Corkage-free pub in Gyodong, Daegu: scallop risotto & cheongha, Nampo

Nampo, a pub in Gyodong, Daegu

These days the evenings have gotten pretty cool, so I've been wanting to drink outside more than indoors. Since it's the season for good raw shrimp, I went to Nampo, a shellfish-grill spot in Gyodong, Daegu, known for both raw shrimp sashimi and grilled shellfish. Right in the middle of Gyodong you can still get that proper outdoor-pub vibe, which made it perfect for weather like this.

Where Nampo is and where to park — Gyodong entrance, 8 private spaces

Nampo is at 238 Gyeongsanggamyeong-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu, right across from a 7-Eleven at the entrance to Gyodong, with about 8 spots in its own private lot. It's about 500 meters from Exit 3 of Jungangno Station, so it's also easy to reach by subway.

Right at the entrance there are photos of the seafood menu lined up, so you can tell at a glance it's the kind of place made for seafood and drinks. Once inside it felt more spacious than it looked from outside, and there's a separate outdoor seating area further in.

You can spot the sign and front door from the intersection near the Daegu City Hall Gyodong entrance, so it wasn't hard to find even on a first visit. You can also walk over from Sparkland on Dongseongno toward Gyodong. It's also a solid second-stop option if you're already out for dinner or drinks in Gyodong.

Parking is always the worry whenever you head to Gyodong, right? Nampo has its own private lot. It fits about 8 cars, and when it's full you can use the nearby public parking lots.

A wait even at 8pm on a weekday: book the patio tables at Nampo

We had booked ahead through Naver Reservation, so we walked right in without waiting. Even though we arrived around 8pm on a weekday, Nampo had a wait for both indoor and outdoor seating.

At the entrance you can choose indoor or outdoor seating and join the Table-ing waitlist accordingly. If you specifically want an outdoor table on a nice-weather day, I'd recommend reserving ahead.

True to being a seafood-focused spot, Nampo also has a tank set up on one side.

Inside Nampo and out on the open-air patio

Inside, Nampo is dim overall and has a relaxed feel for a comfortable drink. There's everything from bar seating to round tables with a street-stall feel, plus larger tables for bigger groups — good for dates as well as friend gatherings and work dinners.

Walk further inside and you reach a surprisingly spacious outdoor area. There are quite a few outdoor tables, and with lights strung up above, the patio atmosphere really came alive as it got darker. That evening there was even a cool breeze, perfect weather for warm grilled shellfish and a drink. The tables also had generous spacing, which made conversation easy.

Since we'd reserved ahead, our reserved table had our name written on it. It felt nice to have 'our' table waiting.

Orders go through the tablet set up at each table. It was convenient to see photos alongside the menu, and there was also a large physical menu board that was easy to scan when deciding what to get.

Nampo's menu: grilled shellfish, grilled blue crab, raw shrimp sashimi

As a spot known for grilled shellfish in Daegu, Nampo's signature is of course the shellfish grill! There's a shellfish grill sized to your party, plus seasonal grilled blue crab, raw shrimp, butter-grilled shrimp, salt-grilled shrimp, and more seafood options. Since raw shrimp sashimi (saesaeuhoe) is in season right now, I ordered it without a second thought.

There were also plenty of good sides to pair with drinks — scallop risotto, seafood ramyeon, crispy fried squid, spicy abalone porridge, kimchi-studded hand-torn noodle soup, mukchammal, hot-pot egg rice, and minari shrimp pancake. There was also a wide drink lineup — soju, beer, draft, highballs — good for a light drink alongside grilled shellfish and raw shrimp sashimi.

How Nampo's corkage-free event works

Nampo is running a corkage-free event. If you reserve ahead, they'll even prepare glasses matched to whatever drink you bring, so if you have a favorite bottle, feel free to bring it along — great for a Daegu date-night anniversary trip too.

The free starters: hot pot and pork cutlet

While waiting for the main dishes, a complimentary starter came out first. I expected something simple like crackers, but I was surprised to get a warm hot pot and a plate of pork cutlet. It's a great little side to nibble on with a drink before the mains arrive.

Raw shrimp sashimi with a glass of cheongha

What we ordered at Nampo that day: raw shrimp sashimi, scallop risotto, and cheongha.

The dish I was most looking forward to was the raw shrimp sashimi!! It came with lemon, wasabi, pickled radish, and vinegar-chili sauce, so I could mix and match to taste.

Cheers with raw shrimp sashimi and a glass of cheongha!

Once the fresh raw shrimp sashimi arrived, there was no way we weren't ordering a bottle of cheongha too. Take a bite of the plump, springy shrimp, then a sip of cheongha — it just melted in my mouth! With the cool weather too, drinking outdoors was genuinely fun, and I think this is exactly why I keep seeking out these outdoor pubs lately. Totally swept up in the mood~~

The shrimp came piled generously on ice, and since they were still alive and moving, you could really feel how fresh they were.

One bite in, the shrimp meat was springy and chewy. A sip of cheongha followed by a piece of raw shrimp sashimi, and I finally got why people seek this out in season. If you're visiting while raw shrimp is this good, I'd recommend ordering it alongside the shellfish grill too.

Ask Nampo to grill the leftover shrimp heads

After finishing the raw shrimp sashimi, we asked the staff to grill the leftover shrimp heads separately. Grilled crispy, they became a completely different kind of side than the raw sashimi. Savory and crunchy, I kept reaching for one after another without meaning to. You get to enjoy the shrimp fully — meat and head both.

Scallop risotto at Nampo

The scallop risotto we ordered alongside was also delicious. The thick, creamy risotto with scallops mixed in had a rich, savory flavor. Alternating between the cold, springy raw shrimp sashimi and the spicy risotto in between worked really well together.

By the time we'd eaten a while, it had gotten completely dark outside, and that's when Nampo's outdoor patio vibe really came alive. With a cool breeze blowing and the lights overhead setting the mood, seafood plus a glass of cheongha made it feel like fall had properly arrived. The tables weren't packed too tightly together either, so it was easy to talk comfortably even amid the bustle of Gyodong — time flew by.

Free ice cream to finish

Before we left, they even brought out ice cream 💛 You have to try it! Nampo isn't just great for its dishes — it's also worth visiting for the ice cream. I expected something like a standard soft-serve, but it was thick and rich with deep milky flavor, more like gelato, and it was genuinely delicious! After a satisfying meal of seafood dishes and drinks, finishing with something cold and refreshing was the perfect way to cleanse the palate. Such a thoughtful touch~!

Nampo, a pub in Gyodong, Daegu, was a great place to properly enjoy that outdoor-patio feeling on a cool evening. With a wide range of seafood dishes from seasonal raw shrimp sashimi to grilled shellfish, it was perfect for a drink, and especially good for sitting at an outdoor table on an evening with a cool breeze like this. If you're looking for a Gyodong pub in Daegu with a great outdoor atmosphere, how about a glass of soju with raw shrimp sashimi and grilled shellfish at Nampo!