Suwon Korean buffet: smoky gochujang vs soy pork sets for 3, Boriook

These days, eating out is either painfully expensive or leaves you bloated and disappointed by food that tastes only of seasoning, right? Today I'm introducing a Suwon Korean restaurant where the whole family can eat comfortably, with no parking stress. It's Boriook Main Branch (보리옥 본점), a Korean buffet where you can enjoy all the fresh vegetables, warm side dishes and hearty barley rice you like.

Boriook Main Branch location, hours and parking

Boriook Main Branch is at 99 Yeongtong-ro 200beon-gil, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi, on the 1st floor, and it's open daily 10:00–21:00. Break time is 15:00–16:30, last order is at 20:30, and you can park in front of the restaurant.

Parking is hard around the Yeongtong restaurant area, right? Here you can park right in front, so it's easy to reach by car. And if you're not driving, it's close to Exit 1 of Mangpo Station too, so public transport is a good option!

Is there a wait at Boriook Main Branch, and is there CatchTable?

There's a Catch Table (reservation and waitlist app) at the entrance. We went on a weekday evening and it wasn't crowded, but weekend lunch and dinner might be busy, so keep Catch Table in mind ✔️

Is Boriook Main Branch good for a family meal?

The inside is traditional yet stylish and neat! Most of the guests seemed to be couples or families out with their parents, and we thought, we have to bring our own parents here too ✨

And when you have a little one, the first things you check before eating out are whether a stroller fits and whether there's a baby chair, right? Boriook has fairly wide spacing between tables and high chairs ready too, so I thought it would be a great family spot with toddlers.

Three of us ordered all three Boriook set meals

The three of us ordered one each of the Boriook set (보리옥정식), the gochujang pork set (고추장제육정식) and the soy sauce pork set (간장제육정식). We wanted to taste a bit of everything, and being able to compare the flavors side by side was an excellent choice ✨

The photo above looks like a notice (?) placed on every table. You order one set per person on the table tablet, then use the self-bar!

The basic setting is barley rice, a soup bowl and a plate, and, as a proper Korean set-meal place, every table has sesame oil and homemade gochujang (chili paste) too!

Is Boriook's doenjang stew okay if you don't like cheonggukjang?

The Boriook set comes with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) that has a faint cheonggukjang (strong fermented soybean paste) aroma. When it arrived it looked like an ordinary doenjang stew, but after a spoonful of broth, a mild, nutty cheonggukjang scent drifted through.

My younger sibling and other people I know often can't eat cheonggukjang because of its funky, strong smell. But Boriook's stew leaves out that off-putting strength: it has the cleanness of doenjang stew with the deep, nutty flavor of cheonggukjang lightly layered in, so even people who dislike cheonggukjang should find it easy to eat!

What side dishes are on the Boriook self-bar?

The self-bar at Boriook Main Branch has a wide range of classic home-cooking dishes. Just take the big plate they set out, go to the self-bar and load up as much as you want.

We wrapped the ordered gochujang pork and soy sauce pork in ssam (leaf wraps) with the barley rice, and also made bibimbap: we piled on bean sprouts, young radish kimchi (yeolmu kimchi) and assorted seasonal namul from the self-bar, then added the nutty sesame oil and the secret-recipe gochujang that every table thoughtfully has!

Gochujang pork vs soy sauce pork: which set to order at Boriook

Boriook's gochujang pork had a faint fire-grilled aroma, and the sweet-and-spicy seasoning soaked right into the meat without being too intense or too hot. The soy sauce pork is the textbook sweet-and-salty, you could say!

The soy sauce pork had no gamey smell at all and was tender, with a popular yet deep flavor that kids and people who can't handle spice can enjoy without any divide! Both were properly stir-fried on a hot plate, and the balance of juicy meat and fire-grilled aroma was delicious 👍🏻

Boriook desserts and the outdoor terrace

For dessert, Boriook Main Branch has old-fashioned snacks like oranda (a traditional sweet grain snack), plum tea, peach iced tea and coffee. After frantically filling your stomach, there's everything from nostalgic old-style snacks to cool, sweet plum tea, refreshing peach iced tea and clean-tasting coffee ☕️

Outside the restaurant there's also a terrace where guests can relax, and other customers were sitting under it chatting quietly over hot cups of coffee.

Boriook Main Branch in Suwon: final verdict

Boriook in Suwon isn't just a buffet that piles on quantity. You can feel the owner's warm sincerity in everything made by hand, from the smallest side dish to the seasoned gochujang. Order one set per person and you can use the quality self-bar freely without feeling awkward, so I think it's good value too!

I strongly recommend it to anyone missing warm, gentle home cooking like Mom makes, and to families looking for a place to park easily and eat comfortably with parents or kids on the weekend.