Barley rice buffet in Mangpo, Suwon with table ordering: Boriook Main

This time my husband and I came here for lunch!! An all-you-can-eat barley rice spot in Suwon, a Korean set-meal favorite — Boriook Main Branch (보리옥 본점)!!

It's located right behind the Mangpo The Fantasium building!! This area isn't far from Mangpo Station, and I come by often to shop at Daiso, so I found it easily.

Ta-da, arrived right in front of Boriook Main Branch^^ A standalone building with a really clean exterior.

What time does break time start at Boriook Main Branch?

Boriook Main Branch's break time starts at 3pm. So if you're eating a late lunch, I'd recommend arriving by 2pm at the latest!! We visited on a weekday, a bit past the usual lunch hour, and as soon as we walked in there was a really spacious dining area.

While I was eating, some guests were still coming in at 2:20pm. Just so you know!!^^

We decided to sit at this table^^

How the table order works at Boriook Main Branch

At Boriook Main Branch, you sit down and order your set menu first through table order, then bring whatever you like from the self-bar to mix into your bowl. Rice and doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) are brought over by the staff themselves^^ Since it's a buffet, I was curious how it worked, and each table had instructions, so I read through them carefully.

Alright, let's go ahead and order through this table order tablet.

The menu had the barley rice set, the mackerel set (half a mackerel), the soy-braised pork set, and the grilled gochujang pork set too!! There was also a ₩5,000 kids-only menu!! One menu per person is the basic rule, so if you're bringing kids, make sure to order the kids menu too^^ We decided on the barley rice set and the mackerel set!! After finishing the order in the table-order cart

What is on the namul self-bar?

Boriook Main Branch's self-bar has over ten kinds of namul (seasoned vegetable side dishes), plus fried items, acorn jelly, and wrap vegetables all laid out together. Ta-da, here's the buffet area — a clean, tidy space with clearly a huge variety of dishes on display.

First up were fried items, braised tofu, and japchae (glass noodles) with rice cake in it.

Then came a variety of namul — braised lotus root, seasoned bean sprouts, seaweed stem, and bracken!!!

And it wasn't over!! Next came chwinamul (aster greens), sautéed oyster mushrooms, spicy radish salad, sautéed bellflower root, yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), and geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi) too!! So many kinds it caught me off guard!! Having this much variety means you can pick whatever suits your taste, which seemed like a great point.

Then came wrap vegetables and acorn jelly too!!! Isn't the quality really impressive for the price?

And right next to it, barley rice^^ and white rice too^^!!! Eek

And that's still not all. Dessert was well prepared too. There was coffee, plum juice, and peach drinks as well.

My husband and I piled our plates full for the two of us — vegetable prices are pricey these days, and making namul at home is honestly a hassle, right? But here at Boriook Main Branch, being able to freely enjoy whatever namul you like without worrying about it was really great!!!!!!!

Barley rice and doenjang stew served by the staff

At Boriook Main Branch, staff set out one bowl of barley rice and one doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) per person. By the time we brought our plates of namul back to the table, the staff had already set out a rice bowl and a soup bowl for each of us in the meantime. Eek

And then the doenjang stew appeared too!!! In a big earthenware pot, bubbling and freshly boiled!!!

It had tofu, green onion, and zucchini in it, and it was rich and really, really delicious ㅠㅠㅠ Honestly, since it's a barley rice buffet, I didn't expect the stew to be this proper, but tasting it, I was shocked!! Good enough to pass as a stew specialty restaurant^^

Then I piled the namul I'd brought over on top of the barley rice

and drizzled sesame oil and gochujang from the table on top

then mixed it all up and dug in right away.

Tasting it, it was pure honey-flavor bliss..... Each bite just went down so easily. It was so delicious that

Why the mackerel set won my husband over

Boriook Main Branch's mackerel set comes with half a grilled mackerel. And now the mackerel appears too!!

I picked at the plump mackerel flesh — savory and moist, pure and simple .... wait............ I came here expecting just the barley rice since it's a barley rice buffet, right? Seriously??? I get that a barley rice place would have delicious barley rice, but why is the stew and the mackerel this good too .....??????? My husband raved and raved that it was the moistest, most savory, and honestly the tastiest mackerel he's had since coming to Korea. Everyone!!!!! Please... if you come here, try the mackerel set

You could tell right away they use good mackerel, truly — you could feel it straight through the taste. The stew, the mackerel, the barley rice — all so delicious that I polished off a whole bowl of barley rice, and

we went back for a refill of namul and rice! If the taste had been so-so we would've eaten a normal amount, but it was so, so ㅜㅜ delicious that we ended up piling our plates high again as if under a spell.

Partway through, my husband wrapped his rice in perilla leaves. When it's this delicious, everything tastes good no matter how you eat it haha

Ta-da!! It was so, so delicious that we cleaned our plates like this!!! We truly finished it all ㄷㄷㄷ

The terrace after the meal, and is Boriook Main Branch good value?

Boriook Main Branch also has a terrace, and quite a lot of people were sitting there drinking coffee after their meal. Considering the taste and portion of the barley rice and stew, plus what you'd normally spend at a café afterward, Boriook Main Branch actually felt like great value!!

On days you're craving barley rice, whether as a treat or an everyday Korean meal!! I really hope you come try Boriook Main Branch!