Bon Appétit, Your Majesty ( lit: 'Tyrant's Chef') is a 2025 South Korean fantasy romantic television series with elements of time travel and historical fiction. Written by fGRD and directed by Jang Tae-yoo, it stars Lim Yoona, Lee Chae-min, Kang Han-na, and Choi Gwi-hwa. The series follows the story of a South Korean French cuisine chef who, upon reaching the pinnacle of her profession, time-slips to the past and encounters the king, who is regarded as both the best gourmet and the worst tyrant. It aired on tvN from August 23 to September 28, 2025, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:10 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Netflix.
Synopsis Bon Appétit, Your Majesty follows Yeon Ji-yeong, a modern-day chef who just won a grand prize for Michelin chefs in Paris, who, on her flight back to Seoul, unexpectedly travels back in time to the Joseon dynasty during a solar eclipse. She arrives in the royal court of King Lee Heon, a young monarch burdened by trauma from his mother's death and consumed by revenge against corrupt officials. Mistaken for a suspicious gwinyeo (, female monster), Ji-yeong is eventually appointed as a Chief Royal Cook after impressing Lee Heon with her innovative cooking, blending modern techniques with traditional ingredients.
As Ji-yeong navigates palace politics, she encounters rivalry from the evil consort Kang Mok-ju and the schemes of Prince Je Seon, who plots to overthrow Lee Heon so he can become the king. Through her dishes, Ji-yeong gradually earns Lee Heon's trust and affection, awakening memories of warmth and comfort from his childhood and challenging his reputation as a cold and tyrannical ruler. The series intertwines romance, comedy, and political intrigue as Ji-yeong struggles to survive, protect those around her, and decide whether to alter history by changing Lee Heon's personality, stopping the Gapsin Purge (when the king executes officials related to his mother's death, followed by a coup d'état and the king getting deposed) or find her way back to 2025, where her father and career await.
Cast and characters Main Lim Yoona as Yeon Ji-yeong A South Korean French cuisine chef with a positive but assertive character. She unexpectedly finds herself in the Joseon period on the day she wins the greatest French cooking competition because of her Mangunrok book. Lee Chae-min as Lee Heon The King of Joseon, who is regarded as both the best gourmet and the worst tyrant, later finds himself attracted to Ji-yeong. Kang Han-na as Kang Mok-ju A cruel and scheming woman who has gained Lee Heon's approval and become a long-term concubine. She disposes of other women after taking advantage of them, becomes loyal to Prince Je-Seon for setting her free from jail, and is considered one of the most villainous women in Joseon's history. Choi Gwi-hwa as Prince Je Seon A cunning and manipulative Joseon grand prince. He acts like a bandit to save his life after his father died, but he never stops searching for an opportunity to overthrow Lee Heon and ascend the throne.
Supporting Royal Kitchen Yoon Seo-ah as Seo Gil-geum (Joseon era) / Seo Sun-geum (2025) A woman whose house Ji-yeong enters without consent later becomes a palace maid who befriends Ji-yeong. Kim Kwang-kyu as Uhm Bong-shik Hong Jin-ki as Maeng Man-soo Ji-yeong's rival in the royal cooks competition later becomes her acquaintance. He initially works for Kang Mok-ju to disrupt and harass Ji-yeong, and eventually stops after Ji-yeong knows that Consort Kang is behind his schemes. Kim Hyun-mok as Min Gae-duk Ji-yeong's rival in the royal cooks competition later becomes her acquaintance. Joo Kwang-hyun as Shim Mak-jin
People around Lee Heon Lee Joo-ahn as Gong Gil King Lee Heon's mysterious jester. He attracts everyone's attention as soon as he appears on stage with his handsome appearance and strong physique. He also saves Gil-geum when she is nearly assassinated by Kang Mok-ju's court lady and protects Yeon Ji-yeong. He used to secretly assassinate King Lee Heon because of the allegations that he caused Gong Gil's sister's death, but the actual culprit is Kang Mok-ju. Seo Yi-sook as Grand Queen Dowager Inju The Grand Queen Dowager, who is Lee Heon's paternal grandmother, is responsible for the death of his mother. Shin Eun-jung as Queen Dowager Jahyeon The Queen Dowager. Lee Heon's stepmother. Oh Eui-shik as Im Song-jae (Joseon era) / Steve Im (2025) Grand Royal Secretary, King Lee Heon's loyal minister and acquaintance from childhood. He initially enforces chaehong to force women to enter the palace to serve the king. After King Lee Heon abolishes chaehong, Im Song-jae becomes Ji-yeong's supporter. Park Young-woon as Shin Soo-hyuk Jang Gwang as Chang Sun Park Joon-myun as Choi Mal-im Lee Eun-jae as Deposed Queen Yun
Ming Envoy Kim Hyung-mook as envoy Yu Kun Jo Jae-yoon as cook Tang Bai Long Moon Seung-you as cook Ya Fei Xiu
Episodes
Production Development Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is directed by Jang Tae-yoo, written by fGRD, planned by Studio Dragon, and Film Grida and Jung Universe co-managed the production. The series is based on the novel '연산군의 셰프로 살아남기' (Surviving as Yeonsangun's Chef) by Park Kook-jae, which draws inspiration from the end of King Yeonsangun of Joseon's reign and the Kapja Sahwa (second purge of the literati) in 1504.
Casting On September 24, 2024, Lim Yoona was reported to be under consideration for the female lead, marking her first collaboration with director Jang Tae-yoo. On January 2, 2025, Kang Han-na finalized negotiations to appear in the drama.
Park Sung-hoon was in talks for the male main role, but tvN reported that his script-reading was cancelled due to a controversial social media post. On January 13, The Korea Times reported that Park had officially stepped down from the series. At the same time, Lee Chae-min was considered as his replacement. On January 21, Choi Gwi-hwa was added to the cast, and the principal lineup of actors, including Lim, Lee, Kang, and Choi, was finalized and confirmed on January 24.
On June 25, 2025, 9ato Entertainment announced that Yoon Seo-ah would appear as Seo Gil-geum, a palace maid who befriends Yeon Ji-yeong.
Filming According to IZE, filming began on January 23, 2025.
Release Bon Appetit, Your Majesty premiered on tvN on August 23, 2025, and aired every Saturday and Sunday at 21:10 (KST) through September 28. It is also available for streaming on Netflix.
Original soundtrack
The Bon Appétit, Your Majesty original soundtrack produced by LuckyClover was released gradually from August 24, 2025 to September 28, 2025, by Studio Jung Universe and Studio Dragon.
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Reception Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 5 reviews by critics are positive. According to FlixPatrol, a global OTT ranking site, the series ranked third worldwide and reached the top position on Netflix in 23 countries.
Bon Appétit, Your Majesty ranked fourth in Netflix's Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) category two days after its release and entered the top 10 in 93 countries and regions, with 9.4 million hours watched by 3.5 million viewers in its first week. It remained on the chart as No. 2 for its second and third week, respectively. It recorded 43 million hours watched by 8.1 million viewers for its second week. On its fourth and fifth week, the series ranked topped the chart for 2 consecutive weeks.
On October 21, 2025, Netflix identified the series as one of its hit titles in its third-quarter of 2025 earnings report. In the same day, the cast and crew had a vacation to Da Nang, Vietnam to celebrate the drama's widespread success.
On November 6, 2025, Studio Dragon cited the series as one of the works that contributed to its return to profitability in the third quarter of 2025.
Viewership
+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share(Nielsen Korea)Nielsen Korea ratings:
Nationwide Seoul 1 August 23, 2025 2 August 24, 2025 6.642% 6.506% 3 August 30, 2025 7.589% 7.172% 4 August 31, 2025 11.063% 11.419% 5 September 6, 2025 10.818% 11.646% 6 September 7, 2025 12.742% 13.135% 7 September 13, 2025 12.647% 12.828% 8 September 14, 2025 15.405% 15.815% 9 September 20, 2025 13.463% 14.222% 10 September 21, 2025 15.750% 15.942% 11 September 27, 2025 12.393% 11.848% 12 September 28, 2025 Average Special August 16, 2025 1.562% 1.862% October 4, 2025 2.087% 1.874% In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the represent the highest ratings. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV, which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS).
Accolades + Accolades received by Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Asian Academy Creative Awards 2026 Best Drama Series Bon Appétit, Your Majesty APAN Star Awards 2025 Drama of the Year Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Best Director Jang Tae-yoo Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Lim Yoona Popularity Star Award – Actress Global Star Award Lee Chae-min Best New Actor Popularity Star Award – Actor Best New Actress Yoon Seo-ah Best Couple Award Lim Yoona and Lee Chae-min Asia Artist Awards 2025 Actress of The Year – TV Lim Yoona Best Artist – Actor Asia Star Awards Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2026 Best Character – Actor Lee Chae-min Best Artist – Actor Fan Choice – Actor / Actress Lim Yoona Best Artist – Actress Fan Choice – Couple Lim Yoona and Lee Chae-min Asian Pop Music Awards 2025 Best OST Doyoung (for "I Found You") Asian Television Awards 2026 Best Drama Series Bon Appétit, Your Majesty C21 International Drama Awards 2025 Best Comedy-Drama Series Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Baeksang Arts Awards 2026 Best Drama Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Best Actress Lim Yoona Best New Actor Lee Chae-min Banff Rockie Awards 2026 Drama Series: Non-English Language Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Brand Customer Loyalty Awards 2026 Best Actress – TV Drama Lim Yoona Fundex Awards 2025 Best TV Drama Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Best Actor – TV Drama Lee Chae-min Popular Star Prize – K-Drama Actor Best Actress – TV Drama Lim Yoona Popular Star Prize – K-Drama Actress Hanteo Music Awards 2026 Special Award – OST Doyoung (for "I Found You") Institute of National Brand Promotion 2025 National Brand Award Grand Prize – Culture Sector Lim Yoona Korea Cable TV Awards 2026 Grand Prize – Drama Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Korea Drama Awards 2026 Best Drama Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Top Excellence Award, Actress Lim Yoona Excellence Award, Actor Lee Chae-min Korea First Brand Awards 2026 Best Actress – Drama Lim Yoona Best Actress (Indonesia's Choice) Best Actress (Vietnam's Choice) Best Actor – Hot Trend Lee Chae-min Best Actor – Rising Star (Indonesia) SEC Awards 2026 Best Asian Series Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Seoul International Drama Awards 2026 Outstanding Asian Star: Korea Popularity Award Lim Yoona Best OST Doyoung (for "I Found You") Seoul Music Awards 2026 OST Award Jang Minho (for "I Will Let Go") Visionary Awards 2026 2026 Visionary Jang Tae-yoo, Lim Yoona, and Lee Chae-min
Future In August 2026, media reports emerged regarding a follow-up series in development set in the same fictional universe, featuring a new storyline and a cast led by Cha Eun-woo.
Notes
References
External links
Every dish featured on Bon Appétit, Your Majesty – October 2, 2025, Prestige Hong Kong