Gumi hanjeongsik restaurant with baby-friendly rooms: Irojeong

I went to Irojeong, the place everyone in Gumi has been talking about lately :) Even though we timed it right after break time ended, there were so many people. We ended up waiting almost 40 minutes ourselves ;;

But walking out after the meal, my husband was already saying "let's bring my mother-in-law next time" — the food was genuinely that good. The wait was rough, but I think I'll come back :)

I love hanjeongsik (traditional Korean set meal) and I've tried a lot of places around Gumi, and Irojeong felt like they put real thought into everything from the meal to the waiting area. Especially when eating out with a baby, it's not just about the food — the seating and waiting space matter too. Being able to use those comfortably made it a solid pick for a family meal out.

How long is the wait at Irojeong? 40 minutes even right after break time

At Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch, even going right when break time ended, we had to wait 40 minutes. We arrived around 5:10pm and there were already about 20 cars ;;;

We deliberately timed our arrival for right after break time, thinking we'd get in quickly. But nope — there were so many people ;; We ended up waiting almost 40 minutes before getting seated. If you just show up without a plan, the wait could end up longer than expected. If I go again, I'll definitely join the queue ahead of time before heading over.

If you're planning to visit Irojeong, I'd recommend joining the Tabling virtual queue in advance. If you just show up and start waiting like we did, the line can get pretty long during meal times. A reservation would be easiest if possible, and if that's not an option, at least join the Tabling queue before you set out.

What we ordered at Irojeong and what it cost

At Irojeong we ordered loach soup, pork cutlet, a boiled pork platter, mackerel fillet, and octopus pancake. We were absolutely stuffed lol

And on top of all that, the price was honestly such a deal ㅠㅠㅠ I was surprised

Is Irojeong good with a baby? Inside the private rooms

Irojeong has lots of private rooms, which made dining with our baby much easier. We went with our baby and really appreciated how many rooms they had available.

When you bring a baby to a restaurant, you sometimes worry about other diners nearby, and it's not easy for a kid to sit still. Having a room made eating together as a family so much more comfortable. This would also be a good option if you're looking for a place to eat with a baby, or a good hanjeongsik restaurant in Gumi to take your parents.

Loach soup so good my husband drank the broth

The biggest surprise for me was the loach soup. My husband usually doesn't care for loach soup. So he ate it without much expectation, but he said it was genuinely delicious and drank the entire broth ;;

If someone who already likes loach soup said that, I'd just shrug, but coming from someone who doesn't usually like it, I was actually pretty surprised lol. We both enjoyed it, and my husband kept saying it was delicious throughout the meal.

After we finished eating, he was the one who suggested coming back with my mother-in-law next time. When you're dining with parents, everything from the menu to the seating matters, and Irojeong seemed like a great choice with good food and plenty of rooms for family meals. We're planning to go back with our parents next time too :)

How were the boiled pork, mackerel fillet and octopus pancake?

Irojeong's boiled pork was tender enough to feed a baby. It was really, really tender. No toughness or dryness at all, so I kept reaching for more.

With hanjeongsik, even when a lot of dishes come out, sometimes only a few end up being worth reaching for. Here, though, every dish I tried felt solid overall. It was soft and tasty enough to be good even for a baby ㅠ

Wrapped with radish salad and garlic on top, it's absolutely amazing lol

Honestly it's hard to pick just one dish as the best because everything was good overall, but the mackerel fillet especially was really tender. Fish can sometimes turn dry or tough if it's cooked wrong, but this one was soft and easy to eat. It went great with rice too, and the mackerel was the dish that won me over first :)

Even the octopus on top of the octopus pancake was tender and delicious lolol

Free drinks and snacks in Irojeong's waiting area

Irojeong has a separate waiting area where you can sit down even if the wait runs long. There's a café-style space set apart with plenty of chairs to sit and wait. A lot of busy restaurants make you stand at the entrance, so I appreciated that they thought about people who are waiting too.

The waiting area has free drinks and several kinds of snacks available. Forty minutes isn't a short wait, but having a place to sit and something to nibble on made it a lot more bearable. Especially waiting with a baby, having a space like this made a real difference. It felt like they thought about the customer experience carefully, from before you even walk in until you leave.

Would I go back to Irojeong? My honest take

I've tried a lot of new and well-known restaurants lately, but Irojeong is one of those rare places where I genuinely thought "they really put effort into this." The food was delicious, but I also appreciated all the little things that made the experience comfortable — the rooms, the waiting area, the free drinks and snacks. Above all, the mackerel fillet was tender, the boiled pork was truly soft, and my husband — who doesn't even like loach soup — finished the whole broth, so the food really suited our taste :)

I wouldn't recommend just showing up thinking you'll be fine right after break time ends, like we did. We went at that exact time and still waited about 40 minutes. A reservation is best if you can manage it, and if not, I'd recommend joining the Tabling queue in advance before heading over.

As long as you avoid the wait, we'd definitely go back. My husband was already talking about bringing my mother-in-law next time :) If you're looking for a hanjeongsik restaurant in Gumi to take your parents, a place that's comfortable with a baby, or a good spot for loach soup, Irojeong is worth a visit.