Daemyeong-dong sushi restaurant in Daegu: ₩13,000 vs ₩25,000 platters

I was craving sushi so badly the other day, so I went hunting for a sushi spot and found 'Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital Main Branch' in Daegu's Daemyeong-dong, where the cuts of fish looked thick and delicious :)

Swim on, flounder... I'm going to enjoy you thoroughly haha

Where is Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital Main Branch, and when is it open?

Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital Main Branch is at 145 Jungang-daero, Nam-gu, Daegu, 244m from Exit 3 of Yeongdae Hospital Station on Line 1. Hours are Monday–Saturday 11:30–22:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00 and last order at 21:30. It's closed every Sunday, and you can book through Naver Reservation.

Inside Sushi Naru: 6 counter seats, 2 window bar seats, 3 four-person tables

The inside of Sushi Naru was clean and tidy, done up in white and wood tones :) There are 6 counter seats where you can watch the sushi being made right in front of you.

There are also 2 seats at the window bar table, which looked perfect for couples on a date haha. It's decorated with cute little Japanese-style figurines that give off a nice atmosphere 🥹

There are about 3 four-person tables! My husband and I visited just after lunchtime when it was a bit quieter, so we sat at a spacious four-person table to eat comfortably haha. Each table comes set with spoons and chopsticks, a rest, tissues, a water cup, soy sauce, pickled ginger, pickled radish, tongs, and small dishes for serving yourself as much as you like.

What we ordered: ₩25,000 special sushi and ₩13,000 assorted sushi

Here's the menu :) Besides sushi, Sushi Naru also serves rice bowls, katsu, and drinking-food items, but since we came for lunch and both of us were craving sushi, we stuck to just sushi haha. We wanted to compare the special sushi (25.0) and the assorted sushi (13.0), so we ordered both, plus added egg sushi 2pcs (3.0) and engawa 2pcs (6.0) haha.

Free with every meal: white kimchi, salad and mini udon

Just as the sushi was about done, they brought out white kimchi, salad, and mini udon :) My husband liked the salad dressing so much he refilled his bowl. Most places serve miso soup, so I was really happy they gave us udon instead at no extra charge haha. Even though it was a free side dish, the noodles seemed to be springy, chewy sanuki-style noodles!

At last, the sushi we ordered arrived 🥰 So colorful~~ is food even allowed to be this pretty?

Assorted sushi (10 pieces) vs special sushi (12 pieces): what's different

The assorted sushi comes with 10 pieces total: raw salmon, seared salmon, red seabream, raw shrimp, boiled shrimp, squid, egg, and fried tofu, one piece each, plus 2 pieces of flounder.

The special sushi comes with 12 pieces total: raw salmon, seared salmon, lean tuna and fatty tuna belly, sea urchin, sweet shrimp, soy-marinated shrimp, seared scallop, freshwater eel, beef, red seabream, and engawa, one piece each, plus 2 pieces of flounder! The regular assorted sushi already has a nice variety, but the special uses higher-grade ingredients and comes with 2 extra pieces, so once it arrived I didn't feel it was overpriced at all. Given how much platter sushi prices have gone up lately, this seemed like a pretty reasonable price haha.

The extras we added: egg sushi and engawa (flounder fin)

We added an extra order of egg sushi, which my husband loves, and my personal favorite, engawa (flounder fin)🐷 Wait, why did the owner give us one extra egg sushi? Always grateful for the little extras🫶🏻

How the sushi tasted: thickness of the fish and the seasoned rice

Look how thick the cuts of fish on the sushi are😋 Whether it's sashimi or sushi, if the fish is sliced too thin, you get no flavor and no texture at all. The owner really doesn't skimp on ingredients... The sushi rice wasn't too sour or too sweet either, which let the unique flavor of each piece of fish come through! You know the fish was pretty oily too, right? I really wanted a draft beer right then and there, but I couldn't because of plans afterward.... so disappointed.

The salmon, scallop, and tuna were so soft they just melted in my mouth, while the flounder, engawa, red seabream, and squid were pleasantly chewy and springy. The freshwater eel, egg, sea urchin, and sweet shrimp were all sweet too! Once we laid everything out piece by piece, honestly, doesn't this look like it could give omakase a run for its money?? Every single bite of Sushi Naru's sushi was satisfying, with nothing tasting fishy or less than fresh🥹 This really is a sushi spot worth visiting in Daemyeong-dong 🫶🏻

The free dish from Sushi Naru's reservation review event

Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital Main Branch is also running a reservation review event, so join in and get a free extra of your choice: jumbo shrimp tempura, takoyaki, curry croquette, soda, or 2 pieces of sushi haha. It's a win-win! If you're after thick cuts of fish and a well-rounded sushi platter, be sure to visit Sushi Naru, a great sushi spot near Yeongdae Hospital 😋