How to use food delivery apps in Korea: Baemin, Coupang Eats and Yogiyo

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Food delivery is part of everyday life in Korea. Almost anything, from fried chicken at midnight to a full table of jokbal, can arrive at your door in under an hour, often to a park bench by the Han River. The main apps are built for Korean users, which used to make them hard for foreigners, but that is slowly changing. Here is how they work and how to get started.

The three main apps

Baemin (배달의민족): the biggest app, with the widest choice of restaurants. In February 2026 it added English, Chinese and Japanese across the main ordering screens (search, menus, payment and tracking), translated by AI, and it has been courting foreign residents and tourists since. Menus can still read awkwardly in places.
Coupang Eats (쿠팡이츠): run by the e-commerce company Coupang and known for fast single-order delivery. It generally expects a Korean phone number and local payment.
Yogiyo (요기요): the third major app, with similar features and its own discounts.

All three have broadly similar restaurants. Most people end up using whichever one has the best deals at the time.

What you need

A Korean phone number for sign-up and verification. This is the main barrier; the phone plan guide on this site explains prepaid and budget plans. Without one, Baemin is currently the easiest of the big three to use.
A payment method. Korean bank and credit cards work everywhere. Overseas cards are hit and miss: some work, some fail at checkout, and support changes. Linking a Korean card, or using payment services such as Naver Pay, Kakao Pay or Toss, is the reliable route. See the banking guide for opening an account.
Your address in Korean, entered correctly.

Getting the address right

Korean addresses use either a road-name address (도로명 주소) or the older lot-number one (지번 주소). The apps let you search for either. Then add the details riders need:

Building name and number, and your flat as 동 and 호 (for example 101동 1203호).
For apartment complexes and officetels, the common entrance code if the main door is locked, or a note asking the rider to call.
For a park or a place without an address, many apps let you drop a pin; riders often meet you at a delivery zone or the nearest gate.

Copy your address from your rental contract or a Korean friend's message to avoid spelling mistakes.

Ordering, step by step

Search for a dish or browse a category (치킨 chicken, 피자 pizza, 중식 Chinese, 분식 snacks, 족발·보쌈 pork).
Check the minimum order amount (최소주문금액) and the delivery fee, both shown on the shop page.
Choose options; spice level and extras are often separate choices.
Add a request in the note field. Useful lines:

문 앞에 두고 벨 눌러주세요: leave it at the door and ring the bell.
문 앞에 두고 문자 주세요: leave it at the door and text me.
수저 포크 안 주셔도 돼요: no cutlery needed.

Pay and follow the rider on the map.

Fees and tipping

There is no tipping. The delivery fee goes to the shop and the platform, and the app shows it before you pay.
Delivery fees vary by restaurant, distance and time of day, and the apps run their own discount schemes and paid memberships that reduce or remove fees. Compare the total, not the menu price.
Coupons appear constantly. Check the app's coupon tab before ordering.

If you do not read Korean well

Use Baemin's language setting if it fits your needs.
Point a camera translator (Google Lens, Papago) at the screen for other apps.
Learn the words for your favourite dishes; it makes searching much faster.
Order from places with photos, and read the 리뷰 (reviews) tab, which often shows what actually arrives.

A few last tips

Many apps let you pick up instead (포장), usually without a delivery fee.
Leave a review; restaurants in Korea care about them, and some offer a free extra for a review.
Recycle the containers. Rinse plastic tubs and sort them; the recycling guide explains the rules.

Which app works best for you, and how did you get around sign-up? Share tips or ask a question in the comments.