Gumi loach soup restaurant with game room and self-serve bar: Irojeong

I was looking for a decent Korean restaurant to have dinner with my parents when I came across Irojeong, a place that recently opened in Gumi.

Since it was newly opened I was curious, and it looked like it had good menu options to enjoy with my parents, so I decided to visit :)

Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch: hours and parking

• Daily 11:00 - 21:00
• Break time 15:30 - 17:00
• Last order 20:10
• Closed on Chuseok Day and Lunar New Year's Day
• Parking - dedicated parking lot available O
• Baby chair available O
• Gumi Love Gift Certificates accepted O

What I liked most when I arrived was the spacious parking lot. Parking is always a bit of a worry when eating out with family, so having plenty of space made it easy to pull in.

Waiting by Tabling, or walking right in with a Naver reservation

At Irojeong Gumi Geumosan Direct Branch you can register for the wait using Tabling once you arrive, but I made a Naver reservation ahead of time and walked straight in! We visited right after break time ended, and even though it was raining, quite a few people were still waiting.

If you're visiting for a family meal or a gathering, there are also partitioned rooms, so booking ahead seems like a good idea. Being able to check the number of waiting parties on Naver before heading out was also convenient.

The café-style waiting area and complimentary tea

And the waiting area was really spacious. I think it's the biggest waiting area I've ever seen, haha.

It doubles as a waiting room and café space, and on the way out there was a variety of dessert teas to drink. Sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch), sweet pumpkin sikhye (rice punch), and herbal sipjeondaebo tea, among others — you can pick according to your taste.

While waiting for the food, the kids asked if they could go play in the game room, so we let them go for a bit haha. It's not a playroom with toys, but a space set up with game machines, which was nice for the kids to briefly play in while waiting.

What we ordered: mackerel and boiled pork sanghwang loach soup set for four, plus octopus seafood pancake

We ordered the mackerel + boiled pork sanghwang loach soup set for four, and a whole octopus seafood pancake.

It was great to bring kids who have a hard time with loach soup, since fish and boiled pork also come out with the set, and there's also a beef seaweed soup option on the menu — good for a family meal.

They were also running a review event where you get a bag of heart-shaped rice puffs, so give that a try!

When the food arrived, the table was completely full :) What stood out most was the yellow turmeric rice. The color caught my eye right away, and if you don't like turmeric rice, you can grab white rice from the self-serve bar instead.

What's on the self-serve bar: white rice, somyeon noodles and seasonings

The self-serve bar had white rice, somyeon (thin wheat noodles), and various seasonings ready to go. I added cheongyang chili paste, minced garlic, and perilla powder to my loach soup. Seasoning it to my taste made it even more delicious.

How does Irojeong's loach soup taste? Rich, clean and never gamey

Honestly I'm not usually someone who eats loach soup often, but that day I ate it without much resistance, more than I expected. I worried the distinctive smell might be strong, but I barely noticed any gaminess, and the broth was rich yet clean, so it was easier to eat than I thought. Adding cheongyang chili paste, minced garlic, and perilla powder made it suit my taste well too. My parents, who love loach soup, enjoyed it thoroughly as expected :)

Mackerel and warm boiled pork the kids actually finished

The mackerel had thick, plump flesh that went well with rice, and I liked that it wasn't seasoned too strongly. If it's too salty, it's hard to share with kids, but this was seasoned just right, so the kids could eat it fine too — putting a piece of mackerel on a spoonful of rice, they ate it right up haha.

The boiled pork had no gamey smell at all and was soft, so the kids could eat it without hesitation. My kid in particular loved the boiled pork so much that they kept reaching for more, probably eating over half of it haha. It was moist and mild, pairing well with rice too.

The whole-octopus seafood pancake, leftovers to go, and dessert

The whole octopus seafood pancake we ordered together was also cooked nice and crispy — delicious. It wasn't greasy, so I kept reaching for more.

There was a good variety of food and generous portions, so after finishing one bowl I was really full!! haha. We asked them to pack the leftover mackerel and pancake, and they wrapped it up neatly. It felt like a waste to just leave after the meal, so I made sure to grab some watermelon from the self-serve bar for dessert :) On the way out, I also picked up the heart-shaped rice puffs from the review event.

My parents were satisfied enough after the meal that they said they'd want to come back again, just the two of them. I was glad I brought my parents, who love loach soup, here :) With menu options kids can enjoy too and rooms available, it also seemed like a good spot for family dinners, meals with parents, or gatherings.

If you're looking for a hearty Korean meal to have with your parents near Geumosan in Gumi, the newly opened Irojeong seems worth a visit.