Pohang mulhoe restaurant at 3pm for a late lunch: Ppwang Mulhoe

On a trip to Pohang last weekend, I made sure to try mulhoe (cold spicy raw fish soup), which you really have to eat when you're in Pohang. While planning the trip and looking for good mulhoe spots, I found Ppwang Mulhoe near Yeongildae Beach. My boyfriend had eaten there before when he came to Pohang for photography, so since I'd made it all the way to Pohang, I wanted to try mulhoe at a place already proven as a Yeongildae favorite!

Where is Ppwang Mulhoe, and where do you park?

Ppwang Mulhoe sits right on the main road by Yeongildae Beach in Pohang. The address is 203-1 Haean-ro, 1F, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do.

There's space for about 6-8 cars right in front of Ppwang Mulhoe! If it's full, you can use the public parking lot across the street.

Inside Ppwang Mulhoe: still busy at 3pm

I visited around 3pm, well past the usual lunch hour, and it was still packed with customers! I guess popular restaurants in tourist areas stay busy no matter what time it is. With Yeongildae Beach, Hwanho Park, and the Space Walk nearby, it also seemed like a great stop to add to a Pohang travel itinerary.

Ppwang Mulhoe menu and how to order at the table kiosk

You order and pay through the kiosk on the table.

Looking at the menu, Ppwang Mulhoe sells everything from mulhoe to hoe-deopbap to plain sashimi!

• Ppwang Mulhoe ₩25,000
• Squid mulhoe ₩20,000
• Flounder mulhoe ₩20,000
• Half-and-half mulhoe (squid + flounder) ₩20,000
• 3-combo mulhoe (squid + flounder + mixed fish) ₩20,000
• Hoe-deopbap ₩19,000
• Shrimp fried rice ₩8,000
• Fried squid ₩15,000
• Whole boiled squid, 2 pieces ₩29,000
• Squid pancake ₩15,000
• Squid sashimi: Large ₩100,000 / Medium ₩80,000

We ordered squid mulhoe, half-and-half mulhoe, and shrimp fried rice.

What's on the self bar: side dishes, tteokbokki and squid soup

The self bar at Ppwang Mulhoe really had such a wide variety! We came for the mulhoe, but the side dishes exceeded expectations and that made it even more satisfying. Napa cabbage kimchi, Vienna sausages, stir-fried anchovies, egg and ham stir-fry, macaroni salad, seaweed stem, and seasoned bean sprouts — all great with rice. You just help yourself to as much as you want.

There's also tteokbokki, fried squid rolls, and tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties). So much to eat!!! Great for a light bite before the main dishes arrive.

We took as much as we wanted to eat, haha. With side dishes kids can enjoy with rice even if they're not into mulhoe or raw fish, this place seems like a good spot for a family meal too.

There was also squid soup available. You ladle the broth over a bowl filled with bean sprouts and squid — having a warm soup on hand was a nice touch.

The broth was rich and delicious! The squid inside was tender, not chewy at all. After eating cold mulhoe, you sometimes crave something warm, and having the squid soup alongside made the meal more filling and satisfying.

While we were eating the side dishes from the self bar, our ordered dishes arrived.

What we ordered at Ppwang Mulhoe

Our mulhoe and shrimp fried rice arrived. Since I'd come all the way to Pohang, I wanted good mulhoe, and it looked promising already ><

01. Squid mulhoe, 20,000 won

The squid mulhoe was packed with thinly sliced raw squid. The squid's signature chewy texture was there, but soft too. There's gochujang (red chili paste) sauce in the bowl — mix that in first, then add the icy broth to taste!

Cold, tangy, and a bit spicy — I'd say this is about as perfect as food gets for hot weather.

02. Half-and-half mulhoe (squid + flounder), 20,000 won

The half-and-half mulhoe I ordered has both squid and flounder in it. The raw fish wasn't cut in thick slices but thin ones, which made it easy to eat with the vegetables.

The most important part of mulhoe — the broth!!! They poured in broth full of shaved ice. As the ice melts, the fish and vegetables mingle together refreshingly — that's the real charm of mulhoe!

Mix it well and eat it with cucumber and pear for extra crunch — even better. Sometimes mulhoe broth is too sweet, but Ppwang Mulhoe's was tangy with a bit of spice, which suited my taste perfectly.

Mixing in rice at the end is a treat too.

03. Shrimp fried rice, 8,000 won

Since mulhoe alone felt like it wasn't quite enough, we also ordered shrimp fried rice, and it was great :) The rice had a nice fluffy texture, and the shrimp, though small, were surprisingly plentiful. Eating the fried rice partway through the mulhoe made the meal more filling.

If someone in your group isn't big on mulhoe, ordering another dish like fried rice on the side is a good idea.

Is Ppwang Mulhoe worth it? Final verdict

Squid mulhoe was what I was looking forward to most on this Pohang trip, and it did not disappoint! The tangy, spicy broth was exactly my taste, and it was full of shaved ice, perfect for a hot day. I also liked that there were so many options beyond just squid — mulhoe with squid and flounder, and mulhoe with squid, flounder, and mixed fish.

There are so many raw fish and mulhoe restaurants near Yeongildae in Pohang that it can be hard to choose, but if you go with Ppwang Mulhoe, you won't regret it! Enjoy some great mulhoe and have a wonderful trip in Pohang.