Daemyeong-dong, Daegu sushi restaurant for a late lunch: Sushi Naru

My husband and I had errands at Yeongdae Hospital, and in the muggy summer heat I had no appetite. He suddenly said he was craving tasty sushi and cold soba noodles, and since he loves sushi, he suggested the neat-looking sushi place he'd been eyeing every time we drove down the main road: Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital Main Branch!

Parking at Sushi Naru near Yeongdae Hospital Station: ₩1,000 per 30 minutes next door

The exterior is so clean and pretty with zero fuss, right? Haha. It felt like the food would be tidy too, so we walked in without a second thought.

It's on a main road so I worried about parking, but there's a roadside public lot and the Uri paid lot right beside the shop! The public lot was full the day we went, so we used the Uri lot. It was ₩1,000 per 30 minutes, which felt like a total bargain. Parking so close on a hot day felt like pure luck!

Wood-toned interior with counter seats, easy for solo dining in Daemyeong-dong

Inside, a warm wood-toned interior greets you and the mood is really cozy. There are counter seats (dacchi) by the window and in front of the kitchen, so if you're looking for a solo-dining spot in Daemyeong-dong, the layout won't feel awkward at all!

The whole place is spotless and has a simple yet stylish feel, like a small local restaurant in Japan, which put me in a good mood before we even ate. Haha.

The table is neatly set with pickled scallions (rakkyo), ginger, soy sauce and more, so you can take as much as you like. Even the water bottle showed some care. While waiting for our food, we plated up the rakkyo and ginger nicely~ I picked up a piece of rakkyo and it was crunchy and made my mouth water, so I couldn't wait to eat the sushi.

10-piece fish sushi ₩18,000, assorted sushi ₩13,000, plus cold soba noodles

The menu has a really solid lineup! My husband loves fish sushi, so he picked the 10-piece fish sushi platter at ₩18,000, and I ordered the ₩13,000 assorted sushi.

He'd been singing about cold soba noodles since the car, so he added those as a single item! And I swapped the default mini udon for a curry croquette. Eating a croquette at a sushi place felt like an unexpected snack!!

The cold soba with ice floating on top looks amazing... 🤩 I stole a bite: the noodles were springy and the broth was deep, and it washed the summer heat right away!

The fish sushi my husband ordered had really thick, fresh slices. Maybe because the fish is aged, the texture was soft and it went perfectly with the rice. Top notch!

My assorted sushi had flounder, salmon, vinegared shrimp, egg and more, a hearty lineup with nothing divisive, so I was very happy! The curry croquette was crispy outside and moist inside, and eating it with the sushi made it a real hidden gem.

I picked up a piece of salmon sushi and dipped it in soy sauce. The way it melted in my mouth still makes me drool thinking about it, haha. My husband liked it too and said we should become regulars here.

Owner-chef runs it alone: visit around 1 pm to dodge the peak

While eating I read the notice: the owner-chef cuts the fish to order and runs the shop alone! Takeout orders kept coming in even while we ate. So during the 11:30–13:00 peak, food may come out a little slowly, and I'd recommend visiting with time to spare. We purposely went around 1 pm, and the food came out fast and we could enjoy it quietly, which was honestly even better. Haha.

We had a lovely meal at Sushi Naru Yeongdae Hospital Main Branch, with fresh ingredients and real care, and finished the rest of our day happily! If you're looking for a place in Daemyeong-dong that does sushi properly, good for solo dining and great value, I hope you'll stop by! 🍣😋