Banchan is one of those Korean food words that almost everyone seems to know now.

But once you actually sit down at a restaurant in Korea, it can still be a little confusing.

Small dishes you never ordered appear first. You can often ask for more. Some seem to have very little to do with the main dish.

That is why some people assume Korean side dishes (반찬, banchan) are appetizers.

They are not.

Korean Meals Are About the Whole Table, Not Separate Courses

A Korean meal is usually built around several foods sharing the table at the same time.

Rice, soup or stew, banchan, and sometimes a larger main dish are meant to be eaten together.

In a restaurant, the order can look different. Banchan may arrive first because it is already prepared. Rice, stew, or grilled meat may follow when they are ready.

The banchan did not become the first course. It just reached the table first.

Banchan Is Not an Appetizer

Banchan is not something you finish before the meal begins. You normally keep eating it with rice throughout the meal.

When banchan comes out before everything else, I usually taste a little of each one.

Then the rice arrives, and I try the same banchan again with a spoonful of rice. A salty or strongly seasoned dish can taste quite different once rice is part of the bite.

Then I wait for the main dish.

Banchan may arrive first, but it is not meant to be finished first.

Some People Can Finish a Bowl of Rice Before the Main Dish Arrives

I have seen someone eat almost an entire bowl of rice with nothing but basic side dishes (밑반찬, mit-banchan).

When the main dish finally arrived, he simply ordered another bowl of rice.

That does not look especially strange to a Korean.

A few good banchan can be enough to keep the rice going. They are not decoration around the “real” food.

Banchan Belongs at Home Too

Banchan is not just something restaurants give you for free.

It is part of everyday home meals too.

Koreans often use the word mit-banchan for side dishes that can be prepared in advance and eaten over several meals.

Kimchi, seasoned vegetables, pickles, stir-fries, and braised dishes are just a few examples. The range is enormous.

Yes, Kimchi Is Banchan

For anyone just getting to know Korean food, one small point is worth making: kimchi is banchan too.

Kimchi is so famous internationally that it can feel like a separate category of Korean food. On an ordinary Korean table, though, it is one of the most familiar side dishes.

Of course, banchan means much more than kimchi. Kimchi is simply the most famous member of a very large family.

Some Banchan Match the Main Dish. Some Do Not.

Not every banchan is chosen to support one specific main dish.

A Korean set meal called baekban (백반, baekban) makes this easy to see. Several side dishes may come with rice and soup, but each one does not necessarily have a special relationship with a single main dish. You simply eat them with the rice.

Other meals are different.

With gukbap (국밥, gukbap), kimchi and cubed radish kimchi (깍두기, kkakdugi) are natural partners. At a Korean barbecue restaurant, lettuce and other wraps, garlic, ssamjang, and seasoned green onions are there to work with the meat.

If you want to go deeper into Korean wraps (쌈, ssam), I have a separate guide on how Koreans actually make and eat ssam.

So the relationship between banchan and the main dish can be loose in one meal and very strong in another.

Banchan Is Usually Free, and Refills Are Often Free Too

At many Korean restaurants, the basic banchan is included in the price of the meal.

If you want more, you can usually ask for a refill without paying extra.

That does not mean every side dish at every restaurant comes with unlimited refills. A restaurant may limit or charge for something made with a more expensive ingredient, and those exceptions are usually explained or marked separately.

You Do Not Have to Finish Every Plate

Another question visitors sometimes have is whether leaving banchan behind is rude.

It is better not to waste food if you can avoid it. But you are not expected to clean every single banchan plate just to be polite.

There may be several dishes on the table. You may not like all of them, or you may simply be full.

Do not turn the meal into a test.

I Have Seen the Same Banchan Culture Outside Korea

I have lived in the Philippines, and I have also eaten at Korean restaurants in Europe.

At the places I visited, banchan still came with the meal, and free refills were common.

I always found that interesting.

Even after the restaurant moved to another country, the banchan culture often moved with it. To me, that is a good sign that banchan is not just a list of small dishes. It is part of the Korean way of eating.

That is only my experience with the restaurants I visited, not a rule for every Korean restaurant abroad.

Taste Your Way Around the Table

For me, the best thing about banchan is how many flavors one meal can hold.

Something spicy, something sour, something salty, something nutty, something mild — all of them can sit on the same table.

And the same spoonful of rice tastes different depending on what you eat with it.

So if a Korean restaurant puts six little dishes in front of you, do not feel pressured.

Taste them. Try the ones you like again with rice. Ask for more if you want more. And if you do not finish every plate, that is fine.

The point is not to conquer every dish. It is to experience as many different flavors as you can on one table.

That, to me, is the most enjoyable way to eat banchan.

Have a question about Korean food or dining culture? Leave a comment below. If I know the answer, I’ll be happy to help.