You need about four phrases. Everything else can be done by pointing.
Step by step
Get seated. Many restaurants seat you wherever there is room — walk in and hold up fingers for your group size, or say 'du myeong-iyo' for two.
Call the staff. Nobody will come to check on you. Say 'jeogiyo' (저기요) clearly, or press the buzzer on the table.
Point and say 'igeo juseyo' (이거 주세요) — 'this one, please'. Add a number if you want more than one.
Ask for anything extra the same way: 'mul juseyo' (물 주세요) for water, though water is usually self-serve from a dispenser.
Pay at the counter, not the table. Take the slip of paper from your table with you and say 'gyesan haejuseyo' (계산해 주세요).
Table buzzers and kiosks
Many restaurants have a call button on the table — pressing it is the normal way to summon staff, not an emergency. Fast-food chains and an increasing number of casual restaurants use self-order kiosks; almost all of them have an English button, usually a flag or 'ENG' in a corner of the screen.
When the menu has no pictures
Menus in older restaurants are often text-only Korean. Two things help: many such places serve only one or two dishes, so ordering 'the thing they make' works — and photographing the menu to translate it is completely normal and nobody will mind.
Saying you can't eat something
Dietary requests are best made short and direct. 'An maepge haejuseyo' (안 맵게 해주세요) means 'please make it not spicy'. For allergies, showing a written phrase is far more reliable than speaking — the app's phrase cards exist for exactly this.
What not to worry about
You do not need to greet, thank or apologise in Korean for the interaction to go smoothly. Staff are used to visitors, and pointing with a smile is understood everywhere. Speaking English slowly is more useful than attempting a long Korean sentence.
Common questions
Is 'jeogiyo' rude?No. It literally means 'over there' and is the standard, polite way to call staff in any restaurant. Saying it loudly enough to be heard is expected, not rude.
Do restaurants take foreign cards?Most do, including small ones. Traditional-market stalls and some older places are cash-only, so carry some cash if you plan to eat at markets.
Will staff speak English?In tourist districts like Myeongdong and Itaewon, often yes. Outside them, assume not — but pointing and numbers work everywhere.