Learn Hardcore Korean: ibeon jumare gati sae sikdangeseo bibimbabeul meogeo bolkkayo? - Shall we try eating bibimbap at the new restaurant this weekend?

It’s a polite, inclusive suggestion meaning “Shall we…?” or “How about we…?” It invites the listener to do the action together with the speaker. In other contexts, -ㄹ까요?/을까요? can also mean “I wonder if…,” but here—with an activity and 같이—it’s clearly a proposal.

Why use 먹어 보다 instead of just 먹다? What’s the difference between 먹을까요? and 먹어 볼까요?

먹을까요? = “Shall we eat (it)?” A straightforward decision to eat.
먹어 볼까요? = “Shall we try eating (it)?” More tentative/experimental, suggesting you test or sample it (e.g., a new dish or a new place’s version).

Is 같이 necessary? Could I drop it or use 함께?

Not necessary: -ㄹ까요? already implies “we,” so 같이 can be omitted: “이번 주말에 새 식당에서 비빔밥을 먹어 볼까요?”
Why keep it? 같이 makes “together” explicit and friendly.
함께 vs 같이: 함께 is a bit more formal/literary; 같이 is everyday.
Placement: It can move around: “이번 주말에 같이 새 식당에서…,” “이번 주말에 새 식당에서 같이…,” or “같이 비빔밥을…”.

Why is it 새 식당에서 (with -에서) and not 새 식당에?

-에서 marks the place where an action happens. Eating happens at a place, so 새 식당에서 is correct.
-에 marks time, location of existence, or a destination. If you talk about going first, you’d say: “새 식당에 가서 비빔밥을 먹어 볼까요?” (go to the new restaurant and eat).

What does the time particle -에 do in 이번 주말에? Can I omit it?

-에 after a time word means “at/on”: “on this weekend.”
It’s often optional in casual speech: “이번 주말 (에)…” Both are widely heard.
To emphasize the time as a topic, you can say 이번 주말에는.

Does 새 mean “newly opened,” or just “new to us”? How is it different from 새로운?

새 식당 usually means a newly opened place or one that’s new to the speaker/listener (new to us).
새로운 식당 means “a novel/different kind of restaurant.” It sounds like novelty/innovation rather than “recently opened.”
To be explicit about “newly opened,” say 새로 연 식당 or 새로 생긴 식당.

Why is it 비빔밥을 (with 을)? Can I drop the object particle?

을/를 marks the object. Use 을 after a consonant (비빔밥), 를 after a vowel.
In everyday speech, dropping the object particle is common: “비빔밥 먹어 볼까요?” is natural. In careful writing or formal speech, keep it.

Can I change the word order?

Yes—Korean word order is flexible, with the verb at the end. Natural options include:

이번 주말에 같이 새 식당에서 비빔밥을 먹어 볼까요?
이번 주말에 새 식당에서 같이 비빔밥을 먹어 볼까요?
이번 주말에 새 식당에서 비빔밥을 같이 먹어 볼까요? All sound fine; many speakers prefer the flow “time → place → (together) → object → verb.”

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

같이 is pronounced [가치] (ㅌ + ㅣ → 치).
식당에서 is [식땅에서] (ㄷ sound in 당 is tensed after final ㄱ).
비빔밥을 becomes [비빔바블] (the ㅂ carries over to the following vowel).
먹어 is [머거].
볼까요? is often [볼 까요] (the ㄱ in 까요 is tensed).

Who is the subject? Why is “we” not written?

Korean often omits obvious subjects. With -ㄹ까요? the default subject is “we (speaker + listener)”. You can add it for clarity:

우리 이번 주말에… (we)
저랑 같이 이번 주말에… (together with me)

How polite is this? What are casual and more formal alternatives?

Neutral polite (your sentence): 먹어 볼까요?
More respectful/honorific: 비빔밥을 드셔 보실래요? / 드셔 보시겠어요?
Casual (friends/peers): 먹어 볼래? / 먹어 볼까? / 먹어 보자

Does 이번 주말 mean “this coming weekend”? What about 오는/다음/지난?

이번 주말 = this weekend (the one that’s current or next in sequence from now).
오는 주말 = the upcoming weekend (very similar to 이번 주말).
다음 주말 = next weekend (the one after this coming weekend).
지난 주말 = last weekend.

Should it be written 먹어 볼까요 or 먹어볼까요?

When 보다 is an auxiliary meaning “try (doing),” standard spelling writes it separately: 먹어 보다. So “먹어 볼까요?” is the standard form. You will also see “먹어볼까요?” in informal writing, but spacing it is preferred in standard orthography.

Why is it 볼까요 and not 봐까요?

봐요 comes from 보아(요) → contraction.
-ㄹ까요? attaches to the verb stem 보-, yielding 볼까요? (not 봐까요).

If I want to invite only the listener (not “we”) to try it, how do I say that?

Use a request aimed at the listener:

비빔밥 드셔 보실래요?
비빔밥 드셔 보시겠어요?
비빔밥 한번 드셔 보세요. (polite imperative/request)

What’s the difference between 식당, 음식점, and 레스토랑?

식당 / 음식점: general words for “restaurant”; 식당 is most common.
레스토랑: a loanword often implying a Western-style or more upscale restaurant, depending on context.