Love on the Menu

Love on the Menu
Promotional poster
Hangul
사랑이 온다
Lit.Love Is Coming
RRSarangi onda
MRSarangi onda
Genre
Written byLee Kyung-hee
Directed byHong Seok-gu
Starring
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes12
Production
Production companies
Original release
NetworkKBS2
ReleaseJuly 25, 2026 (2026-07-25) –
present

Love on the Menu (Korean: 사랑이 온다) is an ongoing South Korean television series written by Lee Kyung-hee, directed by Hong Seok-gu, and starring Hani and Ha Seok-jin. The series follows two couples as they reunite and restart their relationships, as well as a family torn by internal conflicts yet bound by loyalty. It premiered on KBS2 on July 25, 2026, and airs every Saturday and Sunday at 20:00 (KST). In Hong Kong and Singapore, the series was released on Viu one day after its original South Korean broadcast.

Synopsis

After her affluent family suffers financial collapse, Han Gyu-rim becomes the head of the household and supports them through housework and part-time jobs. She meets Kim Mu-jin and the two develop a relationship over the course of a year. Facing financial hardship, she later ends the relationship, believing it would burden him. Years later, Gyu-rim, who had prioritized her family and was working at a side dish store, reunites with Mu-jin. The two ex-lovers reunite after eight years. Despite family pressure and past conflicts, they rekindle their relationship.

Cast and characters

Main

Owner of a market side dish shop.
Head chef and owner of an Italian restaurant, and Gyu-rim's lover.

Supporting

Gyu-rim's younger sister.
  • Bae Jeong-nam as Jo Heung-sik[2]
Gyu-rim's reliable male friend.
Mu-jin's best friend.
A fashion designer, who has harbored feelings for Mu-jin for a long time.
An elementary school teacher.
Chairman of a fashion company.

Gyu-rim's family

Gyu-rim's mother.
Gyu-rim's father.
Gyu-rim's younger brother.
Gyu-rim's youngest brother.
  • Kim Min-seo as Han Gyu-min[4]
Gyu-rim's sister.

Mu-jin's family

Mu-jin's mother.

Other

  • Jeon Hye-ji as Seo Min-ju[5]

Production

Development

The series, produced by Monster Union and Contents G, is directed by Hong Seok-gu, who helmed Beauty and Mr. Romantic (2024), and the screenplay is written by Lee Kyung-hee, who wrote I'm Sorry, I Love You (2004) and Uncontrollably Fond (2016).[2]

Casting

On January 8, 2026, Hani was confirmed by her agency to have been offered a lead role.[6] On January 29, Ha Seok-jin was cast as the male lead.[1] In March 2026, Bae Jeong-nam was reportedly considering the role of the female lead's best friend.[7] The next month, Park You-na joined the lead cast as Gyu-rim's youngest sister.[8] By June 2026, Hani and Ha Seok-jin's appearances were confirmed. The project marks Hani's first weekend drama.[9] The same month, Park You-na, Bae Jeong-nam, Min Jin-woong, Lee Joo-yeon, Bae Yoon-gyu, Jung Bo-min, Kwon Hae-hyo, Yoon Yoo-sun, Ryu Seung-soo, and Jin Kyung were confirmed to appear.[2][3]

Release

Love on the Menu was originally scheduled to premiere on KBS2 in August 2026, but was moved up to July 2026.[9][1] The series was confirmed to premiere on KBS2 on July 25, 2026, and will air every Saturday and Sunday at 20:00 (KST).[10]

Viewership

Love on the Menu : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
EpisodesEpisode number
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
1–252.1452.4082.2472.5582.5482.8482.6782.8172.8443.0242.7273.159TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
26–50TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[11]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)[11]
Nationwide Seoul
1 July 25, 2026 11.7% (2nd) 9.9% (2nd)
2 July 26, 2026 13.0% (1st) 10.8% (1st)
3 August 1, 2026 11.7% (1st) 10.5% (1st)
4 August 2, 2026 13.3% (1st) 12.2% (1st)
5 August 8, 2026 13.4% (1st) 11.8% (1st)
6 August 9, 2026 15.1% (1st) 13.4% (1st)
7 August 15, 2026 14.2% (1st) 12.5% (1st)
8 August 16, 2026 14.8% (1st) 13.2% (1st)
9 August 22, 2026 14.9% (1st) 13.1% (1st)
10 August 23, 2026 16.4% (1st) 14.4% (1st)
11 August 29, 2026 14.8% (1st) 12.7% (1st)
12 August 30, 2026 16.6% (1st) 14.7% (1st)
13 September 5, 2026
14 September 6, 2026
Average — —
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kim, Jin-seok (January 29, 2026). [단독]하석진, 하니와 KBS 2TV '사랑이 온다' 주인공 [Exclusive: Ha Seok-jin and Hani to Star in KBS 2TV's Love on the Menu]. My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 29, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Son, Bong-seok (June 10, 2026). '사랑이 온다' 박유나, 배정남, 민진웅, 이주연, 배윤규, 정보민 출연 확정 [Park You-na, Bae Jung-nam, Min Jin-woong, Lee Joo-yeon, Bae Yoon-gyu, and Jung Bo-min confirmed to star in Love on the Menu]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Kang, Seo-jeong (June 12, 2026). 권해효부터 윤유선까지 '사랑이 온다'에 명품배우 총출동 [From Kwon Hae-hyo to Yoon Yoo-sun, a star-studded cast of top-tier actors appears in Love on the Menu]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Kang, Seo-jeong (June 12, 2026). 권해효부터 윤유선까지 '사랑이 온다'에 명품배우 총출동 [Park Soo-oh joins KBS weekend drama following Wish Your Death... Selected as the golden youngest member of Love on the Menu]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  5. ↑ Kim, Hyeon-sik (July 9, 2026). 전혜지, 새 주말드라마 '사랑이 온다' 서민주 역 낙점 [Jeon Hye-ji Cast as Seo Min-ju in New Weekend Drama Love on the Menu]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ Kim, Hyeon-sik (January 8, 2026). '결혼 연기' EXID 하니, KBS 주말극 출연 제안 받아 [EXID's Hani, who postponed her wedding, has been offered a role in a KBS weekend drama]. Edaily (in Korean). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  7. ↑ Park, A-reum (March 11, 2026). 배정남, 하니와 데뷔 후 첫 주말극 입성하나 '사랑이 온다' 긍정 검토중[공식] [Bae Jeong-nam and Hani are considering a role in their first weekend drama since their debut, Love on the Menu [Official]]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  8. ↑ Kim, Ye-eun (April 27, 2026). [단독] 박유나, EXID 하니 동생 된다...'사랑이 온다' 주연 합류 [[Exclusive] Park You-na to become EXID Hani's younger sister... Joins lead role in Love on the Menu]. Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Kim, Yang-soo (June 9, 2026). 안희연, 생애 첫 주말극...KBS '사랑이 온다' 하석진과 호흡 [Ahn Hee-yeon, her first weekend drama... co-starring with Ha Seok-jin in KBS's Love on the Menu]. Joy News 24 (in Korean). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  10. ↑ Son, Jeong-min (June 16, 2026). '사랑 처방' 가고 '사랑이 온다' ['Love Prescription' Goes, 'Love Comes']. BNT News (in Korean). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Nielsen Korea ratings:
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