Bewon Korean Restaurant

Food came out cold *_​* not hot or even warm …
When side dish empty she never offer to refill I thought it’s standard in all Korean restaurant? I don’t like their Kim chi it taste old .
Food is pricey but not up to par .very disappointed .
Will not be back

Visited here upon returning from Korea a month ago. For a sit-​down restaurant that is supposed to be authentic, the food is expensive and not particularly flavorful. Food wasn’t terrible per se, but it’s not accomplishing what it’s trying to be.

tasteful and healthful menu full of delicious options
exceptional personnel
a wonderful place to share new dishes with friends

Just went there for lunch with my Korean buddy Paul.
Paul is good friends with the owner Chu, who was young and friendly and had that awesome spiky hair Koreans can pull off that I never could, even back in the 80’s.
We let Chu order. and were super happy with the small plates that come with every order, along with FREAKING AWESOME Korean short ribs and spicy pork.
Great service, great food, lots of korean chit chatting going on (always a good sign to hear)
It’s only open for lunch on Fridays. and get there as soon as they open or you’ll be waiting a while.

Great resto! I love Korean food and didn’t know what to expect in Portland but this place didn’t disappoint. Family run and owned… good spicy traditional Korean food with a bit of modern touches. I didn’t smell like a bbq’d goat afterwards too which is always a good chance with Korean resto’s. The owner was really cool and friendly as well… steering us towards the good stuff. Portland’s got a lot of good food to offer this place included.

We really enjoyed the food… we’ve gone to quite a few Korean restaurants in Boston and Seattle so really looked forward to this one and it didn’t disappoint.
The banchan were really yummy as was the pancakes (pajeon) although a bit on the small side but much less oily than we’ve had before. The bulgogi was delightful although the bibimbap was my favorite!
Unfortunately we were the only guests in the restaurant on a Tuesday night… I’m shocked given the food is so good and when we wandered down NW 23^rd towards Burnside there were many places with worse food that were packed, perhaps it’s the location that a deterrent but we really enjoyed the cozy space.

I will not pretend that I am a huge fan of Korean food because I simply am not and if you message me to tell me how dumb I am for not liking it, I may just hit you in the face with a Korean short rib.
Moving on. Our friend begged us to eat at Bewon with him for months. He wanted us to try Bewon so hard, that he offered to pick up the entire tab if we agreed to go. So we went, because after all free food is free food. Korean or not.
I was impressed by the thoughtful layout of the restaurant, the neutral lighting, the cleanliness and the nice wait staff. We had the Pri Fixe menu that started with a tasty pumpkin soup followed by a salad, a plate full of delicious bits to wrap up in to soft crepes, a meat entrée and rice noodles. After that, they brought us an adorable cup of cinnamon ginger tea. I got all nostalgic while drinking it because it tasted just like something my Mexican mama used to whip up for me when I was a kid. For added touch, another cup of tea with a mini rice cake for dessert.
While I can’t say that Bewon changed my view on Korean food, theirs was definitely some of the tastiest I have had. The food was of quality and the Pri Fixe menu was thought out perfectly.

Before I judge the Korean food, you must know my background. I spent 3 nights out of 7 from the age of 11 to 17 at my Sister from another Mister’s house — a korean household. Because of that I can usually understand what is being said about me at the nail salon, can tell someone off if need be and I understand how good spam is with eggs, rice and ketchup. I have eaten all korean food on a regular basis.
Bewon was a disappointment. I ordered the kimchichigae and even though I do believe it tastes the best with spam as a starter — even hot dogs gives it a delicious base — but most want pork. I saw slivers of pork in the soup but only tasted the sour aspects of kimchi in a chigae without the balance of pork or other flavors. It was not good. My next let down was the mandoo, again there was a lot of vegetables and not a lot of pork. In sum, Bewon is pork skimping. So not cool. There is not a shortage. It is also skimping on flavor.

I too really really like this place! Bewon takes a more sophisticated approach to Korean food. The dishes are perfectly seasoned — not too spicy, not too salty, not too sweet, and most importantly not too oily! Everything tastes just right. The menu is actually fairly vegetarian friendly for Korean food, and the staff here clearly understands vegetarianism and was great at pointing out which items were vegetarian/​vegan. Who knew kimchi sometimes has fish sauce in it?
The prices are definitely a bit high, but in this case the quality was totally worth the incremental cost. The Hobak-​juk is a hybrid of butternut squash soup and rice porridge. Really simple and good, although we did wish it was a bit more juk and a bit less soup. The Mandu were basically jap chae in dumpling wrapping — again very simple but nice. The Namul bibimbap was incredible — it came with 7 types of vegetables, everyone of which tasted unique and flavorful. Even the egg for the bibimbap is perfectly cooked sunny side up. And of course the best part of Korean food is the free sides, which were all so tasty, especially the sweet azuki beans.
We will definitely be back.

Really, really like this place. I am so happy I decided to try it and since trying it have been several more times.
I think that there prices matched with there portions which is a good thing. You want too have way to much food then you know what too do with then go somewhere else. Bewon is good at portions and there staff was very nice and not pushy, whew something I am not use too, it was refreshing.
Will be going there many times more in the near future.

+: Portland good Korean food.
-: Too expensive for what it is and portions could be much bigger.
!: Service was really «good» but it felt so forced. I miss K-​town in L. A…
?: Horrible location, who would want to go there?

I found the ambiance at Bewon classy and refreshing. The prices were decent (vs San Francisco) and the portions healthy. Our waiter was articulate and attentive.
I ordered the bulgogi and my gf ordered the Bi Bim Bap. Unfortunately, there was no dolsot version of the Bi Bim Bap. The bulgogi was well flavored and prepared. To my shock there was brown rice mixed in with my white rice. Ew. I was also disappointed with my Kimchi as it wasn’t as flavorful as I usually like. Also, the selections of veggies weren’t quite as diverse as I prefer but that’s just my personal preference. That being said both the Kimchi and the veggies were fresh and flavorful. We ordered mandoo and those were excellent. The skins weren’t broken during cooking so they were full of flavorful, juicy goodness.
I though Bewon was a good if you’re looking for a quiet, nice Korean dinner with good quality food that won’t break the bank. Defiantly worth checking out if you feel like Korean food in Portland.

Bewon caters to non-​Korean yuppie crowd. That being said, the food was fairly decent. I ordered the kimchi fried rice and my girlfriend ordered the dduk mandoo gook (dumpling soup). The kimchi fried rice was tasty. The dumplings were flavorful. However, there were only 3 very small dumplings in the mandoo gook. If we’re paying $ 13 for soup, you better make it worth our while.
The banchan was pretty good, though not many options and they don’t refill the plates, as they should. Standard practice for a Korean restaurant, people.
My main contention is that the food is *way* overpriced. But, yes I’m aware that Bewon is catering to a specific demographic. I’m Korean and am used to Los Angeles’ K-​town where you can get authentic Korean food for a reasonable price. I’m eager to find other Korean restaurants in Portland.

I had been harping on my bf that he had to try Korean bbq and how much he would love it. After a long day of lines, screaming children, and sun at the zoo, we decided today was the day. We headed here because it was the closest Korean restaurant we could get to on foot after getting off the Max.
We stepped into what seemed a mini haven from the hustle and bustle of NW 23^rd. It was much fancier than any Korean restaurant I had been in. I kept whispering to the bf that it’s normally not like this (he is more of a hole in the wall person than a michelin star person). It was a one-​man waiter show, but he was surprisingly attentive the whole time. He explained everything clearly and pushed aside any thoughts of my bf running out the door after having stepped into fear factor.
We went all out and got the prix fixe with wine pairings. $ 39.95/person. Actually not bad for the amount of wine/​food we got. Besides, I wouldn’t even bother attempting to make things like this at home. I wouldn’t even want to wash all the dishes that go into the service.
This is how it went (See pictures to follow along. Sorry I missed pics of the main entrée, but I got too excited.):
1. Hobak-​juk — rice porridge made with three different pumpkins
Meyer-​Fonne, Crémant d’Alsace Brut Extra, France
This porridge was amazing. It was thick and slightly sweet and sticky. We both had never had anything like it. The champagne was excellent and light. We both don’t love champagne, but could probably drink a bottle of this one.
2. Samsak gyu-​ja-​chae — three vegetables flavored with carefully blended Korean mustard vinegar dressing
2003 Francois Cazin, Cheverny, Loire Valley, France
This was the typical marinated cucumber salad with carrots and clear noodles I want to say made of green bean or potato. It was refreshing, but not super amazing.
3. Gu-​jeol-​pan — eight different foods to be wrapped in bite size crepes
2003 Meyer-​Fonne, Pinot Gris, Tokay Dorfburg, Alsace, France
We loved this little make it yourself bites. We both had never had this either. The skin was a bit dumpling/​crêpe-​like. The available fillings were cucumber, bean sprout, carrot, ground pork, egg white, pan fried egg, wood ear fungus, and shittake mushrooms. There was a garlicy mustard sauce to pour over your fillings before stuffing your mouth.
4. Japchae — stir fried sweet potato noodles with variety of vegetables
2001 Freja, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR
This was the sesame oil noodles that you are used to seeing in food courts. It had wood ear fungus, mushrooms, and bok choy-​like greens sauteed with the bouncy clear noodles.
5. Bulgogi and Spicy Pork — Entrée served with chi-​ge, nine seasonal side dishes and bap (rice)
2002 Terres Dorees L’Ancien Vieilles Vignes France Beaujolais
The bulgogi was sweeter than I usually have, but I love salty sweet so it was exactly what I wanted. The beef was more tender than a lot of «authentic» places I’ve had. It was probably better quality beef pieces. The pork was my bf’s favorite as predicted because it’s tender and spicy and bright red from all the chiles. The caramelized onions were perfect with the rice. The side dishes included marinated red potatoes, little fried egg dumplings with veggies, marinated bean sprouts and spinach, spicy kimchee, non spicy kimchee, dried squid doused in red sauce, marinated burdock root, marinated dried black beans, and pickled turnip.
It was a nice hearty red wine for the entrée.
6. Su-​jeong-​gwa — sweet drink flavored with cinnamon and ginger, served with pine nuts on top
I’ve never had this tea with spices in it so it was a nice modern twist. It’s meant to cleanse your palate, which it did a perfect job of.
7. Cha & Deok — traditional Korean tea and rice cake
The barley tea was super hot but a nice end to the meal with a rolled seaweed cookie.
After all the half glasses of wine (and having not eaten since a farmer’s market breakfast), we were definitely happy (or maybe I should just say «I») and didn’t realize we had been eating non-​stop for 1.5 hours. Good thing there was a street car stop right outside to let me go home to fall asleep watching Shrek.

I’m giving this place 5 stars because, well… it’s just damn good. Service is immediate and the food is awesome. All in terms of the quality, prep, presentation, taste, etc… Yeah, it’s all there.
I love the vegetable Bi Bim Bap. There are even some things in there that I can’t identify and they top it all off with a really undercooked sunny side up kinda egg thing. Mix it all up and dump in some chili paste and there you have it. Then in expert Korean fashion they serve all these little side dishes to go with your meal: Kim Chee, marinated bean sprouts, black bean something or other, YUMMY!!!
Every time I go there I have the same waiter and I have to say, his performance is stellar and he never misses his mark, a rare find in any restaurant in Portland. I never or rarely have to ask for anything and he is even willing to do seconds on the sides if you ask.
This place is a little spendy for the amount of food but it’s not enough to take away a star here. They make up for it in quality and experience. I’m willing to pay for the total experience, including atmosphere and service. If you like authentic Korean food, or as authentic as we Americans allow, ramped up with a complete experience, this would be the place.

Pretty good Korean for Portland! We ordered their cod which was absolutely delicious, the fish melted in your mouth and my Korean friend gave it two thumbs up. The Korean pancake we ordered wasn’t crispy enough on the outside and a bit too soggy on the inside for me to order it again. The small plates were up to par.
It was reassuring to see the servers were actually Korean and could converse in Korean about the menu, but it’s still nothing you’d find in K-​town.

Good place. The staff are really friendly and knowledgeable. The atmosphere is too «strip mall» for me. The food is good quality and they bring you lots of awesome and interesting side dishes with everything. They also had a decent wine list. However, this is the 2^nd time I’ve been there and I haven’t been overly impressed with the food. It’s good — but not great.

I think I’ve eaten at all of the Korean restaurants in Portland and Beaverton and Bewon is clearly the best. The food is consistently delicious, the presentation is clean and the corn tea works great with the meal. Unlike many other Korean restaurants, they don’t cook the meat at your table (which I prefer because I don’t end up smelling like bulgogi afterwards).
If you like Kimchi, I recommend the Kimchi bokkum bap which is a fried rice with Kimchi and some other things. The Kalbi is also great and you can get a small portion of it with the Bi Bim Bap which makes a nice dinner.

BeWarn-​ed, things I know and like about Korean food:
1. I like kimchi
2. I like bulgogi
3. I like saying bibimbap, follow me.bibimbap.bibimbap.bibimbap
4. That’s pretty much it
BeWarn-​ed again, I don’t really have anything funny to say in this review and I’ll tell you why!
Ever since I became a Unilocaler I keep my eyes, ears and nose open when I go out to dinner, so I can pick on other patrons in the review. But this Monday, Bewon was completely empty so the girlfriend and I had this beautiful restaurant completely to ourselves!
And I am definitely not going to pick on her just before the Valentine day.
{ I got nothing funny,} { I wonder what he got for V. day }
{ I haven’t bought a } { It’s probably Anthropologie again }
{ V. day gift yet … } { Not that I don’t like it }
{ I am in trouble } O
O o
o o
o o
O– /​O\
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You still there?
For appetizers, we tried:
— — — — — — — — — — –
Japchae: stir fried sweet potato noodles with spinach, carrot, mushroom, onion and scallion.
If you go you must get this, it is really… really good.
Mandu: pan fried house-​made dumplings filled with assorted vegetables and meats
Korean version of a potsticker, not bad.
Entrée, we shared:
— — — — — — — — -
Dak galbi: Tender boneless chicken meat marinated in a specially blended red pepper paste sauce
Tender white meat cooked in a (lightly) sweet and savory sauce. As with any Korean place, this comes with 9 mini sides and rice. I liked pretty much everything.
Go on a Monday night so you can have the restaurant to yourself too!
Bibimbap.bibimbap.bibimbap

As a native Portlander, this is my favorite restaurant in the entire metro area.
The slightly unassuming façade (covered with awards stickers) gives way to a cozy, elegant interior and an extraordinarily helpful and kind staff.
Most dishes come with an assortment of small side dishes that you eat with your meal – the different flavors add to your main dish, continually enhancing and highlighting different flavors and tastes as you eat.
A few of my favorites (and it’s hard not to list the entire menu, so these are more general crowd pleasers) are the standard bibimbap, the kimchi bokkum bap, bulgogi, and Doobu-​yachae bokkum. I especially suggest the bulgogi for the less adventurous as it is a more simple, savory mix of meat and onions. This link to the restaurant’s menu offers descriptions of various meals:
BeWon also has an impressive wine selection and the staff is very helpful in selections. Last time, on suggestion of the waiter, we had the Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Château Souvrain, from Sonoma County, and it paired wonderfully with our meal. Even then, when we left, leaving a bit more than ¹⁄₃ a bottle, a waitress ran out the door to catch us and suggest we keep the wine, because, «it’s such a good wine!» and she nicely packaged it for us.
All of this said, BeWon is not to miss, the food, drink and service is simply beyond compare. The lunch time meals offer the same quality and are very affordable. If you’re in the 23^rd Ave. area don’t pass it up!