Bon Appétit, Your Majesty (Korean: 폭군의 셰프 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.
Contents
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 (귀녀, 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
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.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
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.
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.
