- ___ ___에 ___명 예약하고 싶어요.
- I would like to book for ___ people on ___ at ___.
- ___ ___-e ___-myeong yeyakhago sipeoyo. (___ ___-eh ___-myuhng yeh-yah-kah-goh shee-puh-yoh.)
- 얼마나 기다려야 할까요?
- How long will I have to wait?
- Eolmana gidaryeoya halkkayo? (uhl-mah-nah gee-dah-ryuh-yah hahl-kkah-yoh?)