Ordering Coffee in Korea

Korean Coffee · Part 6

You can order coffee in Korea in English almost anywhere. Knowing five phrases and two conventions will still get you a better cup and a shorter queue.

01 What happens at the counter

You order and pay first, then wait.

There is no tab and no paying afterwards. You will be handed a buzzer, or your number will be called, and you collect the drink yourself.

You will be asked two questions.

Hot or iced, and whether you are drinking in or taking away. Answer both before they ask and the transaction takes ten seconds.

Tipping does not exist.

There is no tip line, no jar, and leaving money on the counter causes confusion rather than pleasure. The price on the board is the price.

02 Five phrases that cover most of it

English works in cities, but these help everywhere.

Pronunciation below is rough but close enough to be understood.

What you want	Korean	Say it as
One iced americano	아이스 아메리카노 하나요	Ice americano hana-yo
Hot, please	따뜻한 걸로요	Ttatteuthan gollo-yo
Drinking in	먹고 갈게요	Meokgo galge-yo
Taking away	포장이요	Pojang-i-yo
Less ice	얼음 적게요	Eoreum jeokge-yo

03 Two conventions worth knowing

Drinking in means a real cup.

Disposable cups for customers sitting inside are restricted, so you will be given glass or ceramic. Saying you are taking away and then sitting down puts the staff in an awkward position, so answer that question honestly.

You clear your own table.

Look for the return station near the counter, with separate bins for ice, liquid, cups and lids. Nobody will chase you, but it is what everyone else does.

Cards work almost everywhere, cash sometimes does not.

Many cafes are card only. Foreign cards occasionally fail at small independents, so carry a second option.

04 Getting a better cup than the default

Ask whether they roast their own.

Jikjeop bokka-yo, roughly "do you roast it yourself". If the answer is yes, ask what they recommend today and you will usually be handed something better than the board suggests.

Filter coffee is the tell.

A cafe that lists single origins for filter brewing is one that cares about the coffee. In a place with no filter option, order the iced americano and enjoy it for what it is.

Beans are worth buying.

Korean roasteries sell retail bags with the roast date printed, and prices are reasonable by international standards. It travels better than most souvenirs.

First Penguin Coffee Company We roast in Korea, to order, and every bag carries its roast date. Visitors are welcome to ask what is good this week. Our coffees are listed under Beans in the top menu. Enquiries: 010-3444-1721

That is the sixth and final part of Korean Coffee. The earlier articles are collected under the Korean Coffee label.