What’s it like dining at a North Korean restaurant abroad?

In Bangkok, there’s a restaurant where North Korean women enforce a strict no-photography rule. While they enthusiastically slice noodles at the tables, they also display unpredictable mood changes.

Meanwhile, armed guards and cheerful singers perform in the background, walking the thin line between entertainment and indoctrination.

This is the Pyongyang Okryu Restaurant, part of a global chain run by the North Korean government, offering a bizarre window into life in the secretive, Stalinist state.

The chain recently gained attention when a group of North Korean restaurant workers reportedly defected to South Korea.

As you enter the restaurant, waitresses dressed in polka dots greet you with timid smiles and gentle waves of their hands.

However, during a recent visit, it was noticed that they can quickly switch to looking panicked, emotionally drained, or visibly displeased if guests deviate from the set menu.

The food?

Patrons can expect a flavorful, though somewhat greasy and salty, meal served at plastic-covered tables surrounded by the restaurant's permanent Christmas decorations.

‘No photos!’

For those familiar with life in North Korea, stepping into this restaurant on Bangkok’s fashionable Ekamai Road feels like crossing an invisible border into the secretive nation.

The clean, modern decor of this eatery offers a rare glimpse into the tense and isolated world of North Korea’s elite.

While most North Koreans are said to endure life in a dystopian regime, the workers at Pyongyang Okryu Restaurant seem far removed from the poverty-stricken masses.

Instead, their main concern appears to be how to avoid boredom while a large digital screen plays DVDs of North Koreans singing patriotic songs, with troops marching, weapons parading, and government officials applauding.

During our visit, three servers near the entrance sat watching the DVDs, gently swaying and quietly singing along to the lyrics.

During a recent mid-week evening visit, the restaurant was empty, with this writer – posing as a tourist – being the only customer in the 100-seat dining area.

The staff spoke reasonably good English, but any questions about the restaurant or North Korea were met with a chorus of “I don’t know.”

Initially, taking photos of the food was allowed, but that freedom was soon revoked with sharp “no photos!” orders.

Even writing on a blank sheet of paper seemed to set off alarm bells.

“What are you doing? What are you doing?” a waitress demanded, insisting on a full explanation.

The menu

So, what’s on the menu?

An even better option is the 350 baht “Pyongyang-style cold noodle tray.”

Large enough to serve two, this dish features slices of chicken, cucumber, a hard-boiled egg, red chilies, vinegar, and mustard, all atop spaghetti-like rice noodles, which a waitress will cut with oversized pink scissors.

Mung Bean Jijim consists of four flat, thin, green pancakes, soaked in oil, garnished with parsley, and tasting similar to potatoes.

In addition to food, beer and other beverages are available, along with a variety of fish, pork, beef, chicken, vegetable, noodle, and soup dishes.

Lunch specials are priced at 99 baht per plate and feature dishes such as dumplings, noodles, Kimchi Udong, Bibimbap Haeju, and fried rice with chicken.

A few miles away, the flashier Pyongyang A Ri Rang Restaurant on Sukhumvit Road’s soi 26 offers food as well, but with the added entertainment of karaoke and a live floor show.

During a recent visit, however, a sign indicated that the restaurant was closed for renovations.

Outside of Bangkok, North Korea’s regime runs restaurants in countries like Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, China, as well as locations in the Middle East and Africa.

Pyongyang Okryu Restaurant, 72 Sukhumvit 63 (Ekamai), between Ekamai soi 4 and 6; +66 (0)2 020 0220