Thick Namwon-style loach soup vs Cheongdo in Milyang: Ilpum Irojeong

A sanghwang loach soup set with boiled pork and mackerel included

Ilpum Irojeong (일품 이로정) is a Milyang restaurant famous for its chueotang (loach soup). There are more hidden gem restaurants in Milyang than you'd expect, and the loach soup here turns out to be surprisingly famous. I really love loach soup, so I came in with high hopes!

Ilpum Irojeong hours and parking

Ilpum Irojeong is open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break from 15:30 to 17:00 and last order at 20:30. Parking is easy: 4 spots in front, roadside parking lines, and a free lot on vacant land right next door.

The sign is huge, so you can spot it from far away. There's parking for 4 cars in front. If there's no space, there are parking lines along the roadside and a free lot right next door. If you can't find a spot, just search for the free vacant-land parking lot in your navigation app. It's under a 5-minute walk from the restaurant. We just parked somewhere nearby and walked.

How long is the weekend lunch wait?

We visited around 1pm on a weekend and there was a wait. After registering on Tabling (a waitlist app), we waited about 20 minutes. Haha, well, we wait, hehe.

You register on Tabling right away and wait. Honestly the weather was cool and nice, so waiting wasn't that hard. There were plenty of chairs to sit on too, haha. We waited about 20 minutes. If you find weekend waits a hassle, I think arriving a little after 2pm means no wait.

Inside Ilpum Irojeong and the self-serve bar

It's said to be a famous Milyang loach soup spot, and it really is packed. Apart from this area, there are a few more tables.

There are private rooms too.

They simmer the loach soup in a broth steeped with sanghwang mushrooms (phellinus), so it seems like good restorative food too.

Extra side dishes can be refilled yourself at the self-serve bar anytime.

What we ordered: boiled pork + mackerel sanghwang loach soup set

You order directly by table ordering, so there's no separate paper menu. I brought the menu from Naver Map instead. Hehe. It's famous for loach soup, but there are plenty of other dishes too, so you can easily come with people who can't eat loach soup!

Eating just one dish would feel like a waste, so we ordered items that let us taste lots of things at once.

• Boiled pork + mackerel sanghwang loach soup set x2
• Mixed loach fry x1

After a short wait, the basic side dishes and the boiled pork came out. The spread includes wood ear mushrooms, kimchi, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), doenjang-seasoned green chilies, and a sample of fried loach.

Japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) and salad come out too. My partner Sseongi ate all the salad, and I ate all the japchae. Oink oink, I eat everything that makes you fat. Fattening things are all delicious!

Tender boiled pork (bossam). It's good on its own, and also good wrapped up with a bit of seasoned radish strips.

I really love grilled fish, and grilled mackerel is my absolute favorite. It's soft and clean-tasting with no fishy smell at all. A squeeze of lemon makes it even better.

How is Namwon-style loach soup different from Cheongdo-style?

The loach soup at Ilpum Irojeong is the Namwon style: loaches are boiled and finely ground, then simmered long with dried radish greens (siraegi) and doenjang. If the Cheongdo style I usually eat is clear, clean and refreshing, the southern (Namdo) style is rich, nutty and thick.

The loach soup came out too. I like loach soup and eat it often, and it's packed with siraegi. There turn out to be quite a lot of hidden loach soup spots in Milyang. I mostly eat Cheongdo-style loach soup, but the Namdo style is really good too. Cheongdo-style has a comparatively clear, clean, refreshing broth, how should I put it? Anyway, the Namdo style is rich, nutty and thick.

The rice comes yellow too, made with turmeric.

This is almost like a Milyang hanjeongsik (full-course Korean table d'hôte) restaurant. When I look for a place to eat in Milyang or anywhere else, I always check the side dishes first and love it when there's a lot of variety and plenty of them, so this is exactly my style.

Put grilled mackerel on top of yellow turmeric rice and you won't envy any feast, hahaha.

The boiled pork with seasoned radish strips on top too, yum yum.

The siraegi in the loach soup is tender and soft too. I think there's a reason it's famous as a Milyang loach soup restaurant.

What's in the mixed loach fry?

The mixed loach fry at Ilpum Irojeong comes with fried loach and sweet potato fritters. Crispy and nutty, really good.

At a Milyang loach soup place that feels like a hanjeongsik restaurant, we thoroughly enjoyed the sanghwang loach soup set, which comes with boiled pork and mackerel as well as the soup.

Desserts and final verdict

To finish, Ilpum Irojeong has gangjeong (sweet crispy rice snack), sweet pumpkin sikhye (sweet rice drink), restorative sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch) and coffee, so give them a try. I had the pumpkin sikhye, and it was cold and sweet and delicious.

If you want a filling meal in Milyang or you usually like loach soup, I think it's worth putting on your list. The set meal is a good choice especially for people who like eating lots of different dishes together. I recommend Ilpum Irojeong to anyone looking for a Milyang loach soup restaurant or a good place to eat in Milyang. I'm 100% going back.