Icheon goat soup with 16 herbs and hotpot rice: Baekonjeong Yeomso

I ended up trying goat soup by chance this year. Contrary to what I expected, it wasn't smelly at all — the meat was tasty and the broth was rich, and it turned out to be a food that really suits me. I heard there was a place in Songjeong-dong, Icheon, Gyeonggi-do that does goat soup really well, so I went to check it out.

Where is Baekonjeong Yeomso in Icheon, and is there parking?

215 Jeungsin-ro, 1st floor, Baekonjeong Yeomso, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do / Hours 10:00–21:00 / Last order 20:30 / Parking: free lot in front / Facilities: group bookings available / Takeout discount

It's located in Songjeong-dong, Icheon, Gyeonggi-do. Since it's right off the road, it's easy to find.

Here's the parking lot in front of the restaurant. It was easy to park.

Korean-style interior and private rooms for family gatherings in Icheon

Here's the outside of Baekonjeong.

And here's the inside. True to an Icheon restaurant serving Korean food, the interior had a real Korean aesthetic. This is exactly the kind of decor my husband (Namhangang-daek) loves. I thought it'd be a great place to bring my parents for a meal, or to host guests when they visit.

There's also a really pretty private room like this, which seems great for family gatherings or group meals.

What comes with the 22,000 won goat soup set meal?

Baekonjeong Yeomso also has pork cutlet on the menu, for anyone who can't eat goat soup — seems like a thoughtful touch from the owner for kids during family meals. They also offer a takeout discount, so takeout is possible too.

We ordered the goat soup set meal at ₩22,000 per person for two people.

• Goat soup
• Goat salad sample
• Hotpot rice
• Goat tonic

House-simmered goat tonic and the side dishes at Baekonjeong Yeomso

There's a spot inside the restaurant where they brew the goat tonic themselves. Knowing the owner brews it in-house made me trust it more.

The basic side dishes were set out.

• Kimchi
• Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi)
• Pickled garlic stems
• Dried radish strips
• Sliced ginger
• Peppers and onion with ssamjang (dipping sauce)

We were given 50ml of goat tonic, at just the right lukewarm temperature. It's apparently served to every guest who visits. Tasting it, it felt like drinking herbal medicine — with no goaty smell at all.

Seasoned goat salad: a generous taster portion

After the tonic, the goat salad arrived. I'd expected just a small taste given it was called a 'sample,' but the portion was actually quite large.

This is the goat salad sample. I ate it together with chives and goat meat, and it was really delicious. It would make a great side dish with a shot of soju, too.

This sauce is delicious. I noticed doenjang (soybean paste) seasoning in both the goat salad and this sauce. Doenjang paired with 16 medicinal herbs seems to be the secret to killing the goaty smell.

Goat soup, hotpot rice and nurungji (toasted rice crust)

The goat soup arrived. Can you spot the perilla leaves, chives, water parsley, ground perilla seeds, and baby ginseng? Just looking at it, I'd already say this is a top Icheon goat soup spot.

The hotpot rice came out next.

Chewy, delicious hotpot rice and nurungji (scorched rice)^^ My husband loves hotpot rice like this. We scraped up every bit of the savory nurungji too.

Here's the goat salad, completely finished.

And here's the goat soup, bowl scraped clean.

The September autumn sky as seen from Baekonjeong.

Here's the hotpot rice being made.

Chuseok gift sets and goat tonic sold at Baekonjeong Yeomso

They also had delicious Chuseok gift sets of the goat soup. If my parents were still alive, I would have loved to buy them one.

They also sell the house-brewed goat tonic. The complimentary tonic we were served was 50ml, while the tonic sold in the store comes in 100ml packets. It reminded me of the goat tonic I drank after giving birth — it seems like it'd be great for postpartum recovery or as a tonic food for patients recovering from surgery.

My husband always checks out the restroom to see how clean a place is. It was spotless.

After-meal drinks and the waiting lounge

After the meal, desserts are set up near the entrance.

• Coffee
• Bokbunja (black raspberry) juice
• Plum juice

We had a nice cold glass of bokbunja juice.

There's a waiting room near the entrance of Baekonjeong Yeomso Icheon, where you can also have tea after your meal.

Is Icheon goat soup worth it in any season?

Goat soup made with 16 medicinal herbs^^ Thanks to the herbal ingredients, it doesn't have the usual goaty smell and instead has a deep, rich broth flavor. This is Baekonjeong Yeomso Icheon, registered as a goat soup spot on the Blue Ribbon Survey.

Goat soup is usually eaten as a tonic food on the hottest summer days (chobok, jungbok, malbok), but after trying it, I think it's a dish worth eating all year round. Eating it hot on chilly mornings and evenings seems like it would boost your immunity. Personally, it seems especially suited to people like me who have cold hands and feet and weak digestion. With the smell tamed by 16 herbal ingredients, I came away from this warm, delicious broth feeling like I'd just had a proper tonic.