Clay-pot udon and curry croquette at Daegu sushi restaurant Sushi Naru

While looking for a sushi restaurant near Yeongdae Hospital in Daemyeong-dong, I visited Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital branch this time.

It's a small independent sushi restaurant where the owner-chef prepares everything by himself, so from ordering to the food arriving, there was a sense of real care put into it.

Where is Sushi Naru? Location, hours and parking in Daemyeong-dong

📍 145 Jungang-daero, Nam-gu, Daegu, 1st floor ⏰ Mon-Sat 11:30 - 22:00 🕒 Break time 15:00 - 17:00 ⏰ Last order 21:30 🚫 Closed every Sunday 🥡 Takeout, delivery, reservations, groups available 🚗 No dedicated parking lot 📌 Closed for Chuseok holiday 9/24-9/26

Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital branch doesn't have its own parking lot.

You can use the nearby street public parking or the surrounding alleys, and apparently the iM Bank parking lot right next door is also available on weekdays after 4pm, weekends and holidays. If you're planning a same-day reservation or coming with 5 or more people, I'd recommend calling the restaurant ahead.

Eight bar seats at Sushi Naru: how the restaurant feels for solo diners

The restaurant had a warm, wood-toned atmosphere overall. There are no private rooms — just 3 tables for 4 and 8 bar seats — so it looked good for anything from solo dining to small gatherings.

At the bar seats in particular, you can watch the sushi being made up close, which gave it that distinct sushi-restaurant feel. Ingredients are displayed inside a clear showcase, and since they make the sushi right in front of you once you order, it was fun to watch while waiting.

Since fresh neta (sushi toppings) are prepped and made into sushi the moment you order, they said it can take a bit longer during busy hours when orders come in at once.

Soy sauce, pickled ginger, and rakkyo (pickled scallion) are set out on every table, so you just help yourself as much as you like.

What we ordered at Sushi Naru: special sushi, assorted sushi and naru udon

I ordered the special sushi, assorted sushi, and naru udon (hot-pot udon). When you order sushi, a mini udon comes included by default — I didn't know that, so I ended up ordering the naru udon on top of that.

So instead of the standard mini udon, they swapped it for a curry croquette. I actually liked that they made such a thoughtful switch, haha. A cabbage salad also comes standard.

The curry croquette that replaced the free mini udon

I tried the curry croquette that came instead of the mini udon first, and it was really hot, fresh out of the fryer. Crispy outside, soft inside — it practically melted the moment I bit in! Good to have as a light starter before the sushi.

Spicy clay-pot naru udon at Sushi Naru

And then there was the naru udon, which I personally loved.

It arrived still bubbling in the hot pot, and the sight alone made my mouth water. I couldn't resist the heat and took a bite right away — the broth was spicier and tangier than I expected, and it really hit the spot. Sushi was supposed to be the main event, but the udon was so good I was devouring it before the main sushi even arrived, lol.

What comes in the 25,000 won special sushi, 14 pieces

Special sushi 14 pieces / ₩25,000. It includes 2 pieces of flounder, 1 raw salmon, 1 engawa (flounder fin muscle), 1 seared salmon, 1 akami (lean tuna), 1 red sea bream, 1 scallop, 1 sea urchin, 1 otoro (fatty tuna), 1 sweet shrimp, 1 soy-marinated shrimp, 1 beef, and 1 freshwater eel.

It's a good lineup for tasting a variety of cuts all at once if you want to try several types of sushi in one sitting. Above all, the fish was cut thick across the board, which I loved, and it felt fresh with no fishy taste.

The sea urchin gunkan in particular was my first time trying it, and I could taste the distinct ocean aroma and soft richness of the uni. There was also sea urchin piled on top of the sweet shrimp, so I got to enjoy the shrimp's sweetness and the uni's flavor together. The engawa, being the moving muscle near the flounder's fin, had a chewy yet crunchy texture.

Akami is the red flesh of the bluefin tuna, and otoro is the fatty belly cut of bluefin tuna, so it had a deep, rich, savory flavor. With so many types, it was fun picking through them one by one.

Assorted sushi, 10 pieces for 13,000 won, with 5 raw fish pieces

Assorted sushi 10 pieces / ₩13,000. It includes 2 pieces of flounder, 1 raw salmon, 1 seared salmon, 1 red sea bream, 1 raw shrimp, 1 vinegared shrimp, 1 squid, 1 egg, and 1 fried tofu pouch, with 5 pieces of raw fish sushi included.

Honestly, I still love a set like the assorted sushi where raw fish sushi and cooked sushi are mixed roughly half and half, lol. Just about a year ago, I was still a sushi beginner who only really ate fried tofu pouch sushi or egg sushi when it came to sushi. But now I've slowly gotten into the taste of raw fish and started trying all kinds of things. For someone like me, the assorted sushi is a great way to try a range of types without much pressure!

At ₩13,000 with 5 pieces of raw fish sushi included, I felt the value for the price was pretty solid.

What else is on the Sushi Naru menu? Things to know before you order

Sushi Naru had quite a variety of menu items beyond sushi. There were meal items like katsudon, sake-don, freshwater eel rice bowl, and sukiyaki, plus draft beer and sake, so it also looked like a good spot to stop by for a casual drink in the evening. They mentioned the sushi lineup may be substituted with different ingredients depending on availability, so keep that in mind before visiting. Also, wasabi comes included with the sushi by default, so if you can't handle wasabi well, just let them know when ordering.

There was also a Naver review event running. When you write a review, you can choose 1 item from the list below.

• 2 pieces king shrimp tempura
• 4 pieces takoyaki
• 2 pieces curry croquette
• 500ml soft drink
• 2 pieces sushi

Taking advantage of the review event makes the meal even more worthwhile. If you're looking for a good-value sushi restaurant near Yeongdae Hospital, I'd recommend Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital branch. Being a small independent sushi restaurant, it felt cozy with that genuine Japanese sushi-shop vibe, and I liked that they made the sushi the moment you ordered.

The special sushi was delicious, but honestly the naru udon was so much better than expected that it's what stuck with me the most. (There was a bit of a fight over the hot pot...)

In the end, we cleaned everything out, from the sushi to the udon hot pot, lol. If you're looking for a sushi restaurant in Daemyeong-dong or near Apsan, give this place a try!

※ Menu composition and operating hours may change depending on the restaurant's circumstances.