Once a promising contender in the spring K-drama lineup, Tastefully Yours is set to air its final episode Tuesday night under a cloud of plummeting ratings and public controversy.
As per WikiTree, the Genie TV original, which also aired on ENA and streamed globally on Netflix, began with a modest nationwide viewership of 1.6% but quickly gained momentum, peaking at 3.4% by its fifth episode.
Its unique blend of romance, redemption, and culinary storytelling resonated with both domestic and international audiences, at one point ranking No. 2 globally among non-English TV shows on Netflix.
However, the drama has since seen a steady decline in viewership, slipping to 2.8% nationally and 2.7% in Seoul, according to Nielsen Korea.
The most recent episode recorded a low of 2%, raising questions about how the finale will perform.
Critics and viewers cite several issues behind the ratings slump, including pacing problems and character development. "It was great until episode 4," one viewer commented online, "but the Japan storyline threw off the momentum."
This conflict should’ve shown up in ep 6, not dragged to the end. It’s simple and could’ve been solved fast, but the writer decided to complicate things and waste time on useless plots#GoMinSi #KangHaNeul #TastefullyYours #TastefullyYoursEp9 #TastefullyYoursEp10 pic.twitter.com/AwS2OjVmEc
— 🌸 (@latteluneee) June 9, 2025
this competition shouldve been the ONLY conflict especially for a 10 ep drama 🗣️🗣️#tastefullyyoursep9 #TastefullyYours pic.twitter.com/BkXbQm2e35
— deva ⊹ ࣪ ˖ (@_delovetv) June 9, 2025
Go Minsi & Kang Haneul’s partnership entered the category of wasted potential after 4 episodes, the visuals are there, the performances are there, it sucks seeing potential being wasted a lot, hope we see them reunite in a well written project #TastefullyYours #TastefullyYoursEp9 pic.twitter.com/cax3iVeFfG
— • (@rayainalif) June 9, 2025
Starring Kang Ha-neul as chaebol-turned-recipe-hunter Han Beom-woo and Go Min-si as chef Mo Yeon-joo, the drama initially drew praise for its heartfelt narrative.
But the second half of the series was met with criticism for what many perceived as an emotional disconnect and stretched conflicts.
The show's trajectory was further impacted by a controversy involving lead actress Go Min-si. On May 26, an anonymous online post accused Go of past school bullying.
Her agency, Mystic Story, swiftly denied the allegations and announced plans for legal action, but public sentiment appeared to shift.
"Even though ratings dropped, Tastefully Yours was still the most beautiful drama," one fan wrote in support of the show. "It fulfilled our dreams."
Despite the dip in numbers, the penultimate episode offered a glimmer of hope as central characters confronted betrayal and began to come to terms with it.
The potential for the restaurant to receive a prestigious Diamant 3-star honor added dramatic weight heading into the finale.
The final episode of Tastefully Yours airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. KST on ENA, with streaming available on Netflix and KT Genie TV.
Whether the show can recover with a satisfying conclusion or fade quietly remains to be seen.
