In our previous guide [🔗 Part 19. The Ultimate Guide to Korean Restaurants Part 1: Ordering, Table Setting, Payment, and Restrooms], we covered how to use standard Korean restaurants. At these places, you pay based on the specific ‘food’ items you order.
However, the restaurants we are introducing in this post are different. Regardless of the type or amount of food, you pay a flat fee per person based solely on the ‘number of visitors (headcount)’ and can enjoy unlimited food. Welcome to Korea’s ‘All-You-Can-Eat (AYCE)’ restaurants!
If you think of the ‘hotel breakfast buffet’ you have every morning during your trip, it will be easy to understand. Korea boasts tremendous value-for-money AYCE restaurants with various themes, from unlimited charcoal-grilled pork ribs and pork belly (samgyeopsal) to sushi buffets.
Let’s dive into the introduction and tips for using AYCE restaurants in Korea.
1. 100% Self-Service: Just Like the Buffets You Know
The AYCE restaurant system in Korea is very similar to the buffets we are all familiar with.
- 🍽 Utensils and Side Dish Setting: Once you grab a table, head to the ‘Self-Bar’ located in the center of the restaurant. You need to personally gather plates, cutlery, scissors, tongs, and water cups provided there to set your table.
- 🥩 Getting the Main Food: From the main dishes like various meats to different side dishes, you can freely grab as much as you want from the buffet station.
👨🍳 Cooking is also 100% Self-Service! (Attention)
Unfortunately, at most AYCE Korean BBQ and Shabu-shabu restaurants in Korea, the staff will not cook the food for you. The entire process of grilling the meat on the pan or boiling it in the broth must be done by the customers themselves. If you feel uncomfortable grilling and cooking your own meat, we recommend visiting a standard restaurant where the staff cooks and prepares everything for you.
2. Rules of AYCE Restaurants: Time Limits and Environmental Fees
AYCE restaurants allow you to eat as much as you want, but there are two rules you must follow in return.
- ⏳ Time Limit: Out of consideration for other waiting customers, there is usually a dining time limit of 90 to 120 minutes (about 1.5 to 2 hours). Because it’s unlimited, you can eat your fill, digest a bit, and go back for more, but only within the given timeframe.
- 🚨 Environmental Fee: Just because it’s AYCE doesn’t mean you should pile your plate like a mountain. If you leave a lot of leftover food, the restaurant may charge you an ‘Environmental Fee’ (a fine). Rather than taking too much at once, it is best to take small amounts frequently, only as much as you can finish.
- 🥡 No Take-out for Leftovers: The “doggy bag” culture of packing up leftover food, which is common in Western restaurants, is not permitted at Korean AYCE restaurants. Please enjoy the food only inside the restaurant!
💡 [Tips for Visiting AYCE Restaurants]
Avoid Dead Hours: It is best to avoid times when there are too few customers (the awkward hours between lunch and dinner, or right before closing late at night). If there are few customers, food turnover drops, meaning food might not be refilled freshly or setups could be delayed.
Get the Best Value: Many AYCE restaurants operate at cheaper rates on weekdays compared to weekends, and during lunch hours compared to dinner. Be sure to check the prices before your visit!
3. “Is Everything Unlimited? Drinks and Alcohol are Usually Extra!” (feat. No Tipping Culture)
Because of the word ‘AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat)’, many travelers mistakenly believe that everything, including drinks and alcohol, is free along with the meat and side dishes.
- 🍺 Drinks and Alcohol are Paid: The basic AYCE fee you pay per person only covers the main food and access to the self-bar. Bottled or canned sodas, and alcohol like Soju or Beer, require you to grab them from the fridge or order from the staff and pay an additional cost.
- 🥤 Tip for Spotting Free Drinks: What if there is a ‘soda dispenser’ near the self-bar where you can fill a cup yourself? That means the drinks there are free and unlimited! Make sure to check if they have a dispenser machine when you enter the restaurant.
- 🚫 Do Not Leave a Tip!: Korea has absolutely no tipping culture in any restaurant, including AYCE spots. Rest assured, you do not need to leave a separate tip on the table or pay the staff extra.
4. How Do I Clear Empty Plates? (Staff Collection vs. Self-Return)
As you eat, empty plates and used bowls will pile up on the table. Depending on how the restaurant operates, there are two main ways to clear dishes.
- 🧑🍳 Staff or Serving Robot Collection: The most common method is for staff to frequently walk around the hall and clear empty plates from the table. However, recently, an increasing number of restaurants allow you to call a ‘serving robot’ via a call bell or tablet on the table, and you just place your empty dishes on the robot to return them.
- 🚶 Self-Return (Clearing it Yourself): In some restaurants, customers must clear their own empty dishes. You need to take your plates to a designated ‘Return Zone’ (or Tray Return) on one side of the store, or stack them yourself on a multi-tier tray (cart) placed right next to your table. Take a quick look around to see what other people are doing!
5. Essential K-BBQ AYCE Tips: Unmarinated Meat First, Grill Replacements are Free!
If the place you are visiting is an AYCE BBQ restaurant, remember these two things to enjoy it like a local.
- 🥩 Grilling Order: Grill the ‘unmarinated meat (like Samgyeopsal)’ first, and cook the ‘marinated meat (like Pork Galbi)’ later. Marinated meat has a strong flavor, so if you eat it first, it’s hard to properly taste the mild flavor of the unmarinated meat later. Plus, the marinade will cause the grill to burn black very quickly.
- 🔥 Grill Replacement Trick: If your grill turns black while cooking, do not touch it yourself! Press the ‘Call Bell’ on the table we learned about in the previous post and ask the staff to change it. At AYCE restaurants, you can change the grill as many times as you want without any extra cost, so don’t worry.
👉 Next UP: From standard restaurants to cost-effective AYCE spots, we have explored Korean restaurants. If you’ve filled your stomach with delicious food, it’s time to enjoy the essential Korean course: sweet desserts and post-meal coffee.
In the next episode, [🔗 Part 21. Ultimate Korean Street Food & Night Market Guide], we will dig into Korea’s cafe culture!