Daegu Gyodong pub with free corkage: weekday raw shrimp, Nampo

August through December is shrimp season! I'd been waiting for it so eagerly that as soon as I heard raw shrimp sashimi was on the menu, I headed straight over.

What is Nampo in Gyodong, Daegu?

Today's spot is Nampo. It's normally the most famous place in Gyodong for shellfish grilling, but today I came for the raw shrimp sashimi. Right from the entrance there are beachy little props, and just walking past out front you catch a real whiff of the sea.

It's located right in the middle of Gyodong, the hottest street in Daegu.

Nampo opening hours and parking

• Mon–Thu 18:00–02:00
• Fri–Sat 17:00–03:00
• Sun (holidays) 17:00–02:00
• Open every day
• 8 spots in the private lot behind the store; on weekends you can also park at Daegu City Hall's Dongin Annex

I visited on a weekday evening and plenty of people were already digging into shellfish grill.

A seaside-style interior

There were so many beachy props scattered around Nampo that it really felt like eating right by the sea. No need to go all the way to Sokcho or Daecheon, haha.

If you order shellfish grill, you grill it right there on the stone plate at your table. Each table also had its own ordering kiosk, which was convenient.

Nampo menu and what we ordered

Here's the menu. The main dishes include shellfish grill sets, raw shrimp sashimi, buttered grilled shrimp, salt-grilled shrimp, and abalone mulhoe (cold raw fish in broth), plus side dishes like pork belly stir-fry, scallop risotto, minari shrimp pancake, abalone porridge, fried squid, seafood ramyeon, hot-pot rice, and mukmal-i (acorn jelly rolls). We ordered the raw shrimp sashimi (₩55,000) and a bottle of Chamisul soju.

Book on Naver and get a three-line poem of your name

Since I'd booked through Naver, they put a three-line poem built from my name on the table haha. It felt like getting a fun little gift, so I took it home with me. I'm guessing they used GPT for it??

Complimentary shabu-shabu and pork cutlet

All the shabu-shabu essentials were there — assorted mushrooms, napa cabbage, bok choy, green onion, clams, fried tofu, fish cake, and kalguksu noodles. The pork cutlet and macaroni tasted like a nostalgic throwback to school lunches.

You just drop the shabu-shabu ingredients into the broth, blanch them briefly, and dip in soy sauce.

I couldn't believe this was all included for free. The warm broth and vegetables really got my appetite going. If you order extra, it's ₩5,000 more.

How was the 55,000-won raw shrimp sashimi?

A tower of raw shrimp sashimi arrived! The bottom tier had the shrimp laid out over chilled ice, and the top tier had pickled ginger, daikon sprouts, wasabi, lemon, and hot sauce.

The shrimp had already been prepped nicely for eating, minus the heads and tails — and if you hand over the heads separately, they'll fry them up in butter for you.

Such long strands of shrimp sashimi~~ good sizeable portions too.

Dipping the raw shrimp generously in chogochujang (vinegared chili paste), whoa — so chewy and fresh, absolutely delicious. Keeping it on ice made it extra bouncy and firm.

Eating the buttered shrimp heads: a word of caution

If you set the heads aside and hand them to the staff, they'll grill them in butter like this and top them with a savory sauce. Watch out for the sharp horn on top of the head — my wife actually hurt the inside of her mouth on it.

Free corkage and a milk ice cream finish

What's really great about Nampo is that even though it's a pub, corkage is completely free. They even provide glasses to match whatever you're drinking — that kind of service is hard to find at a pub. There's also an event where you get a free drink for following their Instagram or tagging them in a story, so give that a try!

To finish things off on a refreshing note, they gave us milk ice cream too. It cleaned up my palate completely. I love milk ice cream haha. Being able to enjoy everything from shellfish grill to all kinds of seafood right here on Gyodong street was great. And on top of that, they include shabu-shabu and pork cutlet for free... The atmosphere was lovely, the staff were kind, and it was a genuinely delicious, enjoyable meal.

I'd recommend this as a go-to seafood and shellfish grill spot on Gyodong street. Corkage is free too, so bring your own drinks for a special occasion and pair them with some great food~!~!