Beginner-friendly loach soup near Yeongnamnu, Milyang: Ilpum Irojeong

What is Ilpum Irojeong in Milyang?

Ilpum Irojeong (일품 이로정) is a loach soup (chueotang) restaurant near Yeongnamnu Pavilion in Milyang. It has set menus that pair the soup with grilled mackerel and boiled pork, so lots of families with kids come. We took a day trip from Daegu to nearby Milyang and wondered what to have for lunch: one adult craving hot soup and one child who loves grilled fish.

Baby chairs are provided, which is great for families, and the staff were so kind that the meal tasted even better.

You might wonder whether Milyang loach soup can really be good, but the soup here has no chunks or bones you can feel. Everything is ground up, so it's easy to enjoy whether or not you usually like it. Think of it as a rich, nutty, thick soup. Mix in rice and scoop it up, and it's the perfect summer stamina food.

We ordered the set with grilled mackerel and boiled pork, so it was hearty and delicious. The rice is yellow turmeric rice, so it feels like a health-minded Milyang restaurant, and I'd love to bring my parents.

Ilpum Irojeong opening hours, break time and parking

Ilpum Irojeong is open from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break from 15:30 to 17:00. There are 4 parking spaces in front, and a free public lot across the street next to Milyang Doljjamppong, so check and park there.

• Address: 75-1 Baengmin-ro, Milyang-si, Gyeongnam, Beomchang Building 1F
• Hours: 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:30–17:00)
• Parking: 4 spaces in front + free public lot across the street

It's a good pick when you're after a Korean set meal (hanjeongsik) in Milyang, and being close to Yeongnamnu makes it handy for lunch.

How long is the weekend lunch wait at Ilpum Irojeong?

On weekends Ilpum Irojeong gets so busy that you need to use the Tabling queue app. I went for the 11am opening and about three groups were already there. By around noon every table was full, so if you're going on a weekend, I'd recommend reserving.

There's a room at the back, so Ilpum Irojeong works well for lunch with parents or a family gathering in Milyang.

Ilpum Irojeong simmers its loach soup in a broth steeped with sanghwang mushrooms, so it's total health food. You can eat in or get takeout.

You can get refills of the side dishes they first bring, and there are plenty of extra plates set out.

Ilpum Irojeong loach set menu and prices

What we ordered that day was the boiled pork + mackerel sanghwang loach set for 2. Since I'd be eating with my child, I chose the set with mackerel, and we added a pork cutlet too.

The loach soup is ₩10,000, so ₩18,000 for a set that includes boiled pork and mackerel seems like decent value. The assorted fried loach and the whole-octopus seafood pancake looked tempting too.

• Includes: sanghwang loach soup + boiled pork + grilled mackerel + fried loach + japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) + salad + 4 side dishes
• One mackerel per person
• Order for 2 or more
• Turmeric rice comes as the default bowl of rice

Every table has chopped chili and chopped garlic. I added them to the soup, and eating it plain versus with chopped garlic each has its own charm.

How are the boiled pork and fried loach?

With the loach set, the boiled pork, fried loach and side dishes come out first. The pork is soft and tender, great to share with a child, and the crispy fried loach is something different.

With the salad and japchae too, it's a spread that's easy to dig into happily.

I topped the pork with cucumber chili pepper and munched away.

Good ratio of fat to lean and well seasoned, so this boiled pork was really delicious.

I think they're small loaches? The mini fried loach was nutty and crispy, yum!

Is sanghwang loach soup good for first-timers?

Ilpum Irojeong's loach soup arrives bubbling with the turmeric rice, and it's very hot. It's hot enough to burn the roof of your mouth, so let it cool a lot first. It's a thick, rich soup, which was exactly my taste.

There are no bones to get stuck in your mouth, and it's mild and tasty. That muddy smell people often talk about? None of it, and it tastes great. I'm a loach beginner and it was just right for me.

Why the grilled mackerel set works for families with kids

With the grilled mackerel too, it's a hearty spread, isn't it?

The crispy grilled mackerel comes one per person, so it's quite generous. If you're visiting Ilpum Irojeong for lunch in Milyang with a child, I think the set with mackerel is the better order.

Nicely crisp grilled mackerel.

Salty and good any time, right? This is a real rice thief (밥도둑, a dish that makes you eat more rice). It's a fish my daughter loves too, so she ate it happily.

Pork cutlet for kids who don't eat loach soup

My child can't eat the loach soup, so I ordered a pork cutlet too, and it's always good in a basic way. It comes with gyeongyangsik (Japanese-style Western diner) cutlet sauce, and the rice is a full bowl, not an ice cream scoop.

Dipped in plenty of sauce and eaten with the side dishes, it's so good ><

For the loach soup, you mix in rice and slurp it down. Isn't this exactly what summer stamina food is? I had a hearty earthenware pot of it.

I liked it even more with the chopped chili and garlic. The clean garlic aroma made the broth taste even richer.

Free desserts and where to go after lunch in Milyang

Dessert at Ilpum Irojeong is snacks, sikhye (sweet rice drink) and sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch), and I finished with the sweet sikhye.

The gift for a Naver receipt review is purple sweet potato puffed rice. It's tasty, so do take part^^

Ilpum Irojeong, where I had a hearty Milyang lunch of loach soup, grilled mackerel and boiled pork, is a good place to go with kids or to bring your parents. It's close to Yeongnamnu and near the playground at Milyang Arirang Grand Park, so you can eat at Ilpum Irojeong and then go run around at the playground. It was a delicious meal.