Sangmo-dong, Gumi black goat soup restaurant: extra meat and noodles

Hope you're having a good weekend! Today's a big food-post day haha. This time I'm bringing you a visit to Irojeong, one of Gumi's top 5 hotspots that my mom's been wanting to try for ages — a tidy loach soup restaurant that simmers its broth deep with sanghwang mushroom.

Where is Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch, and is there parking?

Even though 'Geumosan' is in the name, the actual location has nothing to do with Mt. Geumosan haha nope. It's at 32 Bakjeonghui-ro, Gumi-si, Gyeongbuk, near the birthplace of President Park Chung-hee in Sangmo-dong! I'd heard the place was big, but wow, the scale here is really something.

First off, there's a huge dedicated parking lot in front that fits 60+ cars... which means it's easy for family gatherings and even group visits after hiking Mt. Geumosan, with zero parking worries.

Waiting on a rainy day in Irojeong's indoor café zone

Even though I went outside lunch peak hours, there was a wait — proof this is a real Gumi favorite! And of course it was drizzling that day, so I braced myself for 'ugh, am I going to have to wait outside listening to the rain...' (I braced myself, haha, but it never came to that.)

Here's why the wait wasn't boring at all. There's an indoor waiting room / café zone near the entrance of Irojeong... and it's amazing.

Everything in the café zone is free. From sweet pumpkin sikhye (rice punch) to sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch), coffee, and even ten-herb tea (I love a healthy-tasting drink 🫶🏻), all thoughtfully set out with cups of ice.

One cup of sweet, cold sikhye and the wait wasn't boring at all — it actually felt relaxing, like being at a café.

Right behind the waiting area, the kids zone was really well put together. There's a game machine and a TV set up, so families with kids won't have a dull moment whether waiting or after the meal! And there are plenty of baby chairs for the little guests too.

Inside Irojeong: atmosphere and how the menu is built

Finally our turn came and we headed inside haha. The place had that fresh, newly-opened feel along with a genuinely upscale interior. With private rooms and group seating well arranged, it's a great spot both for a proper meal with parents and for group gatherings in Gumi.

After checking out the place, time to explore the table-order menu! Irojeong's main dishes are, without question, the deep-flavored sanghwang loach soup and the ultimate restorative dish, wild ginseng black goat soup.

You can order these à la carte, but the set menus that include boiled pork or grilled mackerel are much more filling and better value 👍

That day we ordered generously: two servings of the boiled pork and sanghwang loach soup set, a sanghwang black goat soup (with extra meat...), and potato pancake haha. For reference, there are also plenty of kid-friendly sides like pork loin cutlet and Korean beef seaweed soup, so families have plenty of options!

What's on Irojeong's self-serve bar?

While waiting for the food, let's check out the self-serve bar in the center of Irojeong. Quick tour! Refills for basic side dishes, various chili seasonings, rice, noodles, and even watermelon for dessert, all set up and ready.

They even thoughtfully prepared fruit for cleansing your palate before and after the meal — no wonder older folks keep coming back to this Gumi loach soup favorite haha.

Side dishes that come with the sanghwang loach soup set

First they brought out the side dishes included with the set, and this alone filled the table! Fresh salad, savory japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), and crispy fried loach all arrived generously, keeping the chopsticks busy even before the main dish came out haha.

If you come to Irojeong, I definitely recommend the set over à la carte!! For just a little more than the à la carte price, you get boiled pork, fried items, and a much richer spread of side dishes — the set is the better deal 😝

Potato pancake (gamja chaejeon)

The potato pancake we ordered as a side came out first! Aww ㅠㅠㅠ that golden-brown look. Since the potato is sliced super thin, it's incredibly crispy — the outside is crunchy like a cracker while the inside stays moist. My dad really enjoyed this one 🫶🏻

Best appetizer ever, this potato pancake...

What you get when you order the sanghwang black goat soup with extra meat

The ultimate restorative dish for my dad's energy recovery, Irojeong's sanghwang black goat soup, has arrived! We ordered extra meat, and haha, they really loaded it up with black goat meat.

The key with black goat soup is getting rid of that distinct gamey smell — and here, they say there's none of it!! The meat was soft and tender too, so we pulled it out to dip in the special sauce.

We also grabbed noodles from the self-serve bar and mixed them into the rich black goat broth, and that turned out to be a delicacy on top of a delicacy. Generous meat portions plus deep broth made this a total success as a restorative meal for my dad haha.

Sanghwang loach soup and turmeric rice

The rich broth of the sanghwang loach soup! ! What better partner for loach soup than turmeric rice, right?

Irojeong's loach soup uses a broth simmered from sanghwang mushroom, so there's no fishy or gamey taste, and the broth is deep and hearty! The loach is blended completely smooth too, so it goes down easily with nothing to chew around.

Season it to your taste with the minced garlic, chili, and perilla seed powder on the table, mix in the thin noodles from the self-serve bar, and all your tired energy just comes right back!

In between, I also dipped the fried loach included in the set into soy sauce. Crispy and savory — this is the real delicacy! And pairing the tender, moist boiled pork with a bit of spicy-sweet kimchi on top was just so good... definitely go with the set! Set menu for the win!

We finished it all off, restorative meal complete! Both my mom and dad said the loach soup and black goat soup broth were rich and deep, and they really enjoyed it 🤤🤤 — totally worth bringing them all the way to Irojeong.

Why Irojeong works for a meal out with parents

Even though my stomach felt like it was about to burst, there's always room for dessert, right? 😋 Gumi's Irojeong even takes care of dessert, which my parents loved! A tidy hanjeongsik (Korean set meal)-style table, deep sanghwang loach soup, a café-style waiting room, a kids zone, and dessert gangjeong (sweet rice puffs) and tea to finish — nothing was missing here.

A perfect representative Gumi restaurant to bring your parents for a hearty restorative meal after a weekend outing to Mt. Geumosan or a stop at the Park Chung-hee birthplace! I'd highly recommend it as a top loach soup restaurant in Gumi : )