Family-friendly mulhoe restaurant in Pohang's Duho-dong: Ppwang Mulhoe

On the weekend, my kid and I had a blast digging in the sand at Yeongildae Beach, and by the end of it we were starving. I searched around for a proper meal nearby and found this place — it exceeded my expectations so much that I had to write it up.

Where do you park?

There's a lot at the restaurant itself, and better yet, Dumuchi Public Parking Lot is right across the street and free to use, so we got in without any parking stress at all.

At the entrance, a big tank had squid swimming around energetically. They looked super fresh, which made for fun viewing — my kid, seeing real live squid for the first time, walked in with wide, fascinated eyes.

Interior and seating

Inside, a bright pink interior caught my eye, and the place was bustling with diners. It's spacious with plenty of tables, so we found a seat without any trouble.

Menu and order

The menu had a wide range of tasty dishes — squid mulhoe, flounder mulhoe, squid hoe (raw fish), flounder hoe, fried squid, squid tongsukhoe, pajeon, Korean beef bulgogi rice bowl, and more. After some deliberation, we ordered a well-rounded spread: the signature squid mulhoe, plus squid pajeon and squid tongsukhoe.

How was the self-serve bar?

Basic side dishes were self-serve, and there was a comfortable baby chair tucked in one corner of the restaurant — making it a genuinely good spot for eating out with a kid.

What surprised me most was the self-bar setup. It rivaled a proper Korean buffet, with a generous, neatly arranged spread of side dishes. There was savory squid soup, tteokbokki (which kids love), and crispy fried snacks — honestly the perfect lineup for feeding kids.

How the squid mulhoe tasted

Finally, the squid mulhoe we'd been waiting for landed on the table. One spoonful in and I let out an involuntary sigh of satisfaction. I've been to pretty much every mulhoe restaurant in this part of Duho-dong, Pohang, and this one ranks among the best for its sauce and savory depth.

My husband, who's usually picky about food, took one bite and couldn't stop — the sauce was spicy yet had that addictive, clingy quality, and he kept saying how good it was. We drank the broth straight from the bowl.

Squid pajeon

Next up was the squid pajeon, pan-fried golden and thin — so crispy and nutty it was a treat in itself.

Squid tongsukhoe

We ordered the squid tongsukhoe (parboiled whole squid) for our kid, who can't handle spice — the squid was thick and plump, and the chewy texture was outstanding.

With everything laid out on the table, it made for such a hearty, generous spread — just looking at it made me feel satisfied.

A beer at 4-5pm

With that cool, spicy mulhoe and crispy pajeon in front of us, there was no way I wasn't ordering a beer. It was 4-5pm at the time, but I got swept up in the delicious squid spread and the atmosphere and ended up finishing a cold one. Catching myself drinking beer in the middle of the afternoon, I laughed a little, wondering if that makes me a bit of a rebel mom, haha.

Thankfully, my kid also cleaned out a whole bowl of rice thanks to the tasty self-bar side dishes and the chewy tongsukhoe — that made me really proud.

With delicious food and a cool daytime drink, a week's worth of fatigue melted away and I felt genuinely happy.

Wrap-up

From the food to the parking convenience to the self-bar setup, there wasn't a single thing I was unhappy about. If you're looking for a mulhoe restaurant in Duho-dong, Pohang, I confidently recommend stopping by Ppwang Mulhoe.

• Hours: Daily 10:30–22:00
• Last order: 21:00
• Parking: Available (free at Dumuchi Public Parking Lot across the street)