Toyoni

Restaurant reservations

Korea's top reservation and waitlist apps make you prove your ID with a Korean phone number before you can book. Here's how each one works, and the one question that tells you if you can do it yourself.

Which one are you using?

CatchTable The original Korean CatchTable app asks for 휴대전화번호 본인인증 (Korea checks your real ID through a Korean phone) to sign up. With no Korean carrier line, sign-up won't go through. Tabling To sign up and book, Tabling wants a Korean phone number tied to a Korean ID check, and it sends your turn alert over KakaoTalk, so a foreign SIM never gets the alert.

To book a restaurant or join a waitlist, the Korean app may require 본인인증 through a Korean phone number. Some booking and payment steps also run only in Korean or accept only Korean payment methods.

For many restaurants, CatchTable Global is the self-service option. It lets you sign up with Google, Apple, or email, with no Korean number. You can use English or Chinese and pay deposits with a foreign card. Check the restaurant’s refund terms, booking window, and alert settings before you pay.

The one question that decides everything

First, check this: is your restaurant on CatchTable, or Tabling-only?

  • On CatchTable → use CatchTable Global and you can usually do it yourself.
  • Tabling-only → there is no Tabling Global app. At some restaurants, you can join the walk-in queue on the tablet at the door with a foreign number. This does not help with booking ahead.

When the restaurant is Tabling-only, a slot sells out quickly, or a deposit will not go through, Toyoni can book, change, or join the waitlist for you and send confirmation.

How do I book restaurants in Seoul with a foreign phone number?

Search the restaurant’s name on CatchTable Global first. It signs you up with Google, Apple, or email, so a foreign phone number is fine, and deposits take a foreign card. If the restaurant runs its queue on Tabling instead, there’s no global app to switch to. Here’s the choice in one table:

CatchTable Tabling
Sign-up CatchTable Global takes Google, Apple, or email, no Korean number Asks for a Korean number tied to 본인인증; there is no Tabling Global
Deposits Foreign card works on Global TablingPay/CheckPay want a Korean bank account, and foreign cards often fail
Alerts Defaults to KakaoTalk, so turn on in-app push and leave a working email KakaoTalk only, so a foreign SIM gets no turn alert
Coverage Joined restaurants only; some tables and slots show up only on the Korean app Tablet at the door takes a foreign number for a walk-in queue, but booking ahead needs a Korean-checked account