🍽️ Booking Restaurants in Korea with CatchTable

Seoul’s most talked-about restaurants — from Michelin-starred spots to the café everyone’s posting from Seongsu-dong — often come with a real wait, or fill up entirely if you just walk in. CatchTable is how locals book ahead, and there’s now a version built specifically for foreign visitors so you don’t need a Korean phone number to use it. (Looking for what to actually order once you’re seated? Check our Korean BBQ guide or street food guide.)

The One Thing to Get Right: Download the Global Version

There are two separate apps, and they look similar enough to grab the wrong one by mistake:

• CatchTable (local/Korean version) — requires identity verification tied to a Korean telecom carrier. Foreign tourists generally get stuck here.
• CATCHTABLE Global (search “CATCHTABLE: Book Restaurants”) — built specifically for international visitors. No Korean phone number required at any point.

Search for “CATCHTABLE Global” or “CATCHTABLE: Book Restaurants” specifically in the App Store or Google Play — not just “캐치테이블” or “CatchTable” alone.

Setting Up

1. Download CATCHTABLE Global
2. Sign up with your Google account, Apple account, or a regular email address — no Korean phone number needed anywhere in the process
3. Browse restaurant search in whichever of 20 supported languages suits you; the app’s own interface runs primarily in English, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)

Booking a Table

1. Search for a specific restaurant, or filter by location, cuisine type, date, time, and party size
2. Check the restaurant’s page for menu info and reviews before booking
3. For popular restaurants, reservations often open at a specific time (sometimes weeks ahead) and fill up fast — if there’s a place you really want, check when their booking window opens and be ready
4. Confirm your reservation — you’ll get confirmations via app notifications and email, not SMS, so there’s nothing that requires a Korean number to receive

Deposits and Payment

Some restaurants require a small deposit to confirm a reservation, which helps them cut down on no-shows. A few things worth knowing:

• Deposits can be paid with a foreign-issued credit card
• Deposit amounts and refund conditions vary by restaurant — check the details on the payment screen before confirming
• Waitlist entries never require a deposit — whether you join remotely or in person, joining a wait list is free either way

If a Restaurant Only Uses a Different System

Not every restaurant is on CatchTable — some use a separate app called TableIng (테이블링) instead. If that’s the case for a place you want to visit:

• Some restaurants allow walk-in waitlist registration on an in-store tablet, which can work with a foreign phone number
• Off-peak times — right at opening, or a weekday lunch — often mean little to no wait even at popular spots
• Calling ahead is an option too, though English support varies restaurant to restaurant

Quick Tips

• Double-check you’ve installed the Global version before you start setting up an account — this is the single most common mixup
• Notifications come through the app and email, so keep notifications turned on if you’re relying on a same-day waitlist spot
• Popular restaurants can book out days or weeks ahead — if there’s a specific place on your must-visit list, don’t leave booking until you land