Gumi restaurant near Geumosan with a 13-team dinner wait: Irojeong

Today's post is a review of a hearty tonic-food spot in Gumi, Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch, known for loach soup (chueotang). It's close to Geumosan too, so it's a great stop after a hike or outing there 👍

Where is Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch, and where do you park?

Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch is a loach soup and black goat soup hanjeongsik (Korean set-meal) restaurant on Bakjeonghui-ro in Gumi, just a short drive from a Geumosan outing. Arriving at the building, the clean and tidy exterior stood out right away. The big sign made it easy to spot even from a distance. There's also plenty of parking, which seemed handy for weekend family meals or bigger groups haha. It felt like a good, comfortable atmosphere for anyone looking for a loach soup restaurant in Gumi to bring their parents to 😊

Irojeong's opening hours and break time

Business hours run from 11 AM to 9 PM, with last order at 8:10 PM, and break time is from 3 to 5 PM~ Just so you know~^^

13 teams ahead at dinner: how does the wait work?

Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch uses a tableting kiosk at the entrance to register your wait, and by the time we arrived in the evening, 13 teams were already waiting. During busy hours you just register and wait your turn 🙂 There were so many people!

The waiting area is huge, and there were simple snacks laid out too, so the wait wasn't boring at all haha.

The gangjeong (rice cracker snack) wasn't too sweet and had a nice nutty flavor, really tasty haha. I asked if they sold it separately, and it seems like they don't. There's also Americano and something called sipjeondaebo tea? Seems like a healthy tea~ 😆 The sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch) and sweet pumpkin sikhye (rice drink) are perfect as dessert after the meal, right? haha.

Apparently Irojeong Daegu Hyeonpung Branch is the flagship, the loach soup specialist responsible for Daegu's tonic-food scene. So now Irojeong is taking care of Gumi's tonic food too? haha.

Took some shots while waiting. There's even a cast-iron cauldron, and they sell Shine Muscat grapes too!

Private rooms and the feel of the restaurant

The interior of Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch is overall clean, with both table seats and separate private rooms. Since it's a newly opened branch, everything felt neat and clutter-free. With plenty of tables and separate rooms available, it looked like a good fit for a meal with parents or a family gathering. True to its reputation as a loach soup restaurant in Gumi, there were a lot of diners in the evening 😆

We were guided to a room where just our family could eat privately. Each room has something hanging on the wall, and it really gives off that tonic-food feel!!

This one even had a door on the room, so it was an even more private space to enjoy.

What you can help yourself to at the self-serve bar

At the self-serve bar you could easily grab extra side dishes, noodle add-ins, and rice. There was also fruit ready for dessert, nice to enjoy something refreshing after the meal 🍉 Just take as much as you need, no need to be shy — everyone, eat your fill~~ 😁

What we ordered at Irojeong: black goat soup, onsuyuk and a loach soup set

Irojeong's menu ranges from sanghwang loach soup to braised pork and mackerel sets, sanghwang black goat soup, and black goat suyuk (boiled meat) — a wide variety of tonic dishes. We ordered three sanghwang black goat soups, one braised pork (onsuyuk), and one sanghwang loach soup set. Getting to try both loach soup and black goat soup at once at a Gumi loach soup restaurant~~ I even took a video of Irojeong's menu 🎥

Order complete~ 🤗

Irojeong seems to use a lot of sanghwang mushroom (a medicinal mushroom). Even the water is a tea brewed from sanghwang mushroom!! Well, might as well eat what's good for you~~ haha. It was warm with a subtle, savory aroma that felt gently warming to the stomach ☕

Onsuyuk (warm sliced pork) and the side dishes that come with it

The onsuyuk (braised pork) had no gamey smell, was light in flavor, and the meat was moist and tender. Kimchi, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), minced garlic, cheongyang chili, and other basic side dishes that pair well with soup dishes came out neatly arranged too.

Sanghwang black goat soup: any gamey smell?

The black goat soup~~ I was worried it might smell, but it was hot and had no smell at all, and adding plenty of Sichuan pepper powder and minced garlic made the flavor even richer 😋 There was plenty of meat, tender to chew, and it went well with the broth 👍

Sanghwang loach soup and turmeric rice

The sanghwang loach soup is made with domestic loach and sanghwang mushroom, simmered into a thick, rich soup. Mixing in a little rice at a time made it warming and filling all the way through. The turmeric rice served alongside had that yellow color that just screams healthy! And white rice is free refill~ haha.

The homemade dipping sauce for the onsuyuk

We made a sauce to go with the braised pork~ Mixed soy sauce, ginger, minced garlic, perilla powder, and wasabi together and dipped the meat in it, and wow~~~ that sauce really did its job!! haha. Everyone should try eating it this way. Dipping it in that sauce added even more umami to the pork, and I kept reaching for more haha.

Is Irojeong good with kids? Play room and baby chairs

One corner of Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch has a separate play room for kids. With Crayon Shin-chan cartoons and play equipment set up, families with children can eat a bit more comfortably. With baby chairs available too, it looks like a solid spot for family dining out in Gumi 🙂

Irojeong near Geumosan: the verdict

The men's and women's restrooms are separated near the entrance, and overall the place felt well-managed and clean. From the spacious parking lot to the private rooms and play room, the self-serve bar and dessert options, the amenities were well put together, and the food was generously portioned. If you're looking for a hearty meal with your parents or a place to eat in Gumi after a Geumosan outing, I'd recommend Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch 🧡