Suwon restaurant with kids' white rice and terrace drinks: Boriook

Boriook Main Branch

Last time I visited this Korean restaurant near Mangpo Station with my parents — you can eat as much barley rice and namul (seasoned vegetable) side dishes as you like — and this time I went with my kid. There's such a variety of home-style, comforting side dishes, plus plenty of barley rice and banchan, that I thought it'd be a good fit for a visit with a child too. :)

Where is Boriook Main Branch? 10 minutes from Mangpo Station

Boriook Main Branch, a Suwon Korean restaurant, isn't far from Mangpo Station, which makes it good for a family meal out. The interior was too crowded for photos, but it's fairly spacious with generous gaps between tables, so strollers and wheelchairs can move around fine.

There's a sign explaining how to order at Boriook, plus a note that writing a receipt review gets you a free neobiani (Korean-style grilled beef). The instructions were clear and friendly, so ordering was easy.

Unlimited namul and side dishes, plus white rice and rice puffs

Boriook's signature feature is unlimited refills on the side dishes. Rice, drinks, namul, fritters — there were so many options I couldn't decide what to try first.

Along with barley rice, they also have white rice, so a kid who isn't keen on barley rice can go with white rice, or switch between the two. There were also rice puffs, which my kid happily snacked on after the meal.

Drinks on the Boriook terrace after the meal

After eating a solid meal, I made sure to save room for dessert too. There was coffee, yulmu tea (job's tears tea), café latte, plum tea, and peach tea, and I liked being able to choose between a warm tea or an iced coffee.

They also have a spacious terrace, so it was nice to take a drink outside and enjoy it there. Now that the weather's cooler, sipping coffee outdoors was pure bliss >_< It's a nice spot to rest for a bit when you're not quite ready to head straight home after eating with your kid.

Boriook Main Branch menu, prices and the child surcharge

There are set menus and à la carte items. The set menus are: barley rice set, mackerel set, soy sauce pork set, and gochujang pork set. Preschool-age children (from ages 6 to 12) require an extra ₩5,000 surcharge.

Gochujang pork set ₩15,000 / Mackerel set ₩16,000

The spread: gochujang pork set and mackerel set

We ordered the gochujang pork set and the mackerel set. The gochujang pork was seasoned nicely for eating with rice, so the adults enjoyed it, while the grilled mackerel was mild and light, making it good for eating with a kid. Note that the mackerel only comes as half a fish :) Eating through it, it felt a bit skimpy, haha. Next time I might order it as an à la carte item instead. The kids ate it happily and said it was tasty.

Alongside this came cheonggukjang jjigae (fermented soybean paste stew) and various self-serve side dishes, which made it easy to pick and choose bites with my kid.

Barley rice and fresh namul with free refills

What I liked most about Boriook Main Branch was being able to eat generous portions of barley rice and a wide variety of side dishes. Adding the sesame oil and gochujang from the table, piling on plenty of namul, and mixing it all together — that's really how barley rice is meant to be eaten.

Kids' tray and high chair: eating at Boriook with a child

Having a kids' tray made eating with my child much easier. Japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), soft acorn jelly, various fritters, and namul were all good options for eating together. The one small letdown was that I wish there'd been another mild, non-spicy option for kids, like a seaweed soup.

High chairs available

Suwon Pay accepted

Is Boriook Main Branch worth a visit with kids?

Visiting with my child this time, I could see why families keep coming here. Boriook Main Branch, a Suwon Korean restaurant that both adults and kids enjoyed, feels like a solid family restaurant near Mangpo Station. If you like hearty barley rice, fresh namul, and home-style side dishes, give it a try :)

Boriook Main Branch hours and parking

📍99 Yeongtong-ro 200beon-gil, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

• Open every day
• Opens at 10:00
• Break time 15:00-16:30
• Last order 20:30
• Closes at 21:00

Free parking, available in front of the building