Geumsan hanjeongsik restaurant for a birthday: Madang Itneun Jip

A ginseng hanjeongsik for four on mom's birthday at Madang Itneun Jip in Geumsan

For my mom's birthday meal, I booked the ₩50,000 ginseng hanjeongsik (ginseng course meal) for four at Madang Itneun Jip in Geumsan. Since it was a special occasion, I figured a proper Korean course meal would be better than something ordinary, and that's how I found this place while searching.

At first I thought about going with the ₩35,000 guibinsang (honored-guest table), but since it was a birthday, I decided to splurge a bit more on the ₩50,000 ginseng hanjeongsik! I booked it for four — mom, dad, my boyfriend, and me 😘

Madang Itneun Jip: location, hours and how to reserve

• 🗺️ 26 Dwitdamma-gil, Geumsan-eup, Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do
• ⏰ Daily 10:00–20:00
• 🚗 Parking available in front of the restaurant
• ※ Reservation-only, closes early once ingredients run out

It's fairly close to the Geumsan intercity bus terminal, and there's parking right in front of the restaurant, so getting there and parking was easy.

⭐️ Reservations are essential! We booked for Saturday at 11:30 AM, and when we arrived, guests were just starting to trickle in.

A hanok restaurant with a real courtyard, just as the name says

Madang Itneun Jip literally means 'house with a courtyard,' and true to its name, you see a courtyard the moment you walk in. I wondered why it was called that — turns out it's because there's genuinely a courtyard, haha.

There were lots of green plants, giving the whole place a cozy, comfortable feel. The hanok-style exterior made it feel like visiting a countryside home.

When the weather is cooler, eating out in the courtyard would probably have great atmosphere!

It's also apparently been featured on Baek Jong-won's Bekban Journey and 6 O'Clock My Hometown. Seems like it's a fairly well-known hanjeongsik place in Geumsan!

Madang Itneun Jip menu and prices

The signature menus are the guibinsang at ₩35,000 and the ginseng hanjeongsik at ₩50,000. There were also special table settings like A and Special, and I was surprised to see prices going up to ₩500,000 and even ₩1,000,000. I'm curious what on earth comes with the ₩1,000,000 spread...

After some deliberation, we ordered the ginseng hanjeongsik for four! Since we had a reservation, it was already prepped, and the dishes started coming out one after another.

But seriously, they just kept coming, haha.

What comes with the ginseng hanjeongsik: more than 20 dishes

From the basic side dishes to the main dishes, everything was set out one by one, and there really were a lot of them. Over 20 dishes in total, enough to fill the whole table!

The owner also explained the food to us — no chemical seasonings, over 70% organic ingredients, rice cooked with organic rice, and sauces made in-house. Maybe because of that, I felt less heavy or bloated afterward than I usually do after a big meal.

The basic side dishes at Madang Itneun Jip

Ginseng rice, doenjang-seasoned perilla leaves, ginseng namul, baek-kimchi (white kimchi), crab muchim, and pickled dureup (angelica shoots), among others.

There was a huge variety of side dishes. The one that stuck with me most was the red ginseng-braised radish!

Organic winter radish from Jeju is simmered in red ginseng for 10 hours, and the moment you take a bite, a gentle red ginseng aroma spreads along with the radish's natural sweetness. It was surprising how deep the flavor was without any added seasoning.

A refreshing salad 🥗

The salad had shine muscat grapes, banana, fig, dragon fruit, and dried tomato, dressed with organic hallabong (Korean citrus) dressing.

Neungi mushroom soup and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew)

Two soups came out — neungi mushroom soup and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew). The neungi mushroom soup had a clear broth, hot and delicious — it felt exactly like eating a health tonic dish!

It was hot with a rich mushroom aroma, so I kept spooning up the broth while eating rice. The cheonggukjang was mild and savory rather than pungent, easy to eat without being overwhelming.

Grilled yellow croaker with an assorted sauce platter

There was also a plump grilled yellow croaker, plus soy sauce marinated crab, abalone jang, and shrimp jang all on one plate. It was less salty than I expected, with the umami really coming through. Especially with rice — total rice thief🥺

Steamed eggplant, namul (seasoned greens) and braised pollock

The steamed eggplant was a bit different from the usual version I'm used to. It had bell peppers and onion on top with a tangy wine dressing, giving it almost a Mediterranean feel!

The braised pollock had plump flesh that didn't fall apart with chopsticks, and the seasoning had soaked in well — really delicious.

My favorite dish: ginseng tteokgalbi 🫚

And the best thing I ate that day was the ginseng tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patty)! The moment I bit in, the juices came flowing — the patty itself was soft and delicious. The ginseng flavor was more subtle than expected, so it wasn't overpowering at all.

Sweet grilled eel

Grilled eel also came out, coated in a sweet sauce that went well with rice. With hanjeongsik having so many dishes, my stomach gradually filled up as I worked through each one🥲

Fried ginseng, another highlight

Geumsan means ginseng, after all!! Whole ginseng roots, deep-fried, came out one per person. The outside was crispy, and inside you could taste ginseng's signature bitter note. Using ginseng, Geumsan's local specialty, across so many dishes really seemed to be this restaurant's defining trait.

Then came the lotus leaf rice

Glutinous rice with beans, walnuts, lotus root, and other nuts, wrapped in a lotus leaf that releases a gentle fragrance when opened. Apparently the nuts add a nice pop of texture between bites of rice. I have a pine nut allergy so I couldn't eat the lotus leaf rice, sadly. Mom and dad enjoyed it though, haha.

Ending with warm burdock tea

Was Madang Itneun Jip worth it for mom's birthday?

I initially debated going with the guibinsang, but I'm glad I chose the ginseng hanjeongsik instead. With so many dishes and so many uses of ginseng, it really felt like being in Geumsan! Most of all, I was happy that both my parents were satisfied.

If you're looking for a good spot for a family meal on a special occasion, this Geumsan hanjeongsik restaurant is worth a visit. If you're looking for somewhere to take your parents in Geumsan, I recommend Madang Itneun Jip!