13,000 won barley rice set with a free salad bar, Suwon: Boriook Main

Today I visited Boriook, a barley rice buffet restaurant near Mangpo Station in Suwon. Barley rice has so many benefits — it's great for blood sugar control, rich in magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and vitamin B, and really good for managing cholesterol too, apparently.

What is on the free salad bar at Boriook Main Branch?

At Boriook, Suwon's healthy barley rice buffet spot, all the healthy side dishes and the fresh salad bar are free. Order a main dish and you can enjoy the delicious salad bar as much as you like. There were all kinds of fresh namul (seasoned vegetables) and side dishes, so I could make a really tasty bibimbap myself, which was great.

A wide variety of namul are set out so you can build your own bibimbap.

Beyond the namul, there were also plenty of side dishes like mu-saengchae (spicy radish salad), kimchi, japchae, stir-fried eggplant, fried eggplant, and stir-fried mushrooms.

There were also fried items I love, like acorn jelly and fried sweet potato, plus various seasoning sauces.

Dessert at Boriook: sungnyung, plum tea, coffee and two kinds of rice puffs

There were also plenty of dessert options — sungnyung (scorched rice tea), plum and peach tea, coffee. And there were even two kinds of rice puff snacks, good for cleansing the palate.

Two barley rice sets with doenjang jjigae included

I simply ordered the barley rice set for two. When you order a set, they give you doenjang jjigae as standard — I loved that. The doenjang was healthy and really delicious too.

The namul were fresh and seasoned just right, perfect for eating.

The ssam (wrap) vegetables were also very fresh and good quality.

Parking at Boriook Main Branch: about 6 spaces out front

Boriook, the Mangpo Station favorite, is a standalone building. There's parking in front, but it only fits about 6 cars, so there's separate parking around the building too. A parking guide sign was posted at the door.

Inside the Suwon restaurant: seating and the mother-of-pearl wall

Inside, Boriook was very clean and neatly decorated. Overall it was well maintained hygienically.

The mother-of-pearl craft decoration on one wall of Boriook was really stylish.

Set meal options and the free neobiani review event

Besides the barley rice set, there are various set options like the mackerel set, soy sauce pork set, and gochujang pork set, so if you come as a family you can each pick the menu you like. Or it's great for eating with a coworker like I did, or even for a company dinner. There's also an ongoing event where you get free neobiani (Korean marinated grilled beef) if you write a review — worth trying. I was too full to manage the neobiani, though, haha.

Boriook Main Branch hours and address near Mangpo Station

• Hours: 10:00 – 21:00
• Break time: 15:00 – 16:30
• Last order: 20:30
• Address: 1123 Yeongtong-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

In an era of high prices, I highly recommend Boriook near Mangpo Station, Suwon — clean, healthy barley rice at a reasonable 13,000 won, with buffet access included. It was a really satisfying dinner with a coworker.