How to Use a Korean Food Delivery App in English (Coupang Eats, Baemin)
Alright, let's talk about something that genuinely changed my life as someone living in Korea: food delivery apps. And if you're a foreigner visiting or living here, learning how to use these is honestly a game-changer.
Korea has one of the most insane food delivery cultures in the world. We deliver everything — fried chicken at 2 AM, a single cup of coffee, McDonald's, traditional court cuisine, even McFlurries (yes, really). And it all arrives in 20–40 minutes.
But here's the catch: most of these apps are in Korean. So let me walk you through how to actually use them in English, what to download, and a few tricks I wish someone had told me.
Quick Comparison: Which App Should You Use?
If you can't read any Korean and don't have a Korean phone number, honestly start with Shuttle (formerly known to many expats as the easiest English app). But if you're staying longer or have a Korean number, Coupang Eats is the fastest and most reliable.
What You'll Need Before You Start
Before downloading anything, make sure you have:
If you don't have a Korean phone number, don't panic. Shuttle and a few others work with international numbers. We'll cover that.
Option 1: Coupang Eats (쿠팡이츠) — The Fastest One
Coupang Eats is my personal go-to. It's owned by Coupang (the Amazon of Korea), and it's known for "one rider, one order" delivery, which means your food arrives ridiculously fast and still hot.
Step-by-step:
Language tip: The app interface itself has some English settings (Profile → Settings → Language), but most restaurant menus are still in Korean. Screenshot the menu and use Google Translate's image translation — works surprisingly well.
Payment: Korean cards, Coupang Pay, and some foreign cards are accepted. If your foreign card gets rejected, that's usually the reason people switch apps.
Option 2: Baemin (배달의민족) — The Biggest Selection
Baemin literally means "Nation of Delivery People," and it has the most restaurants of any app in Korea. If a place delivers in Korea, it's probably on Baemin.
The catch? It's almost entirely in Korean. There's no full English interface as of now. But it's still usable if you're willing to put in a little effort.
How to make Baemin work in English:
Why Koreans love Baemin: Tons of restaurant variety, great promotions and coupons, and a "1인분" (single-serving) filter for solo eaters. Once you get past the Korean barrier, it's the best experience.
Option 3: Shuttle — The Foreigner-Friendly One
If everything above sounds like too much work, Shuttle is built for you. It's fully in English, accepts foreign credit cards, and curates restaurants that are foreigner-friendly.
The downside is the limited coverage outside of Seoul's expat-heavy areas. But for a 3–5 day trip in central Seoul, it's perfect.
How to Enter a Korean Address (The Tricky Part)
This trips up almost every foreigner. Korean addresses look weird at first.
Format you'll see:
서울특별시 강남구 테헤란로 123, 456호
Roughly translates to: City → District → Road → Building Number, Unit Number.
Easiest way to get your address right:
Always include your room number or floor in the delivery instructions. Riders will call you if confused, and yes — they'll usually call in Korean. Which leads us to…
What to Do When the Delivery Driver Calls You
This happens. A lot. Especially if your building is hard to find.
Useful Korean phrases to keep ready:
Or just answer with "Hello? English please?" Many riders are used to it and will either switch to basic English or just text you on KakaoTalk.
Pro tip: Most apps now have a "Leave at door" (문 앞 비대면) option. Select it and you avoid the phone call entirely. Riders take a photo and upload it as proof of delivery.
Tips Locals Use That Foreigners Don't Know
Order during off-peak hours. Lunch (12–1 PM) and dinner (7–8 PM) get crazy busy. Order at 11:30 AM or 6:30 PM for faster delivery and sometimes lower minimum orders.
Watch the minimum order amount. Most restaurants require 12,000–15,000 won minimum. If you're solo, look for the "1인분 가능" (single-serving available) filter on Baemin and Coupang Eats.
Delivery fees range wildly. Sometimes 0 won, sometimes 5,000 won. Check before ordering. Distance and weather affect it (yes, rainy days have surge pricing).
Tipping isn't a thing. Don't tip the rider. Just say "감사합니다" (thank you) and that's plenty.
Late-night delivery is everywhere. Fried chicken, jokbal (pig's feet), bossam, jjajangmyeon — all available until 2–3 AM. Embrace it. This is part of the Korean experience.
Some restaurants have English menus. Look for the small "EN" icon on Coupang Eats listings, or sort restaurants by "외국인 가능" (foreigner-friendly).
Common Korean Menu Words You'll See
Just learning these few words will help you navigate any food app:
Save this list as a screenshot on your phone. Trust me.
My Honest Recommendation
If you're visiting Korea for the first time and only here for a week, just use Shuttle. It's painless, it's in English, and it'll get you what you want.
If you're staying longer, learning to use Coupang Eats or Baemin opens up the entire world of Korean food delivery — which is genuinely one of the best things about living here. The selection is unreal, the speed is unmatched, and the food arrives somehow still piping hot.
And honestly? Once you order your first round of late-night Korean fried chicken in your pajamas, watching the rider's icon zoom toward your apartment on the map, you'll get why we love this so much.
Welcome to the delivery game. You're going to eat well.
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