Gyeongju abalone mulhoe in icy broth: Wando Cham Jeonbokjip

I recently had a regional performance schedule that brought me to Gyeongju! While looking for a local favorite, I ended up visiting Wando Cham Jeonbokjip, a spot known for great mulhoe (Korean raw fish soup) in Gyeongju. Let's get right into the post :)

Where is Wando Cham Jeonbokjip? Hours and parking

Wando Cham Jeonbokjip is located at 48 Alcheonnam-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, right next to Gyeongju Girls' High School — a real local favorite. It's open daily from 11:00 to 15:00, with takeout available from 16:30 to 19:00. It's closed every Sunday.

• 📍Location: 48 Alcheonnam-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk
• 🕘Hours: Daily 11:00–15:00 / takeout 16:30–19:00
• Closed every Sunday
• ✅Reservations and group use available, delivery available
• 🚘No parking

Parking is available on both sides of the restaurant, and if it's full, you can use the nearby public parking lot!

Located next to Gyeongju Girls' High School and near the Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium, Wando Cham Jeonbokjip is a genuine local favorite that Gyeongju residents visit often! It's a place where you can enjoy all kinds of delicious abalone dishes :)

Inside Wando Cham Jeonbokjip: private rooms by reservation

The inside of Wando Cham Jeonbokjip has a really clean, tidy style! There's a main hall in front, and private room seating further inside! The rooms are reservation-based, and since there are several of them, it'd be a great spot for a group gathering in Gyeongju, right?

There's also a tank full of fresh live abalone! It really shows this is a local favorite where you can enjoy all sorts of dishes made with abalone.

What we ordered: abalone mulhoe 14,000 won and large abalone porridge 17,000 won

At Wando Cham Jeonbokjip, you order by looking at the menu boards posted on the walls! There are many different kinds of abalone dishes, and the main signature dish is abalone seafood stew! Besides that, there's abalone porridge, abalone mulhoe, and various other menu items, making it a great spot for abalone porridge in Gyeongju. I ordered abalone porridge special for ₩17,000 and abalone mulhoe for ₩14,000!

Soon the abalone porridge and mulhoe I ordered came out! They looked absolutely delicious. The side dish spread was also varied, so you could really enjoy the abalone to the fullest, right?

Abalone mulhoe: icy broth with somyeon noodles and rice

Let me show you my favorite first — the abalone mulhoe. Wando Cham Jeonbokjip's abalone mulhoe comes with abalone and various vegetables, along with thin wheat noodles, broth, and rice served alongside! The broth has ice flakes floating in it, and it looks delicious just from the sight of it, doesn't it?

After adding all the broth and noodles, mix it well! Once mixed, it becomes a really tasty sweet-and-sour mulhoe!

There's quite a lot of crunchy, chewy abalone inside! The texture was really crunchy and delicious, and it went perfectly with the sweet and tangy mulhoe broth. I thought the amount of abalone looked small at first, but it kept coming no matter how much I ate, so the portion turned out to be pretty generous.

Mixing in the noodles and rice that come alongside makes it even more delicious. Mixing in the rice especially is the real deal. If you let the rice cool a bit first and mix it in Pohang mulhoe-ajussi style, it's really tasty. The broth itself is so good that it made the whole thing amazing!

How does the large abalone porridge taste?

Wando Cham Jeonbokjip's abalone porridge special is packed generously with big chunks of abalone, and has a really thick, smooth texture! The flavor is mild and nutty, so it's a solid, classic abalone porridge that even older folks would enjoy.

Is Wando Cham Jeonbokjip worth a stop in Gyeongju?

This was Wando Cham Jeonbokjip, a genuine local favorite that Gyeongju residents visit too! The menu lineup was great and the food was really tasty, so it was a very satisfying visit :) I'll be sure to stop by again next time I'm in Gyeongju!