Bon Appetit, Your Majesty

Bun appetit to my heart

This is a drama I would happily rewatch and recommend to anyone who loves romance with a unique concept and strong chemistry.
I absolutely loved this drama, and I did not expect to fall this hard. I started it out of curiosity and ended up completely obsessed. I binged multiple episodes in one day, stayed up way too late watching it, and even kept watching it while traveling. It became my little reward at the end of the day, and I looked forward to it every single time. The romance, the concept, and the execution were all so satisfying that I couldn’t stop.

LIKES:
-The concept was so fun and refreshing
-Watching a modern chef experience Joseon-era cooking was fascinating
-I loved seeing a new industry showcased through romance
-Every food scene felt like a commercial — beautifully shot and mouth-watering
-The way they fell in love felt natural and earned
-Strong chemistry between the leads
-Amazing production, music, and visuals
-I loved the devotion and emotional connection between them
-The story was engaging from the very beginning

DISLIKES:
-The ending felt rushed
-I wish it had been longer (14 episodes instead of 12)
-The transition from Joseon to modern times felt abrupt
-I was confused about how he got back to her — I wish they had shown or explained it
-For a moment, it felt like the romance was sidelined for politics, which frustrated me

CONCLUSION: This drama completely stole my heart. I loved the romance, the food, the historical setting, and the way the characters connected with each other. Even though the ending could have been handled more clearly, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the journey.

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Great Cooking, Weak Drama

I really wanted to enjoy the show since it was listed top 10 on Netflix in my country but unfortunately it fell flat for me overall.

The storyline feels poorly developed (even though they already have a source material to work off on), with plot holes and lazy writing that undermine the show’s interesting setup. Characters make decisions that don’t make sense, and the build up to the finale is filled with extremely stale and boring scenes that adds zero value to the overall plot which makes me want to skip the scenes so badly. Most character's acting was incredibly overly exaggerated and lacks genuine emotions which ruins the entire experience for me.

The one genuinely positive aspect is the cooking, the food visuals and recipes are great, and I could see the appeal that it adds to the success of this drama. But if the best part of a drama is the food, you’re better off watching a good cooking show instead of this.

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We found out about a good acting talent and that is Lee Chae-min:)

The concept of transmigrating is nothing new but i like that we were in Joseon kitchen era though, some scenes, i skipped, cause i didn't want to watch cooking competitions all the time. Lee Chae-min is a great jewel and i watched the series mostly because of him and his great acting, great expressions and switching from mad to a good person. Going till the end, i felt too much stalling but i am glad, unlike Moon Lovers series, that these two reunited. I also liked secretary actor very much and some famous actors in this series. And music is really nice; Find You is on my playing list, both instrumental and ordinary version.

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Ignore the Low Ratings: Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Is Worth Watching

I noticed Bon Appétit, Your Majesty received surprisingly low ratings, which genuinely puzzled me because I found it quite enjoyable.
First, the leads are undeniably good-looking, and more importantly, they have real chemistry. The female lead, in particular, stood out to me. She embodies a strong woman; someone thrown into circumstances she wasn’t raised for, yet she survives, adapts, and builds something out of nothing. She is confident in her abilities and truly believes her skills are enough to save her. As someone who appreciates strong female characters, this was one of the things I loved most about the show.
The male lead’s character is often criticized for being a tyrant, but when you consider the historical context, his behavior makes sense. Therapy didn’t exist in the past, and he was constantly under threat, with people actively plotting to overthrow and kill him. While his actions were extreme, it isn’t shocking when you remember how royalty historically found entertainment in power, punishment, and even death. From that perspective, his character feels realistic rather than exaggerated.
What elevated the romance for me was the implication that the leads had met before ,that she was the subject of the book from the very beginning. That detail adds an extra emotional layer and depth to their relationship, making the story more meaningful than a simple chance encounter.
While the eating scenes can feel a bit cringey at times, they also add charm. The cooking segments are enjoyable too, though I’d recommend skipping through them if food isn’t your area of interest.
Overall, this drama is a work of art in my books. My advice is to watch it without letting the reviews influence you. Go in without judgment and experience it for yourself... you might be pleasantly surprised.

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A light hearted comedy-romance

Watch this for :

- the food preparation scenes (if you are a k-food lover, must watch!)
- comedy gold (jokes and extra over-acting food reaction scenes. Seriously funny af 🤣)
- Yonna fan! (her acting in comedy genre always delivers. Remember Exit movie?)

Most memorable scene

- Food cooking competition between Joseon & Ming (love the all chefs and the food selection!)
- Ep 1. Start with a fish out of water scenario between the leads.

Lacking

- A solid plot. (Forgivable because it is a comedy dud.)
- The King is written as a stupid king. The way he govern the kingdom is more like governing a kindergarten than a country.

I watched for Yoona. Love her. But the food scenes and the kitchen cast also really good. Watch it in a light hearted mood and don't expect a serious plot. Enjoy the cooking scenes!

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Good start, no follow-up

Oh well, first off, I really like Lim Yoona, I think she was exceptinoally good in 'King the land'. One of her qualities for me is that she dares to play comedy roles, something most beautiful Korean actresses rather don't do as it often isn't elegant as a given. She does play comedy, and given a good storyline and director, I think she is doing it very well.

So, I started to watch 'Bon Appetit', and the first two episodes didn't disappoint, it was funny, the slaptstick wasn't too much, and the banter between the FL and the ML was interesting.
So, taken into account that this of course is a fantasy drama with time travel, I don't feel the need to look for historic accuracy in this and watched it for fun.

Sadly, from epidose 3 on, I realised that the actual very thin plot of this show after the good intro episodes is just 'there is a cooking competition in every episode'. There is modern dishes filmed in food porn style, and there is historic figures tasting the modern delicious stuff and having orgasmic experiences every single time. That .- is funny once, but if that is all that happens in every episode that's just not enough.

It's also a bit absurd that the writers created these unbelievable stories over and over again why the FL has to compete in cooking in every episode. I took it when she had to compete against the former royal cooks, ok. But now some Chinese royal is there and things are actually about trade dealings and all of a sudden it's a cooking competion again because the Chinese guest said he doesn't like Joseon food? So what? That doesn't have any gravity for the trade dealings, but they somehow managed to absurdly build a plot where the future of the Joseon empire lies upon the FL and her cooking. Nah, sorry, that's just nonsese and flat storytelling with no creativity and no real plot.

And, not knowing the ML at all, I have to say he is not good enough an actor to carry this historic role for my personal taste. His acting actually seems a bit forced and has no depth as I can hear he is acting and is not able to give the historic Korean lines naturally. Maybe I am biased though, as I had just rewatched 'the red sleeve' where the ML was absolutely convincing in his historic ruler role and even brought me to tears.
So sadly, I'm dropping this, I'd rather rewatch 'king the land' again, where Yoona could shine with her comedic talent placed in a good storytelling.

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Joseon Food Wars

I really loved it- the ML, the FL, the entire cast, the devilish villains and all that extravagant food... Really wish this adaptation could have been more like an anime spread across seasons coz I definitely wanted to see more of all of them😭 I usually do dig up on the source more often than not but this drama has really got me into the light novel(especially as I love stuff where you can see the skeleton of history lingering in the fantasy). The plot was very much a shoujo Nobunaga no Chef with a hint of shonen(Food Wars), all in Joseon style.

The ML was a standout! The side characters stole as much of the show- the bestest court lady Choi Mal-im, Geum-gil, inventor extraordinaire Jang Chun-saeng, the Ming chef Bai Long, Gong-gil(g.o.a.t) and the cute bodyguard Shin Soo-hyuk. How Gong-gil and Shin Soo-hyuk ended up with insane chemistry after just one episode was magic. And I really started to root for Gil-geum and chef Maeng to be endgame. Consort Kang was so beautiful and dangerous. And don't sideye me but ol' uncle Jesan was kindof sexy in a villain way- he reminds me of Scar and even Jafar.

The drama had it's flaws- mainly pacing and spacing out the stories. I did feel they took too long to only do one single contest with the Ming which while it had segments, slowed down the pace and this felt odd- could have easily been done across two episodes. And they could have added more- if not the other international contests from the LN, then at least more court or character development for the mains and side characters(especially secretary Im, inventor Jang, Gong-gil, guard Shin and the side chefs deserved more). Also more side quests or travels incognito. The ost 'Land of the Morning' is stuck in my head. I could picture it as the FL conducting the trio of the king, his guard and Gong-gil singing(to a very medieval european adventure tune). More outings with them... Really wish there was more than just these 12 episodes.

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