Dongmun-dong pub in Daegu: raw & butter shrimp, free kalguksu, Nampo

Today I want to tell you about a place I found while hunting for a Gyodong pub, and I left so happy! It's called Nampo (남포), in Gyodong, Daegu, and it's already famous as a clam-grill hotspot. You can eat fresh grilled clams all year round, and I heard that they've now started serving seasonal raw shrimp too, so I went straight over! 🦐

On top of that, on a cool evening like this you can sit out on the patio (yajang, an outdoor drinking table), and the atmosphere was just the best. I loved the raw shrimp, the staff were lovely, and I came home after a very happy drink 🍻

Nampo opening hours and location in Daegu

Nampo is open Mon–Thu from 6:00 PM to 3:00 AM the next day, and Fri–Sun from 5:00 PM to 3:00 AM. It's at 238 Gyeongsanggamyeong-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu, right inside the Gyodong pub street.

• Mon–Thu 6:00 PM to 3:00 AM the next day
• Fri–Sun 5:00 PM to 3:00 AM

Nampo sits on the Gyodong pub street! On an evening with a light breeze, having a drink at an outdoor table under the lights would be amazing. It felt great for a date and just as good for drinks with friends 🌃✨

Nampo's patio and indoor seating

Nampo has both outdoor patio tables and indoor tables. The patio was really atmospheric, but it was a little hot that day, so we went inside! The indoor hall was bigger than I expected and had a good vibe. The soft lighting made it just right for drinking 🍺

Nampo is a clam-grill specialist, so every table has a grill. Many places use an iron plate or a wire grate, but here the clams are cooked on pebbles, which made it feel extra special 🦪

We booked ahead, and a staff member wrote us an acrostic poem (samhaengsi) with our names 🤣 I'd never gotten anything like that before, so it was so much fun.

The menu was really varied: clam grills, seafood, abalone mulhoe (cold abalone soup), raw shrimp, grilled shrimp and more. Next time I definitely want to try the clam grill too!

What free side dishes come at Nampo?

At Nampo, whatever menu item you order, you get seafood kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) as a free side dish. A pork cutlet and macaroni salad come with it too.

The free basics were what surprised me most after ordering! At first I thought it was something we'd ordered extra, but they said it's included, and I was shocked. The portion isn't small at all; it came out hearty, almost like a main dish. It had clams in it too, so the broth was really refreshing.

It had noodles in it too, so it was perfect for slurping. The broth was rich, good before drinking and a great match with drinks too 🍜

The free side dishes also included a pork cutlet and macaroni salad, and honestly those alone could work as drinking snacks. The strong basic lineup made the whole meal even more satisfying 💛

Half raw shrimp + half butter-grilled shrimp: price

I ordered half raw shrimp plus half butter-grilled shrimp at Nampo, and it was ₩55,000! You can split the order half and half, so you get to enjoy both the raw and the grilled. I couldn't give up either one, so getting both at once made me totally happy! 👍

Nampo's raw shrimp with buldak mayo sauce

Nampo's raw shrimp came with buldak mayo sauce (a spicy fire-chicken-flavored mayo), and surprisingly it went really well with the shrimp. The raw shrimp looked super fresh from the first glance. It was my first time trying raw shrimp, and in person it was much plumper and more translucent than I expected, which was amazing 🦐✨

How fresh was it? A staff member explained that the shrimp had just been caught and prepped on the spot. Can you see the video? Even with the shells peeled off, the heads were still wriggling 😳

With the first bite I understood why people look for seasonal raw shrimp. The texture was springy and chewy, and a sweet taste spread through my mouth. There was no fishy smell at all, and the sweetness kept rising as I chewed, which was amazing. Dipped in the buldak mayo sauce, it added a spicy, nutty flavor and I kept reaching for more. It was the best drinking snack 🍻

Nampo's butter-grilled shrimp, full of butter aroma

Nampo's butter-grilled shrimp is cooked with a generous amount of butter, and the butter aroma spread the moment it arrived. It was grilled to a lovely golden brown, and just looking at it made my mouth water 🧈🦐

The shrimp soaked up the butter, so the richness was really deep. The meat was moist and springy, and with the buttery aroma I just kept eating. Whether it's beer or soju, the drinks go down easily with this 🍺

The shrimp heads come back fried

At Nampo, once you've finished the shrimp and gathered the heads, the staff take them away and bring them back crispy fried! They get a second delicious life like this ✨ The frying oil must be really clean, because even after frying, the shrimp heads looked clear and light in color, which surprised me. There was no oily smell at all, and they were super crunchy.

For the fried shrimp heads, you just pull off the top a little and eat them shell and all. The crunch when you bite in is so good, and inside you get the rich, nutty flavor of the shrimp innards. I kept picking them up like snack chips. These were a total "booze thief" too (a dish that makes you want to keep drinking) 🤣🍺

Free dessert ice cream, and my verdict on Nampo

When we paid and were leaving, Nampo even gave us ice cream for dessert 🍦 Thanks to that thoughtful touch right to the end, I cleansed my palate and finished the night happy.

If you're looking for a Gyodong pub, I'd recommend Nampo. I understand now why it's famous for clam grills, and being able to enjoy seasonal raw shrimp and butter-grilled shrimp together made me really satisfied. The free basics were generous and the staff were kind, so the meal felt great. On a nice day like lately, having drinks on the patio would be amazing ✨ If you want a Gyodong pub in Daegu with good atmosphere and tasty seafood, give Nampo a visit! 🦐🍻💕