Delicious but rushed
✅ Pros1. Fresh Genre Mashup – I absolutely love the fantasy-culinary-romcom vibe with the time-travel love-hate trope. It’s a fun and interesting combination. Even if the plotlines felt a little cliché and predictable at times, the variety of themes kept me hooked and made it binge-worthy.
2. Yoona’s Performance – She truly shined as Ji-yeong, capturing her personality perfectly. Supporting characters like Gilgeum and Gonggil were also memorable and added charm to the series.
3. Stunning Food Scenes – The visuals of the food were mouthwatering (love that exaggerated CGI!). The attention to ingredients and fusion of traditional and modern cooking techniques was such a chef’s kiss moment.
❌ Cons
1. Unnecessary Character Development & Draggy Scenes – Some episodes felt stretched with unnecessary character arcs, like Ming’s envoy scenes, and there were too many villains. Im Seongjae’s development felt inconsistent and underwhelming.
2. Rushed Closure – The ending was underdeveloped, leaving me dissatisfied with how things wrapped up.
3. Ordinary OST – The soundtrack didn’t stand out and felt quite generic.
4. Awkward Chinese Pronunciation – Some lines felt cringe-worthy due to mispronunciation, which pulled me out of the immersion.
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Mediocre at best
For anyone who has watched Mr Queen, This drama would be a real disappointment. The story line is too weak and it has all the cliché in k drama resulting it being boring and nothing new. The romance between the ML and FL felt forced, the pace of the drama is off, the villains had no real reasons to be villain, some camera angle made the FL look ugly.The positive side : some scenes are pretty and pleasant to the eyes, good looking ML, humour is OK, the second ML looks cute,
I have watched 10 épi so I will continue just for the sake of finishing. If you are just starting, don't bother.
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Food is the focus
The food being displayed looked actually quite delicious not gonna lie. I really want go try making one of those dishes. When i see kang han-na i know she is hoing to eat her role up but unfortunately we didnt get to see her true true villian style. She really does well in these types of dramas. I first saw her in scarlet heart with IU. Am i the only one who whenever ML and FL appear on screen i remember the 10 year age gap between these actors?? Cook yeon and gil geum and such a cute friendship. The scene where a historical document is revealed to him and he goes mad is actually so good and the grandma telling him his mother wanted him to be a sage king not a tyrant which in turn cook yeon changed the course of history (u see what i did there)... why was that ming emperor so so annoying?! Tang bailong the man you are. The scene where cook yeon changes how the food looks so the other male cook of the ming gets to try really it warmed my heart.The ending do the people who came back from joseon dynasty remember her or only the king himself? I think they shouldve just kept the king only not all of them. I love hwo the dude who first nitpicked on her food continued to do it also in another timeline. And also how the king just randomly told him in modern time "do u wish to be striked down by a sword" ;). The story felt weak but yk just grab some popcorn put it on 1.25x speed or more and let it run. It didnt let me on the edge of my seat but the food and the cute moments were good asf.
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5This review may contain spoilers
All Hype, No Substance
Bon Appétit promised a lot with Yoona in the lead role, but the result turned out to be a major disappointment.The finale spends almost the entire episode on the rebellion against the king, in scenes that feel almost copied from Mr. Queen. What should have been thrilling quickly dissolves into a predictable climax. Even the long-awaited love confession feels flat, lacking passion or emotional weight.
The ending, where she returns to the present and reunites with him, arrives without logic or convincing explanation. It all happens simply “because it has to,” leaving the audience to fill the gaps on their own.
In the end, Bon Appétit is neither a memorable K-drama nor a strong romance. It’s a recycled, sugary, and directionless story. The only thing sustaining the buzz around it is the fandom, unwilling to admit that their favorite stars ended up leading a trainwreck of a series.
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A Beautifully Plated Mess
This isn’t a bad show, but nothing about it is great either. The most annoying thing is the undeserved hype and praise it received online, which had me going in with unrealistic expectations. I’m not quite sure what exactly I expected — I just know it didn’t deliver on any front.First of all, what exactly passes as fantasy these days? Time travel? That’s all it takes, I guess. The plot was a nonexistent mess. This wasn’t a story with food in it — it was food with a side of story. The writers must have realized this problem toward the end and tried to throw in an actual plot in the last few episodes, but by then, it felt like a betrayal of the tone.
Most of the characters are shallow and one-dimensional. The ML was the only one with any real growth. The side characters were a waste of time and space — their arcs went nowhere and added nothing to the main story. The overused trope of using childhood trauma to justify a ML’s horrendous actions was painfully on the nose here. We barely got a moment to meet his character before being hit with the unbearable tragedy he endured as a child, which the show then used to excuse his behaviour.
As for the romance, how these two fell in love is still a mystery to me. No real conversations, no shared experiences outside of a few scattered episodes. I started watching K-dramas for the romance, but lately, writers seem to have forgotten how to depict the act of falling in love on screen in any believable way. It was so forced, with no build-up — even the actors’ chemistry couldn’t save it.
The acting was fine. Lee Chaemin was good, though I don’t think he deserves any awards for this. Yoona looked like she was in it for an easy paycheck. I’d like to see her in something that actually challenges her.
The OST was pleasant but forgettable. The visuals were overwhelming — and not in a good way. The excessive editing and endless effects scenes got old after the first few times.
Without going into much detail, the last episode was genuinely awful — like hot, flaming, pile-of-garbage awful. I enjoyed this show in the same way I enjoy other average ones like Business Proposal. It wasn’t great, but at least it wasn’t King the Land bad.
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Nice to watch if you’re bored, but not worth your full attention.
If you have some free time and nothing much to watch, you can try this drama little by little — maybe an episode at a time to pass your leisure moments.When this drama was airing, everyone was talking about it — friends, social media, and K-drama fans everywhere. My friends kept asking, “Haven’t you watched it yet? It’s so beautiful! Everyone’s watching it!” They were so excited about it that I heard about it again and again. At that time, I was already watching two other dramas, so I told them, “Okay, okay, I’ll watch it later.”
As a big K-drama fan myself, surprisingly, I didn’t rush to start it. But after a few days, I gave it a try. The first three episodes were quite good — I even watched them all in one day. King Lee Heon and Ji-yeong’s characters were fun to watch. But after that, my interest slowly faded. It didn’t feel important or engaging anymore, though I decided I’d finish it someday.
Almost one and a half months later, I finally finished it — along with two or three other dramas. Honestly, it wasn’t as amazing as people said. It felt more like a cooking show than a story-driven drama. At last two episodes 10 and 11, I just let it play on my phone while doing house chores. And 12th episode finished it by watching 1.75× speed! It wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t something I was excited about either.
The only part I really liked was when Ji-yeong returned to the future and learned the story behind the book — that was interesting. But overall, most of it focused on cooking recipes rather than an emotional storyline.
Talking about the actors — Lee Chae Min did a great job, and Yoona was as solid as always in her rom-com roles. There wasn’t anything particularly special about the plot, but one good outcome is that this drama helped Lee Chae Min shine more as a rising rookie actor.
In the story, King Lee Heon falls in love with Ji-yeong because she reminds him of his mother — especially through her cooking, which brings back memories of the mother he deeply missed. But honestly, there wasn’t much reason that Ji-yeong to fall for the king herself, and the chemistry between them didn’t really stand out. It felt more like the king was just spending time with one of his court ladies or soon to be Queen like lady that chosen by the Queen mother.
As for the OST, it was okay — nice songs, but nothing memorable. I believe a good soundtrack shines when it connects deeply with the story and emotions of the moment, and that didn’t quite happen here.
Overall, if you’re looking for a meaningful K-drama to get hooked on or to lift your mood — this might not be the one. “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” is visually beautiful and trendy, but the story simply isn’t strong enough.
Still, credit where it’s due — Yoona and Lee Chae Min both performed well. The main problem lies in the weak script, not the acting.
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Forced ending
Had to force my self to finish it....the whole ming cooking arc was so damn dragged on, it was so obvious that the ming representive will not judge the food fairly...the supposed smart cook one from future could've at least suggested blind tasting or something....he might have still known what his people made so who knows... lacking chemistry between actors, how did she suddenly fall in love....made no sense... it's an average drama by the end even the start was quite interesting. They didn't even show how the king made it in her timeline, how did he adapt to the futureWas this review helpful to you?
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not everyone's cup of tea
It wouldve been a good series except it wasnt (for me). not a hater because i looked forward to watching this since its hyped. the story started slow. i had to endure 2 whole episodes just so it could get me going but ended up putting it in 1.25 speed then 1.5. i got tired of all the cooking show down (i think the only best one was with the Ming cooks) and unending side comments of villains but u know theyre just gonna turn around and like her dishes. Romantic moments are so predictable. cant directors think of anything new?! i hated Yoona's character being winny and loud to the point that its not realistic for someone who got lost in another timeline. theyre trying so hard for her character to be funny but its just so frustrating. The last 2 episodes are dragging and unrealistic. imagine killing each other then sit down together to talk about things. this is the 2nd time i've watched a series in 1.5 speed, even pushing the fast forward button more than 30x. i'd just give the acting a higher rating specially Lee ChaMin. no hate for the actors/actresses, but its just how the series was directed. if directors want a series portraying something light and funny (where Yoona's character fit) then stick to that even if its Joseon era setting - no killings, no heavy drama or revenge or anything, but if its something a bit more realistic, then it shouldve been like that where all the historical dramas fit. its just like directors couldnt make up their minds and tried to throw in everything in it but didnt work.Was this review helpful to you?
Pretty Plates; Plot on a Diet
Aesthetically pleasing visuals and good looking leads minus plot and character development gives us Bon Appetite, Your Majesty.If I had adjusted my expectation going into it, I would not have felt let down. Due to all the hype and buzz the show created on the internet, my expectations were way up there. The show did not deliver.
There is no plot to begin with. Because of that there is no development for any character. Every character is a two dimensional version of themselves. It makes for rather a bland and spiceless (pun intended) rom-com. Rom part of rom-com is missing and com part is okayish.
The visuals are aesthetically pleasing. Cooking and dishing scenes are fun to watch. Plus we have a good looking pair as leads. They also play the parts assigned to them pretty well, just not enough to make for a memorable show. Again, with practically no story to begin with, they have no way of showing much acting skills. Yoon ah has been doing similar roles for ever. So she effortlessly strolls through it. Lee Chae Min has potential. He does his part well too, but I did not find anything extraordinary there. I think as he gets more experience he will get more polished. There was a lot of hype about their “sizzling” chemistry. I found it underwhelming. For me, it was like two good looking people in the same frame. There was no spark. So when the inevitable kiss happened, it was no big deal. Meh..Kang Han na plays the same pretty, petty, plotting antagonist. No big challenge for her.
I loved Yoon Seo ah’s Gil Geum. She made me lol with her twitchy nose and unique bulldog like abilities. Innocent, faithful and loyal Gil Geum was like a breath of fresh air.
The music is alright. Costume and production are what you can expect from a Netflix show.
It’s not a bad show if your expectations are adjusted. Mine were not. So it turned out to be an underwhelming watch for me.
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Cooking contest or love story? Still not sure ?
The story idea was pretty good, and I really liked the concept at first. However, it felt like most of the drama focused on cooking competitions rather than the romance. I wish they had spent more time developing the emotional connection between the main characters, because sometimes I wasn’t even sure if I was actually watching a romance. Still, it’s an easy and light drama to watch — not one of those slow ones that are hard to finish. The overall vibe is nice, and the story flows well. The only thing I didn’t really enjoy (just a personal opinion) was the casting choice, since the age gap between the leads felt a bit too noticeable.Was this review helpful to you?
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what were they thinking?
There are several aspects of this show that make you wonder what they were thinking.1. Yeonsangun - they took the worst South Korean tyrant of all time and made him the love interest. They also post his murderous mother as sympathetic and kind.
2. French cuisine - they pose French cuisine as if it is far superior to Korean cuisine. isn't that a bit racist towards Koreans?
3. Ming - but that's fine because we're know Korea as a whole loves things like macaroons, which are so sweet that the rest of the world finds them inedible. But the Chinese in particular do not like sweet desserts (a dessert compliment in China is "not too sweet") - but here they show FL deciding serving macarons to a Ming ambassador is a good idea. Not only that, but all the "Ming" are Korean, can barely speak Chinese, and the depiction is incredibly racist.
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Enjoyable, but not fully satisfying
It starts off strong with a fun mix of food, romance, and time travel. A cheerful chef named Yeon Ji Yeong (played by Yoona) opens a strange book during an eclipse and ends up in the Joseon era, where she meets King Yi Heon (Lee Chae Min). He’s a strict ruler but loves good food, and their bond grows through cooking and shared meals.The first few episodes are full of charm. The food scenes are colorful and exciting, with creative dishes and fun cooking battles. The romance between Ji Yeong and the king is sweet and believable. Lee Chae Min does a great job showing both the king’s serious side and his softer, playful side when he’s enjoying food. Their chemistry makes the show enjoyable to watch. But as the story goes on, things get messy. The show tries to mix too many ideas i.e, romance, cooking, politics, and war. The cooking battles are fun, but takes too much time away from the main couple. The political drama becomes confusing and takes over the story, making it feel like two different shows.
The final battle is also hard to believe. A small group of cooks and helpers somehow defeat a large group of rebels, which doesn’t make much sense. The villains, who seemed strong before, are defeated too quickly, and there’s no real payoff or celebration. Most side characters don’t get enough development. They feel flat, and we don’t learn much about them. A little backstory could have helped us care more about their roles.
The biggest problem is the ending. It feels rushed and leaves out important details. We never find out how the king travels to the future or how he suddenly fits into modern life wearing a suit. Ji Yeong also wakes up in a hospital without any clear reason. These missing pieces make the ending feel incomplete and disappointing.
In the end, its is a fun watch if you enjoy food shows and romantic moments. The cooking scenes are well done, and the lead actors are charming. But the story loses focus, and the ending leaves too many questions.
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