How to Eat Korean BBQ (Samgyeopsal) — Wrap a Perfect Ssam, Free Side Dish Refills & Where to Go

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) is thick-sliced pork belly grilled at your table, and Koreans almost never eat it alone — they wrap it in lettuce with garlic, sauce and kimchi to make a one-bite "ssam" (쌈). The side dishes (banchan) and lettuce that cover the table are free and refillable at almost every Korean restaurant; you only pay for the meat, rice, stews and drinks you order.

How to wrap a ssam, step by step

1. Lettuce in your palm. Take one leaf of lettuce (sangchu, 상추). Add a perilla leaf (kkaennip, 깻잎) on top for a minty kick.
2. Meat next. Pick up a piece of grilled pork and dip it in ssamjang (쌈장, thick savory bean-chili paste) or in sesame oil with salt (gireumjang, 기름장).
3. Add toppings. A slice of garlic (raw or grilled on the pan), green chili, a little kimchi or scallion salad (pajeori, 파절이).
4. Fold and eat it in one bite. Wrap the leaf around everything into a small parcel. Koreans eat a ssam in one mouthful — biting it in half spills everything.

Too big? Make it smaller next time. A good ssam fits in your mouth in one go.

What's on the table

You see	What it is	Free refill?
Lettuce, perilla leaves	Wrapping greens for ssam	Usually yes
Kimchi, pickled radish, scallion salad	Banchan (side dishes)	Yes
Ssamjang, salt & sesame oil	Dipping sauces	Yes
Garlic, green chili	Ssam toppings — put garlic on the grill too	Yes
Doenjang-jjigae (된장찌개), rice	Soybean stew and rice to finish	Ordered and paid separately
Meat	Samgyeopsal, moksal (pork neck) etc.	Paid per serving

"Are side dishes really unlimited in Korea?"

Yes — at most Korean restaurants, banchan are part of the meal, free and refilled as often as you like. This surprises many visitors, because in many countries every small dish costs extra.

• Ask by pointing. Point at the empty dish and say "Yeogi jom deo juseyo" (여기 좀 더 주세요, "a bit more here, please"). Staff won't mind.
• Self-service bar (셀프바). If you see a counter with lettuce, kimchi and sauces and a "셀프" sign, refill it yourself instead of calling staff. Take small amounts and go back as often as you want.
• Don't confuse it with "무한리필" (unlimited refill) BBQ. Banchan are always free, but meat is not. Restaurants advertising 무한리필 are all-you-can-eat meat places with a set price per person — a different kind of restaurant.

Etiquette & tips

• Two servings minimum. Many BBQ restaurants ask each table to order at least 2 servings (2인분). Say "Samgyeopsal i-inbun juseyo" (삼겹살 2인분 주세요). Solo travelers: lunch hours and solo-friendly places are easier.
• Staff may grill for you. At many places the staff turn the meat and cut it with scissors. Let them — it means it will be cooked just right.
• Grill the kimchi. Put kimchi and garlic on the edge of the pan in the pork fat. Locals love it.
• Finish like a Korean. Order doenjang-jjigae and rice, or ask for fried rice (볶음밥) made on the same pan.
• Drinks: soju or beer — or both mixed as somaek (소맥). Pour for others, not yourself.
• No tipping. Pay at the counter on the way out; tipping is not expected.

Three local favorites (Naver Map & CatchTable)

We picked these from Naver Map and CatchTable, the apps Koreans actually use to find and queue for restaurants. Hours and waitlists change — check the app before you go.

Restaurant	Where	Why go	Waiting
Geumdwaeji Sikdang (금돼지식당)	Yaksu / Sindang, Jung-gu, Seoul (149 Dasan-ro)	Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since 2019; thick bone-in pork belly	Register on the waitlist machine at the door — don't just line up
Yukjeon Sikdang (육전식당) main branch	Near Sinseol-dong Station, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul	Extra-thick samgyeopsal; staff grill it from start to finish — great for first-timers	Reservations accepted
Sukseongdo (숙성도)	Jeju (Nohyeong, Jungmun, Hamdeok branches)	Aged Jeju black pork (heukdwaeji) — the dish to eat on Jeju	Long waits at mealtimes; join the CatchTable waitlist early

New to Korean waitlists? Read CatchTable and restaurant waitlists in Korea first — at popular places, the tablet is the line.

Useful phrases

Korean	Say it	Meaning
삼겹살 2인분 주세요	Samgyeopsal i-inbun juseyo	Two servings of pork belly, please
여기 좀 더 주세요	Yeogi jom deo juseyo	A bit more of this, please (refill)
상추 더 주세요	Sangchu deo juseyo	More lettuce, please
된장찌개 하나 주세요	Doenjang-jjigae hana juseyo	One soybean stew, please
계산할게요	Gyesanhalgeyo	I'd like to pay

Traveling as a family or group? On a private K-food day, we book the table, join the waitlist and show you how to wrap your first ssam.