Mulgeum abalone restaurant, Yangsan: weekday dinner at Wando Sanghoe

I visited an abalone restaurant in Yangsan where you can enjoy plenty of fresh live abalone, shipped straight from Wando, in all sorts of dishes. Let me introduce Wando Sanghoe (완도상회), an abalone specialist in Mulgeum, Yangsan, that says it sources live abalone from the clean waters of Wando every morning and prepares it in-house.

Wando Sanghoe Mulgeum Station Main Branch

How fresh are the fish tanks and live abalone at Wando Sanghoe?

Right after you park, you can see the fish tanks, and the state of a tank tells you a lot about how fresh the seafood is and how well a place is run. Besides abalone, the tanks were full of octopus, sea cucumber and other seafood, all moving energetically, so the freshness really showed.

I could also watch the owner prepare seafood each time an order came in. He took live abalone straight out of the tank and cleaned it, and seeing the abalone wriggling so strongly, I understood why the abalone dishes here taste so good.

Wando Sanghoe cooks only live abalone, and at the entrance a sign shows how many live abalone were used today and the running total so far. That tells you how many customers this Yangsan abalone specialist draws, and with such fast turnover you always get fresh abalone.

Wando Sanghoe abalone course prices and menu

The signature abalone course comes in two versions, ₩30,000 and ₩40,000, letting you enjoy abalone sashimi, steamed abalone, grilled abalone, abalone mulhoe, abalone porridge and more in one go without breaking the bank. You can also order just the abalone dishes you want à la carte, such as sashimi, steamed or grilled abalone, which makes it easy to choose to your taste at this Yangsan drinking spot.

There is also a wide range of fresh seafood, including sea squirt, octopus, sea cucumber, whelk, boiled octopus and butter-grilled live shrimp, plus seasonal treats like oysters and gwamegi (semi-dried fish). Wando Sanghoe was reportedly selected as an outstanding business in the food service category of the 2026 Korea Consumer Industry Evaluation, and with such steady recognition from institutions and customers, my expectations for the taste and freshness went up even more.

Can you get a table at Wando Sanghoe on a weekday evening?

I arrived just before 6 pm on a weekday, and most of the seats were already taken. I was startled the moment I walked in, and the remaining seats were reserved for a group, they told me.

For a moment I thought we'd have to wait, but luckily the timing worked out: one table finished eating, and the staff cleaned it up quickly so we could sit right away. Seeing the place packed even on an early weekday evening, I could really feel that this Yangsan abalone restaurant has a strong reputation by word of mouth, for gatherings, family meals and company dinners alike.

What comes with the 30,000-won abalone course?

Side dishes and extras with the abalone course

We ordered the ₩30,000 abalone course at Wando Sanghoe, which lets you enjoy plenty of different abalone dishes. The side dishes came out neatly: corn salad, silkworm pupae (beondegi), green salad, green peas, candied sweet potato, steamed sweet pumpkin, cheonsachae (seaweed noodles) and more. Each one was easy to eat and enough to whet the appetite before the main meal.

The braised abalone innards had a rich savory flavor and a salty seasoning that would go well with drinks, and the sweet-and-sour abalone salad with vinegar dressing paired chewy abalone with a tangy sauce that really woke up my appetite. The boiled octopus was soft yet still chewy.

A mussel soup also came out, which you boil yourself at the table. The longer it simmered, the cleaner and more refreshing the broth got, so it was perfect to sip between abalone dishes.

Abalone sashimi: sesame oil dip over spicy chili sauce

The abalone sashimi came glossy and sliced into bite-size pieces, and just looking at it you could feel the freshness. It was chewy and springy, and the more I chewed, the more the abalone's gentle sweetness and sea aroma spread. Really delicious.

Since it was freshly prepared live abalone, there was no fishy taste at all, and the fresh texture let me enjoy the true flavor of abalone. It was good dipped in chogochujang (sweet-and-sour chili sauce), but when I dipped it lightly in just the sesame oil sauce, the nutty richness and umami of the abalone came through even more strongly.

Butter-scented grilled abalone

Next came the grilled abalone. A gentle buttery aroma rose from the neatly prepared abalone and made my mouth water. It wasn't tough and chewed softly, yet kept that characteristic abalone chewiness, with deep umami the more I chewed.

Abalone mulhoe with extra noodles

The abalone mulhoe at Wando Sanghoe came with a refreshing sweet-and-sour broth generously filled with fresh vegetables and abalone. I started with a spoonful of the broth, which was cool, tangy and a little spicy, and it really got my appetite going. The chewy abalone, crunchy vegetables and cold mulhoe broth together were really delicious.

I added noodles, and the sweet-and-sour mulhoe broth soaked evenly between the strands and turned it into another treat. Slurping the springy noodles with the cold broth, along with crunchy vegetables and chewy abalone, was the best.

Plain pot rice and nurungji (scorched rice)

The menu has both abalone pot rice and plain pot rice, but since we had already had so much abalone, from sashimi to grilled abalone to mulhoe, we ordered plain pot rice. The pot rice is started the moment you order.

When it arrived, the rice was glossy, with every grain distinct, fluffy yet moist. After scooping out the rice, you can pour hot water into the pot to make nurungji (scorched rice tea), which made for a hearty finish to the meal.

Abalone innards porridge to finish

The abalone innards porridge that closed out the course was a deep green from the generous amount of innards, and just looking at it you could sense the nutty flavor. The rich, deep umami of the innards filled my mouth, and the smoothly cooked porridge went down easily, slipping in even though I was already full.

Can you buy seafood at Wando Sanghoe?

Wando Sanghoe also sells shellfish that's great for grilling at a barbecue on camping trips or travels, along with various seasonal seafood. Since it's seafood kept right in the tanks, I could trust its freshness. Depending on the season, they also sell seasonal items like oysters and gwamegi.

That was Wando Sanghoe, a Yangsan abalone restaurant where you can enjoy plenty of dishes made with live abalone shipped straight from the clean waters of Wando. If you're looking for abalone porridge in Yangsan, a Yangsan seafood restaurant or an abalone place in Mulgeum, I hope you'll stop by.