Bewon Korean Restaurant

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1203 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97210

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(503) 464-9222
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Reviews
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Best

I LOVE Bewons, It's widely known among my friends that if you want to cheer me up you take me there. I eat there a lot. If the menu seems pricy you can get a better deal if you c...

Worst

I heard good things about this place before i went.....I love ethnic food, and have been to other korean restaurants before and really enjoyed it. My food came kind of cold and th...

Disappointing kimchi and service 10/16/2010

I have been to many Korean restaurants. I agree with other reviewers, food is expensive given the small quantity. The side dishes are extrememly limited. For the sake of keeping the origin of Korean food, please be generous when the guests ask for more side dishes or hot tea. \r There are many Korean restaurants outthere. if you ever want to try, go other places. This one is so business driven, only can capture the random walk-ins like myself. more

cold food, weird smells.... 11/5/2009

I heard good things about this place before i went.....I love ethnic food, and have been to other korean restaurants before and really enjoyed it. My food came kind of cold and the portion was small.....For what it is it seems overpriced, i think they see themselves as a fancy restaurant and that's why they overcharge. It smelled funny in there too....Too bad. Maybe I'll give it another chance sometime. more

Korean food for White People 7/28/2009

First off, I'm white. Secondly, I LOVE ethnic food. PLEASE proprietors of ethnic food, don't dumb-down your cultural experience for white people. Give them a chance to rise up to meet your cuisine! Secondly, the braised cod fish with radishes was one of the best I've ever tasted. Really it was delightful. Could have been a bit more spicy, but the overall freshness of the fish and flavor of the sauce were excellent. For the price, I expected enough servings for at least two AND a hearty banchan. What was disappointing was there was a pathetic amount of banchan (all the little dishes of goodness!!) There wasn't enough variety, it was boring in flavor, and they CHARGE for them!! Banchan is usually included as part of the meal and is a huge part of a Korean dining experience! Charging for Banchan is like charging for ketchup or mustard! I give you two stars because the braised cod was so good. But this diner will continue hiking it out to Beaverton where there's ample delicious Korean eateries who don't charge extra for banchan! So what if most the places don't have English speaking wait staff, it has just made me learn more Korean. Pros: the staff speak English so they can answer questions Cons: the food is for white people tastes, not traditional korean more

Favorite 5/11/2009

I LOVE Bewons, It's widely known among my friends that if you want to cheer me up you take me there. I eat there a lot. If the menu seems pricy you can get a better deal if you choose to go at lunch. It's not extremely accurate Korean, I'm sure it's been Americanized for our palate. But it doesn't make it any less of a wonderful meal, and there are many flavors that Americans have never tried before. I recommend the japchae and bulgogi for beginners. The meal comes with banchan which are like sides only there are a lot of them and they come served on little plates. Don't be afraid of the kimchi or the squid! Pros: Food, atmosphere, service Cons: Very small space more

Fine Korean Cuisine 4/8/2008

My husband and I consider ourselves to be quite the foodies. We eat out often and have even eaten at the best establishments throughout the world including Michelin rated restaurants in Paris, Rome, Beijing , Tokyo, New york, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Hong Kong to name a few. I am also a Korean- American myself and I consider a restaurant like Bewon to be a rare find for a Korean establishment outside of Korea. The service is impeccable. The atmosphere is classy, and the presentation of food is beautiful. For those wanting a typical, low grade, smelly, and rude customer service that is so prevalent among Korean restaurants here in the U.S., I would recommend those restaurants in Beaverton where quantity overrides quality. We were completely full after eating our 8 course meal which I highly recommend. Contrary to what is described below, price was very reasonable for what we ordered. My 8 course meal was $25 per person. My food at Best Teriyaki is $8. What do you think? Not bad at all. Pros: Atmosphere, Service, parking more

Overrated - overpriced 8/4/2007

White table cloths and nice presentation don't really make up for good but overpriced food. Our 2 Korean guests said it was overrated and overpriced and offered to take us to a better mom and pop in Beaverton. more

Trust Me I'm Korean 5/21/2007

I'm Korean, lived in LA for past 10 years. I KNOW good Korean food. I understand if you are new to Korean cuisine that this may be a user friendly forray into what can be at times intimidating adventures into sometimes crazily pressured broken english speaking environs of a typical Korean restaurant. There are certain advantages to this restaurant: relatively proficient english, rather easily accessible, decor and atmosphere is not insulting, service is marginally acceptable. But that's where it ends. If you think this is fusion, you are just plain wrong. It is just a ruse, a disguise at sophistication by serving smaller (delicate? as some of you may prefer to say it) portions. I realize that their lease space may dictate slightly higher prices but 14 bucks for BiBimBap?! A little sprinkle of vegetables and bits of meat (arranged delicately) with a lump of fairly dry rice? (My wife literally had to cover her mouth as not to cause a scene, to stop her self from howling with laughter) By the way you could make that dish for about $1 and it probably would taste better. Daegoo Jorim typically tends to be pricey as a mountain of fresh fish (daegoo) assault your senses in a typically good Korean restaurant. But of course we were presented with a previously frozen rather bland small specimen easily forgotten. The rest of the two dishes were very forgettable (literally I've forgotten but I'm sure it was bulgoki or some meat dish and we usually get pa jun) and again pricey. Do they think this clever attempt to bolster the bottom line by disguising this mockery of korean food as a foo foo fancy cuisine will fool anyone? Maybe in Portland. Portlanders, fancy Korean is an oxymoron. There is only good value beltloosening Korean,whether you are in Seoul, LA, SF, NY. All the frilly stuff aside,for Korean food all that matters is how fresh the fish or meat, how good the seasoning, how good the BahnChahn (that's how you say it). In those categories BeWon is a poser. Pros: acceptable service, english speaking staff, easily accessible Cons: food more

The BEST 3/27/2006

This is my favorite restaurant in Portland. The food is outstanding, so is the service. Whenever we have guests in town, we take them to Bewon-nobody's been disappointed. Try the price fix menu-it's fun & a good value! Pros: tasty, clean, good service more

Creative Korean 2/19/2006

We went with the 8-course prix fixe meal with wine pairing. Each course got better and better. The wine pairings were always good - sometimes surprisingly so. We both agreed that the entree was the least impressive (bulgogi and dak galbi - spicy chicken), but the accompaniments were outstanding. One surprising inclusion was the non-spicy kimchee. I know it sounds wrong, but it was interesting. Watch out for the spicy calimary - it will ignite your taste buds! Our favorite part was the sweet potato glass noodles: a culinary delight that included mushrooms, spinach, and onions with the noodles. A must-taste experience while in the Portland area! Pros: unique, cozy, knowledgeable service Cons: difficult parking, entry let cold air in more

A great dining experience 12/19/2005

My husband and I dined at Bewon on a recent Saturday evening. The service was beyond excellent. The starters: sweet potato noodles and seafood pancake were so tasty. The seafood pancake, made with egg, had a light crispy crust and was really smooth and creamy on the inside. The seafood was a little overdone for my taste, but still tasted good. The Bibimbap and the short ribs were also right on the money. We will definitely be back! Pros: Service, Great Food, Cleanliness more

Excellent Korean cuisine 8/1/2005

We really enjoyed the eight-course dinner, although the portions were smallish. They seem to be authentic Korean cuisine, but since we are non-Korean, take this with a grain of salt. more

Best Korean food in Portland! 6/19/2005

My wife and I loved our first visit to BeWon. The quality and freshness of the food rivaled my mom's home-cooking (I'm Korean). Prices are higher than other Korean restaurants, but the quality of food and service more than make up for it. The service was fantastic. The ambience was good, not great, but it's still a good date restaurant. The location was less-than-ideal, but parking was very easy. Next time we have a craving for Korean, we're definitely returning to BeWon. Pros: Quality of food, Great service, Easy parking Cons: Location not ideal more

Fabulous! 5/2/2005

Our experience at BeWon was an absolute dream! The service coupled with the ambiance, wine selection (including Korean Rice Wine) and exquisite cuisine made this an unforgettable night. We have traveled the all over the country, dined in almost all of the Korean restaurants in the city we visited, and nothing even comes close to BeWon! This is truly a gem. I highly recommend BeWon. It's well worth the money. Pros: Good parking (garage), Fresh ingredients, Excellent service more

Take it form a Korean 10/25/2004

I am a Korean and this restaurant is the best one in town. Unlike other Korean restaurants I've been to, the service here is EXCELLENT!!! Food may not be the most authentic, but the quality is well above others in the area. Spicy pork is one of my favorites. Pros: ambience, service, spicy pork more

Love It 6/23/2004

Yes its pricey but it calls itself upscale. When you are in the mood for good service, good Korean food, (or experimentation with their set menu), or just plain romance -- this is the one to go to. I hit all the Korean restaurants here -- and when in Seoul -- and Bewon has a place of its own. Pros: Service, Romantic, Good Food more

Give me that great kim chee! 5/9/2004

Big thumbs up to Bewon. The wait staff were very helpful and sweet (not to mention very attractive) and the Bul Go Gi meal blew my mind. I'm extremely familiar with Korean food and I think this place comes close to perfect. Kim chee was flawless Pros: awesome wait staff, decor, food more

YUMMY!! 1/23/2004

Bewon is one of the best Korean restaurants we've ever been to. I'm Korean so I feel that I can say that I know what I'm talking about. The service was excellent and well beyond our expectations. The prices were very reasonable. Being that it is in an almost hidden location, I hope that this restaurant continues to do well. My husband and I highly recommend dining here! Pros: incredible food, excellent service, reasonably priced Cons: NW parking more

peerless 1/3/2004

This truly is one of the finest restaurants in Portland. Bewon deserves to be packed every night of the week. The care that the owners, servers, cooks, and everyone else at Bewon give to their work is clear. I really cherish this place. Go. Pros: whip-smart servers, astounding flavors, the 7000 kimchees Cons: too quiet some nights, easy-to-miss location more

best restaurant in portland! 5/6/2003

we went on a weekend night. we called ahead to check if there was seating and there was...when we arrived they recognized us from the phone and were extremely friendly. the service is amazing--the servers are friendly, knowledgable, and accomidating. We are vegans and asked if they could make their 8-course meal vegan--no problem! They substituted everything that wasn't vegan and even added an extra dish for us. The food was absolutely amazing. We ended up staying half an hour after closing and didn't realize it--they didn't say a thing. I would definitely recommend eating here!!! Pros: ambiance, service, food more

Awesome Place to EAT 4/9/2003

They certainly met my high expectations and even more. Their service was top-notch and the food was even better. I tried one of my favorite Korean dishes, Bebimbap, and it didn't disappoint. As usual, you get an array of side dishes and condiments with all entrees, and they were all very fresh and delicious. I just wish I lived a bit closer to this fine restaurant. If you've never tried Korean restaurant, you owe it to yourself to discover some great food, and this is one fine place to do it. Pros: first class food, great service, nice ambience Cons: absolutely none more
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Menu for Bewon Korean Restaurant


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Editorial
  • The Scene
    Attractive, simple and spare decor draws a steady stream of diners to this underground restaurant on hip Northwest 23rd Avenue. Patrons--couples, mainly--revel in trying new...

  • 4/7/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Payments: Master Card, American Express, Visa, Discover
  • Neighborhoods: Neighbors West - Northwest, Northwest District
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