Food Delivery in Korea for Tourists: Baemin, Coupang Eats, and Yogiyo

Last checked: October 2026

Ordering food to your room is part of a trip to Korea. Seoul even lists it as something visitors want to try. Until recently the apps needed a Korean phone number and a Korean card. In 2026 that changed, and Baemin is now the easiest one for visitors. I worked from the apps' own announcements and App Store listings, and Korean press reports of them. I don't get paid by any app.

Easiest app

Baemin

Pay with

Foreign card, Apple Pay

Korean number

Not needed on Baemin

Languages

English, 日本語, 中文

Quick answer

• Use Baemin. It works in English, Japanese, and Chinese, takes foreign cards, and lets you order as a guest with a foreign phone number.
• Coupang Eats shows menus in English. I couldn't confirm that it works without a Korean phone number.
• Yogiyo added English, Chinese, and Japanese (beta), foreign cards, and foreign phone numbers in September 2026.
• Before you order, ask your hotel where deliveries go. Many hotels have you pick up in the lobby.

Compare the delivery apps

How to order on Baemin

Baemin (배달의민족, Baedal Minjok) added English, Japanese, and Chinese in February 2026.

1. Install Baemin from the App Store or Google Play. It's the same app Koreans use, not a separate tourist app.
2. Language: the app follows your phone's language. If your phone is set to English, Japanese, or Chinese, the app asks when you open it. The App Store lists Simplified Chinese.
3. Order as a guest. You don't need to sign up. Verify your foreign phone number with a text code. Signing up as a member still needs a Korean phone number or a Korean residence card.
4. Enter the address of where you're staying, then the room number. Copy the Korean address from your booking confirmation; it's the most reliable way to find the right building.
5. Pick food and pay with a foreign credit card, Apple Pay, WeChat Pay, or Alipay+. Apple Pay works with foreign Visa, Mastercard, JCB, and American Express cards since June 2, 2026.
6. Follow the delivery on the order screen. It shows the status in your language.

• The languages cover food delivery only. Grocery and shopping screens stay in Korean for now.
• Menus are machine translated, so some dish names come out odd. Look at the photos.
• Baemin published an English how-to guide in May 2026. Customer service answers through a translation system.

Fast or cheap delivery

On Baemin, many restaurants offer two delivery types.

• Single delivery (한집배달): the rider takes only your order, so it comes faster.
• Saver delivery (알뜰배달): the rider carries several orders on one trip, so it's slower but costs less.

How locals do it

Koreans usually write "leave it at the door and ring the bell" in the request box, so nobody has to answer in person. They look for review events on the menu (write a review, get a free drink or dumplings), order fried chicken and beer (chimaek) late at night, and order together from one restaurant to reach the minimum order. You can do all of it: use the request-box phrases below, tick the review event if the shop offers one, and split one order with your travel partners.

Ordering for one person

Each restaurant sets a minimum order, which makes a meal for one hard to order.

• Baemin's single-serving section (한그릇, hangeureut) has no minimum order. Since April 28, 2026 the delivery fee there is 500 won. It's free for Baemin Club members.
• Coupang Eats has no minimum order and free delivery for Coupang WOW members, but WOW is a Korean paid membership.

Coupang Eats

• Menu categories and each restaurant's menu show in English. The App Store lists English and Korean.
• Korean press reports it takes foreign Visa and Mastercard cards since July 2025. One report in August 2026 called this "under review", so check in the app.
• I couldn't find an official word on whether you can verify with a foreign phone number. You may need a Korean number.

Yogiyo

Yogiyo's own App Store release notes (version 10.4.0, September 17, 2026) say it added three things for visitors:

• English, Chinese, and Japanese, as a beta.
• Guest orders verified with a foreign phone number.
• Payment with foreign credit cards.

Getting food delivered to your hotel

Each hotel sets its own rule. Some let riders come up to your room, many have you meet the rider in the lobby, and some charge a fee for outside food.

• Ask the front desk where deliveries go before you order.
• Write your room number in the address and any pickup note in the request box.
• Watch the order screen. It shows where your delivery is.

There is no tipping. In Korean apps, a "delivery tip" (배달팁) just means the delivery fee. You pay it in the app, and you don't give the rider anything extra.

Convenience store delivery

CU and GS25 deliver around the clock through Coupang Eats, from about 7,500 CU stores and 1,000 GS25 stores. GS25 is also on Baemin and Yogiyo. Baemin's languages don't cover these stores, so expect Korean screens.

Shuttle: delivery in English

Shuttle is a delivery service made for foreigners in Korea. Its site says it delivers in Seoul, Osan, Pyeongtaek, Daegu, and Busan, from 10:00 to 22:00 every day. It works in English and Korean, and takes credit cards and PayPal.

Phrases for the request box

The app has a box for notes to the restaurant and the rider. Restaurant staff and riders read Korean, so a short Korean note helps.

• 로비로 내려가서 받을게요, 감사합니다 (robiro naeryeogaseo badeulkkeyo, gamsahamnida): I'll pick it up in the lobby.
• 문 앞에 놓아 주시면 감사하겠습니다 (munape noa jusimyeon gamsahagetsseumnida): Please leave it at the door.
• 안 맵게 해 주실 수 있어요? (an maepkke hae jusil ssu isseoyo?): Not spicy, please.

More in the Korean phrase cards.