Are you supposed to eat banchan first? The short answer

Are you supposed to eat banchan first? No. Banchan, the small side dishes that fill a Korean table, may land in front of you before the main dish. But there is no set order, so you eat it with rice and the main throughout the meal. If you've been wondering whether to clear those little plates before the main arrives, you can relax.

Banchan can arrive first, but it's meant for the whole meal

Small dishes of kimchi, seasoned vegetables and braised side dishes arranged together on a wooden table.

Banchan (BAHN-chan) means the side dishes served alongside rice. Stir-fried dishes, kimchi, and braised dishes all count. A Korean meal is usually built as a table with several of them set out together, not as a single plate.

The key is to separate two things: when banchan arrives and when you eat it. It may arrive first, yet it's meant to ride along with the meal rather than be finished as a separate course. Plenty of the dishes simply wait on the table until the rice and the main show up.

One spoonful of rice, one side dish, repeat

A spoon holding a bite of rice beside a small plate of seasoned vegetables.

If you're asking how you're supposed to eat Korean side dishes, the honest answer is that it's up to the eater. You take a spoonful of rice and pick something to go with it. That's pretty much the whole Korean style of eating.

Here is a simple rhythm to follow when the table fills up.

Start with some rice.
Pick one side dish and eat it with the rice.
When the main dish arrives, eat it with rice too.
In between bites of the main, go back to the side dishes.
Alternate with rice, the main, and the soup, in whatever order you like.

Most people nibble a bit of banchan right away and alternate it with rice. Some save a few dishes to eat alongside the main course. Both are normal, and neither one is the rule.

The small plates usually reach the table before the main

A server placing several small side dishes on a restaurant table before the main dish appears.

Yes, banchan typically comes out before the main dishes, because that is how a Korean table gets set. That timing doesn't make it a starter.

Question	Answer
When does banchan arrive?	Usually before the main course
When do you eat it?	From the first bite to the last
Is it an appetizer?	No, it goes with the rest of the meal
Does it go in the middle of the table?	Yes, to be shared, with the main dish

It's part of the meal, not a course of its own

Here's what this looks like in practice. Banchan sits in the middle of the table, next to the main dish, and everyone shares it. Rice and soup are different: they're set out for each person. So your own bowls are the base, and the shared dishes are what you reach for to go with them.

That also explains why banchan comes in small portions. It's made to add flavor and variety to the whole meal, and it's brought out again during the meal if you run low.

A small taste while you wait is fine

Can you taste banchan before the main dish arrives? Yes. It's fine to try a bit while you wait for your order, including before a protein dish or other ordered food comes out. The one caution is not to fill up on it. A few bites is a good rule. Save room, because the side dishes will still be there when the main arrives.

Rice, meat and vegetables are banchan's usual partners

Traditionally, banchan is eaten with rice, with meat, or with vegetables. So the answer to what you eat it with is simply the rest of the table. A few things you'll likely see:

Kimchi: a traditional side dish made from salt-cured, fermented vegetables. Napa cabbage and Korean radish are among the main ingredients. It's on nearly every Korean table, served cold or at room temperature.
Namul: seasoned vegetable dishes that use seasonal flavors. They're a fixture of Korean meals.
Stir-fried and braised dishes: set out near the rice, and good for pairing with a spoonful at a time.

Common misunderstandings that make first-timers hesitate

The biggest one is treating banchan like an appetizer you must finish before anything else. Korean banchan etiquette doesn't ask for that. It isn't something you take in a fixed sequence, and you can mix it with rice, the main dish, and soup. A few related slip-ups are worth knowing.

Eating plate after plate of banchan before the main comes. A taste is fine, but it's meant to last the meal.
Assuming it's all yours. Banchan is shared from the middle of the table.
Worrying about asking for more. Banchan refills at Korean restaurants carry no extra charge.

Refills are where Western diners most often run into friction. It's worth knowing in advance that asking for more is normal.

Verdict: eat it whenever the bite calls for it

So, no, nothing says you have to eat banchan first. A small taste while you wait is fine. After that, bring it along with your rice and the main dish all the way through the meal, one spoonful at a time.