Daehangno pub two-pot dinner: spicy octopus and clam stew, Hyehwahwa

Where is Hyehwahwa and when is it open?

🏠 Location 2F, 29-3 Daemyeong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 146m from Hyehwa Station Exit 4 ⏰ Hours Weekdays, weekends 17:00 - 01:00 (next day) Last order 00:00 Closed every Monday

Today I visited Hyehwahwa, a Hyehwa restaurant I found near Hyehwa Station haha 😆

Walking through the Hyehwa alleys, that orange sign was easy to spot 🔥 There's a big Hyehwahwa sign up on the building, so from far away you already get the feeling — yep, tonight's dinner is here, lol.

Inside Hyehwahwa: the mood and the window seats

Stepping into Hyehwahwa, the Hyehwahwa sign catches your eye alongside a pretty unique interior haha 😆 There were bundles of straw-like decorations everywhere, giving it a Korean feel with a really good atmosphere.

Overall, the inside of Hyehwahwa was clean but still comfortable for a drink 😊 There were tables good for groups, and further in, some cozier seating too.

The window seats especially let you watch the Hyehwa alley scenery while eating, which gave it a nice vibe 😎 If you're looking for a Hyehwa date spot, the window seats might be worth eyeing, haha.

QR ordering and the free tofu kimchi side

Ordering at Hyehwahwa is done via QR code at the table 📱 You can browse the menu and order right from your phone without calling a staff member over — really convenient. No need to worry about the staff watching while you flip through the menu deciding what to get, lol.

Then the basic side dish arrived — tofu kimchi 😋 Even before the main menu came out, one bite of that had me already reaching for a drink, haha.

In the end we ordered a bottle of beer 🍺 With weather like that day's, it would've been a shame to skip a cold beer, lol.

Even the glass came out super cold, so the moment it was poured you could feel the chill from your fingertips 😆

What we ordered: cauldron octopus, clam stew and noodles

And finally, the food we ordered showed up 😍 We got the cauldron-cooked straw-fired knife-cut octopus, the spicy clam stew, and a knife-cut noodle add-on to mix in at the end.

When everything landed on the table at once, it suddenly felt completely full, lol 🍜 Spicy octopus plus cool clam stew — spicy and refreshing, this menu combo clearly had a plan 😆

Spicy clam stew packed with clams

First I checked out the clam stew properly 😋 Even from the photo you can tell — it was truly loaded with clams.

When I scooped with the ladle, clams came up before the broth did, lol.

Once you start picking through the clams one by one, your hand just keeps going back for more. It was a perfect dish to pair with a drink 🍺

Maybe because so many clams went in, the broth was genuinely refreshing 😆 Rather than spicy or sharp, it had that clean, cool taste that comes straight from the clams.

Adding knife-cut noodles to the leftover broth

Once you've eaten your fill of clams, you can't stop there.

Knife-cut noodles go into the leftover broth 🍜 This wasn't really optional — more like a fixed part of the course, haha. Noodles soaked up all that clam broth made for a very satisfying finish.

How spicy is the straw-fired cauldron octopus?

Next up: the straw-fired cauldron spicy octopus 🔥 Powerful just from the name alone, lol.

A big chunk of octopus sat right in the center, with plenty of cabbage all around it.

As it started bubbling and the spicy smell rose up, I had a hard time holding back from eating it right there mid-photo 😆

They cut it into bite-sized pieces with scissors, and the big chunky octopus already looked like it'd have a great chew ✂️ 😋 As the sauce and cabbage cook together and mix, it slowly turns into something more and more mouthwatering.

And if you look closely underneath, there are knife-cut noodles in there too 😆

A spicy octopus stir-fry that also comes with noodles — as a carb lover, I was thrilled, lol. That said, true to its name, it's genuinely quite spicy, so if you can't handle spicy food you should be a little careful here 🔥

The review-event chocolate matcha ice cream

Last up is the chocolate matcha ice cream we got through the Naver review event 🍨 Not the easiest name to say in one go, lol. It comes with both chocolate and matcha ice cream together, topped generously with chocolate powder 😋

After the spicy octopus stir-fry, one cold spoonful of this ice cream hit exactly right.

If you're looking to have a drink near Hyehwa Station and enjoy spicy food alongside a good stew, Hyehwahwa is worth a visit 😋