Suwon barley rice restaurant with green outdoor tables: Boriook Main

📍 Location 99 Yeongtong-ro 200beon-gil, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor ⏰ Hours OPEN 10:00 - 21:00 BREAK TIME 15:00-16:30 LAST ORDER 20:30 🚘 Parking Self-owned lot in front of the restaurant

A barley rice set for when greasy holiday food gets old

Today I'm introducing a restaurant I visited a few days ago that I thought was worth sharing. When you keep craving greasy holiday food or heavy meals, sometimes what actually hits the spot is a clean, tidy Korean meal instead.

Today's spot is Boriook Main Branch, near Mangpo Station. Barley rice with mackerel, pork, and a bunch of side dishes — the whole spread looks healthy just from looking at it, so I think it'll suit anyone who, like me, likes a clean but filling meal.

Boriook Main Branch near Mangpo Station: standalone building with parking

I followed the navigation and found Boriook Main Branch in its own standalone building. What I liked most was that it has its own separate parking lot.

The sky was so blue that day that the clean exterior paired with it made the restaurant look even prettier somehow. I even thought to myself, 'Is it just me, or does the building look brighter because the sky is so blue?' Haha. Walking in, the interior was bigger than I expected.

Overall the vibe was clean and tidy, and maybe because it's a fairly new place, the whole space looked spotless. Tables weren't cramped together either, and the wood-tone interior gave off a comfortable feeling.

Arriving at 11am, right when Boriook Main Branch opens

We got there around 11am, right at opening time. I figured we'd have a relaxed meal, but while we were ordering and getting settled, customers started trickling in one by one. Before long the place was packed. You can really tell a place is good by how fast the customers pile in, haha.

We sat down, looked over the menu, and ordered two dishes that day.

What we ordered at Boriook Main Branch and what it cost

• Barley rice mackerel set: ₩15,000
• Dinner gochujang pork set: ₩16,000

Prices are as confirmed at the time of the visit.

Straight to the self-serve bar after ordering

After ordering we headed to the self-serve bar, and my mood lifted again right there. So many dishes neatly arranged, a wide variety, each one plated tidily. Everything from seasoned vegetables (namul) to fritters — the variety was impressive.

The colors were so vibrant that just looking at them made me hungrier. At restaurants like this, what catches my eye isn't just the side dishes themselves but whether they're kept tidy rather than scattered around — and Boriook was well organized overall. Once we scooped just enough onto our plates and brought them back to the table, it already felt like a full spread.

A spread that looks healthy at first glance

A little later our ordered dishes arrived too, and the table was completely full.

Barley rice, doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), all kinds of namul and side dishes, plus mackerel and pork. Laid out like this, it really does look generous. What I especially liked was that it's not a meal where you eat a ton of just one dish.

Rice with a bit of namul on top,

a spoonful of doenjang jjigae,

a piece of mackerel on top. Getting to taste a little of many things made eating more fun and less heavy.

Is the mackerel fishy? No, just clean and light

I started with the barley rice mackerel set I'd ordered. The mackerel wasn't strongly fishy the way that fish can be — it was clean-tasting and went well with the rice.

Eating a bite of mackerel with barley rice and some namul side dishes together, the flavor wasn't bland even though it wasn't strong either. Above all, the seasoning on the side dishes wasn't too salty or too bland — just the right level. Lately this kind of clean Korean meal has actually started tasting better to me.

The gochujang pork is a certified rice-thief

And then the gochujang pork set we ordered together. Pork like this really has to be eaten with rice, haha.

It was just spicy enough, well seasoned, and went really well with the barley rice. If the mackerel was the clean, plain option, the pork was the one that woke up your appetite with strong seasoning. I was glad we ordered both — switching between the mild mackerel and the spicy pork kept things interesting and I never got tired of it.

Tea and rice puffs to finish the meal

After the meal, there was tea to drink and rice puffs available for dessert.

But that day I had a bakery café in mind for right after, so I skipped dessert, unfortunately. Next time I'll take it slow and enjoy a cup of tea after the meal.

The green outdoor tables at Boriook Main Branch

There was one more spot at Boriook that I personally loved — the outdoor tables!

While eating inside, I glanced outside and the outdoor tables caught my eye right away. Tables and chairs set among trees and greenery — the vibe was so good I thought, 'Wait, is this really a restaurant?'

On a nice day, it'd be lovely to sit there for a cup of tea after the meal, and it also looked like a great spot for a family to sit and chat leisurely after eating. Just as pretty as any café, right?

Worth it for a healthy meal near Mangpo Station?

Lately there are times when, instead of intense flavors, I crave a tidy Korean meal with all sorts of namul and side dishes. Especially after eating fried food and meat during the holidays, there are days when you just think, 'I want to eat clean today.'

For those moments, a place like Boriook Main Branch — where you can enjoy barley rice, namul, doenjang jjigae, and either fish or pork all at once — seemed like a great option. The seasoning wasn't overly intense, and the restaurant was clean and spacious, so it seemed well suited for family meals or eating with parents.

More than anything, the feeling after the meal was of being satisfyingly full rather than weighed down. I like restaurants like that. If you're looking for a healthy, filling meal near Mangpo Station, Boriook Main Branch seems worth a visit.

If greasy holiday food has gotten a little old, how about a barley rice spread like this instead? Tidy side dishes, clean mackerel, and delicious pork — after eating, I felt like even my mood got a little healthier that day.