Pohang mulhoe restaurant with Dumuchi overflow parking: Ppwang Mulhoe

I've been to Yeongildae in Pohang a few times, and every time, Ppwang Mulhoe caught my eye. It's like Pohang turned into "Ppwang," and honestly the name itself is just too cute haha. The squid printed on the sign is super cute too, so my gaze always landed on it whenever I passed by haha. This time I finally thought, let's stop in — and here we are!

Parking at Ppwang Mulhoe: where to go when the lot is full

Ppwang Mulhoe has its own parking lot. But when we arrived, it was already completely full. I figured it must be popular, and sure enough, when we walked inside, the place was packed with customers too.

We ended up parking at the Duho-dong public parking lot right across from Yeongildae Beach, just opposite the restaurant, and walked over. It's close to the restaurant, so if the private lot is full, using the Duho-dong public lot seems like a convenient option.

Inside a packed Ppwang Mulhoe, with a dog-friendly private room

The interior of Ppwang Mulhoe is pretty spacious, but it was so busy it was hard to find an empty seat. Even in the middle of the rush, the staff were kind and attentive, which was nice -

Further inside, there's a separate room space, and dogs are welcome in that inner room!

What we ordered at Ppwang Mulhoe and what it cost

• Three-seafood mulhoe: ₩25,000
• Fried squid: ₩15,000
• Squid pancake: ₩15,000
• Beer ₩5,000 / Soju ₩5,000

What's on the self bar at Ppwang Mulhoe

One of Ppwang Mulhoe's strong points is its self bar stocked with a surprisingly wide range of dishes. From japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) to soy-braised quail eggs, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), squid and radish soup, fried kimmari (seaweed rolls), and thin wheat noodles — the variety is pretty impressive. It feels a bit different from the usual side-dish setup at a typical mulhoe restaurant. You can take as much as you want, and having so many extra dishes to go with the mulhoe was great. This self bar would also come in handy if you're visiting with kids -

We loaded up at the self bar too -

Three-seafood mulhoe: how do the broth and seafood taste?

A mulhoe bowl loaded with seafood. The broth was delicious right from the start — the balance of sweet-and-sour and refreshing cold flavor was just right, so it never felt overpowering, and it went well with the seafood too. The three-seafood mulhoe comes packed with squid, sea squirt, abalone, and sea cucumber, plus sliced raw fish on top. Personally, I liked that the raw fish wasn't the rough-cut makhoe style — no tiny bones to deal with.

Above all, the seafood was really fresh. The abalone and sea cucumber had a crisp, springy bite that kept each of their distinct textures intact, and the sea squirt gave off that distinctive fragrant sea aroma! With seafood of such different textures and flavors piled generously into one bowl, it was fun to eat, and with the raw fish and cold broth added in, everything came together nicely.

Fried squid and squid-and-scallion pancake

The fried squid was incredibly crispy on the outside while the squid inside stayed really tender! The seasoning was just right, the texture was great, and it paired well with the mulhoe too.

The squid pancake is loaded with finely chopped squid. The outside was cooked up nicely crispy and packed with squid flavor — it turned out to be tastier than I expected. Even though squid is the main ingredient shared across the fried squid, mulhoe, and pancake, the different cooking methods gave each dish its own distinct charm.

There's also a wide range of other dishes like rice bowls, fried rice, and blanched seafood — this seems like a great Pohang restaurant to visit with kids.

Outdoor tables and the Yeongildae Beach view

The days are still hot, but the evenings are cooling down, so sitting at an outdoor table really lets you get into that yajang (outdoor drinking) mood!

Ppwang Mulhoe is a great Pohang restaurant with a full view of Yeongildae Beach. A great Pohang restaurant where you can properly enjoy fresh seafood and a tasty mulhoe broth. I think I fully understand why it's so popular!

Open daily 10:30–23:00 / last order 22:00