Loach soup set with mackerel, pork and makgeolli: Ilpum Irojeong

Ilpum Irojeong in Milyang, a proper meal built around loach soup

This time I visited Ilpum Irojeong (일품 이로정). Rather than a place where you just order a single bowl of loach soup (추어탕), this is somewhere you can enjoy boiled pork, grilled mackerel and loach soup all together as one full table, so it seemed like a good pick when I wanted a proper meal.

The big Ilpum Irojeong sign in front of the shop made it easy to find. From the outside it felt a bit cleaner and more put-together than a typical loach soup restaurant — more like a proper Korean restaurant. It seemed like a fine spot to bring your parents or come for a family meal.

Location and hours

1565-16 Naei-dong, Milyang-si, Gyeongsangnam-do / 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM / Break time 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM / Group-friendly, reservations, separate men's/women's restrooms, Wi-Fi, takeout, high chairs, parking

Kiosk ordering: mackerel and pork loach soup set plus fried loach

Inside, ordering is done through a kiosk. Photos are shown next to each menu item, so it wasn't hard to choose even on a first visit. There was everything from a plain bowl of loach soup to several full-table set menus, and we went with what looked like the second most popular option, the mackerel and pork loach soup set. We also couldn't walk past the photo of the fried loach (추어튀김), so we added that too.

Walking to our seat, I noticed a line on the wall that read something like 'Irojeong's food is gentle and easy on digestion.' A small phrase like that caught my eye, as it says something about what kind of food the restaurant is going for.

Milyang Arirang makgeolli, side dishes, and boiled pork

While waiting for the food, we also ordered a bottle of makgeolli (rice wine). It's called Milyang Arirang makgeolli, so the name fit the mood of eating here perfectly.

The basic side dishes and boiled pork (수육) came out first, and the table was already fuller than I expected. Several kinds of kimchi, pickles and seasoned vegetables came out, and the pork was served generously on the plate. It wasn't an overly greasy style of pork, so it was easy and clean to eat. It's fine on its own, but paired with the side dishes and sauces, I kept reaching for more.

A full table with japchae and salad too

A little while later, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) and salad arrived as well. True to a full-table set, this wasn't just loach soup with a couple of side dishes — there was a real variety to pick through, which is exactly why I thought it'd work well for a family meal.

The heart of the mackerel and pork loach soup set is, of course, the loach soup. It comes out piping hot in a stone pot, steaming the moment it's set on the table. The broth wasn't too heavy or sharp — it was easy to eat alongside rice.

How to enjoy the loach soup

You can add Japanese pepper (sancho) or perilla seeds to the loach soup to taste, but it's better to try the original broth flavor first before adjusting rather than dumping everything in at the start. A hot spoonful of soup followed by a bite of rice was definitely filling.

The rice itself stood out too — it wasn't plain white rice but had a yellowish tint. It works well mixed a little at a time into the hot soup, and also pairs nicely with the grilled mackerel.

The grilled mackerel (고등어구이) was a decent size too. The skin was browned nicely and the flesh was fairly thick, making it easy to pick apart with chopsticks and lay over rice. Eating loach soup alone the whole time could feel a bit monotonous, but having a bite of mackerel in between made the whole table feel much more abundant.

Is the fried loach worth adding?

Then there was the separately ordered fried loach. Personally, I think it's worth adding if it's your first visit to Ilpum Irojeong. It's made from small loaches fried until crisp, and it wasn't as heavy as it looked. The crispy batter makes you pick them up one by one like a snack. It went especially well with the makgeolli.

If the loach soup is the main meal, the fried loach feels like both a side dish and a drinking snack. The crunchy texture is a clear contrast to the pork and soup, so if you're visiting with a few people, it'd be worth ordering one to share.

Self-service corner, dessert, and final thoughts

Heading out after the meal, I noticed a neatly kept self-service corner and something like sweet rice snacks (gangjeong) available for dessert. From the moment we walked in to the moment we left, everything felt well organized overall.

Ilpum Irojeong seems better suited to someone who wants to sit down and enjoy boiled pork, grilled mackerel, loach soup and several side dishes all at once, rather than someone looking to quickly eat a single bowl of loach soup. The mackerel and pork loach soup set we had had plenty of variety to make eating fun, and with the added fried loach, the portion size was quite filling.

If you like loach soup, or want to eat boiled pork and grilled fish alongside it, the mackerel and pork loach soup set at Ilpum Irojeong is worth trying. If you like fried loach, I'd recommend adding that too. No single dish here overwhelmingly stands out — it's more a place to comfortably and generously enjoy the whole table.