I remember my first week in Dunsan, staring at my phone at 2 AM, absolutely starving. My Korean was limited to “hello” and “thank you,” and the only thing I knew how to order was pizza from a place that had an English menu. I ended up eating convenience store ramen for the third night in a row, wondering why everyone kept talking about how amazing Korean food delivery was. It took me two months and a lot of failed attempts to figure out the system. Let me save you from that misery.
Tip 1: Master Baedal Minjok (Baemin) with the English Toggle
Baemin is the undisputed king of Korean delivery apps, and yes, it has an English interface. Here’s the thing: it’s hidden. When you first download the app, you’ll see everything in Korean. Go to your profile settings (the person icon at the bottom right), scroll down, and look for the globe icon or “언어” (language) option. Switch it to English. The layout stays the same, but at least you won’t be guessing whether you just ordered fried chicken or a whole roast duck.
The real challenge isn’t the interface, though. It’s the menu items. Most restaurants don’t translate their menus, so you’ll be dealing with Korean names and descriptions. My survival trick? Screenshot the menu, open Papago, and use the image translation feature. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done. Also, pay attention to the “인기” (popular) tag – it’s basically the restaurant telling you what’s good. You can’t go wrong with whatever has that badge.
Tip 2: Use Yogiyo for Group Orders and Cash Payments
Yogiyo is the underdog that actually works better for certain situations. If you’re living in a share house or ordering for a group, Yogiyo has a group ordering feature that lets everyone pick their own food before the order goes through. No more fighting over what to eat. The app also has better cash-on-delivery options than Baemin, which is crucial if you haven’t set up a Korean bank account yet or if your foreign card keeps getting rejected.
Here’s a pro tip for Yogiyo: the “배달요청사항” (delivery request) box is your best friend. You can write things like “문 앞에 놓아주세요” (leave it at the door) or “벨 누르지 마세요” (don’t ring the bell) if you’re trying to be quiet in a shared building. Just keep it simple. Korean delivery drivers are efficient, but they’re not mind readers. Also, if you’re in Dunsan, make sure your address is set up correctly on the app – the neighborhood is a maze of similar-looking apartment blocks, so being specific about your building number (동) and floor (층) is non-negotiable.
Tip 3: The Payment Game – Get a Toss Card or Use PayPal
I’m going to be real with you: Korean delivery apps hate foreign cards. Visa and Mastercard from overseas banks get rejected more often than they work. Your best bet is to get a Toss card or a Kakao Pay card once you have your Alien Registration Card (ARC). These are essentially prepaid debit cards that work seamlessly with Baemin and Yogiyo. You can load money onto them from your bank account, and they don’t have the foreign card verification issues.
If you’re a short-term visitor and don’t have an ARC yet, your backup plan is PayPal. Both apps now accept it in certain situations, but it’s not universal. The safest bet for visitors is actually to order through the English version of Shuttle Delivery, which is built for foreigners and handles payment differently. It has fewer restaurants, but it works. For long-term expats, though, get that Toss card. It will change your life more than any Korean skincare routine ever will.
The Brutal Truth
The delivery apps will never be fully in English, and you’ll always be one misclick away from ordering something you didn’t want. I once ordered what I thought was a simple pork cutlet and ended up with a whole fried fish that still had its head on. The menus are designed for Koreans, the filters are in Korean, and even the English interface is half-translated. You’ll get used to it, but you’ll never be 100% comfortable with it. The sooner you accept that, the better your delivery experience will be.
You’ve Got This
Look, ordering delivery in Korea is a skill, and like any skill, it takes practice. Start with the big chains that have English menus, then work your way up to the local spots. Before you know it, you’ll be navigating Baemin like a local, judging restaurants by their ratings, and figuring out which tteokbokki place actually delivers properly to your apartment. The convenience is worth the initial struggle. Now go order something delicious – you’ve earned it.
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