Dachi-dong's No-Water Pohang Mulhoe Is the Summer Bowl Seoul Needs

There's a mulhoe spot near Samseong Station in Dachi-dong, Gangnam, that does something a little different from the cold raw-fish bowls you've probably seen everywhere else this summer. The signature dish here is pohang-style mulhoe — but with no water (물 없는, mul eomneun). Instead of the usual icy broth flooding the bowl, the dish leans on a concentrated broth and crushed ice that work together in a tighter, more intense way. The payoff comes when you stir in rice: the grains stay springy and distinct rather than going soggy, and each spoonful carries the full punch of the seasoning.

Pohang-style mulhoe originates from the port city of Pohang on the East Sea coast, where the raw fish tradition is deeply tied to the local catch. The Seoul version here keeps that coastal DNA — the menu extends well beyond the signature bowl into wild-caught raw fish (자연산 막회), East Sea baby octopus (동해피문어숙회), sea snails (피고동), fried cod head (대구대가리튀김), and a clam broth soup called jjaebokttang (째복탕). It reads like a condensed tour of East Sea seafood without leaving Gangnam.

The location is about 500 meters from Samseong Station, which makes it genuinely convenient if you're already in the Gangnam corridor — COEX is a short walk, and the neighborhood is dense with after-work and weekend foot traffic. Expect it to be busy on summer evenings; this is the kind of spot that fills up when the heat peaks and everyone wants cold food.

For a first visit, the no-water pohang mulhoe is the obvious order — it's the dish the kitchen is known for and the one that shows the most craft. If you're with a group, adding the wild-caught raw fish platter alongside it gives you a fuller picture of what the kitchen does with fresh seafood. The fried cod head is a curveball worth trying if you're curious about less common Korean seafood preparations.

This is a summer-specific pilgrimage more than an all-year destination — cold raw fish bowls hit differently when Seoul is at peak humidity and you need something that's simultaneously refreshing and substantial. The Daichi-dong address puts it in a part of Gangnam that overseas visitors sometimes skip in favor of Hongdae or Insadong, but the food density in this neighborhood rewards the detour.

Who it's NOT for: anyone squeamish about raw fish or unfamiliar textures. The menu is almost entirely raw or lightly cooked seafood, and the fried cod head in particular is an acquired taste. But if you're already a mulhoe convert or you've been wanting to try the Pohang original style without flying to the coast, this is the closest Seoul gets.

Practical note: the restaurant sits in a residential-commercial pocket of Daichi-dong rather than a tourist strip, so navigation by map app is easier than trying to find it by landmark. Samseong Station (Line 2) is your anchor — from Exit 1 or 6 you're within a short walk.