Japanese restaurant in Jung-gu, Busan for juicy karaage: Daidokoro

My friend and I were looking for a good place near Nampo Station and picked Daidokoro Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch, a reliable Nampo meal spot I’d visited several times before. This wasn’t my first time—it was a return visit. I’d wanted to come back after eating here before, so I chose it confidently this time. A Nampo favorite I can always trust! Once again, we had such a delicious meal.

Getting to Daidokoro Gwangbok Branch from Nampo Station

Nampo Station connects directly to Lotte Department Store, so it’s incredibly easy to get to. Enter through the underground passage, head up to the 10th floor of the main building, and Daidokoro is right there.

Free parking is available too, making it a nice choice for a family meal in Nampo.

How is Daidokoro’s menu set up?

There’s a review event too, for your reference. The set menu is divided into sets for one, two, or three people, so you can easily choose according to your group size.

The menu has quite a variety of set meals: karaage, kkanpunggi (sweet-and-spicy fried chicken), nanban, mentaiko, and even a kids’ curry set. The curry sets are listed separately, with pork cutlet curry, shrimp tempura curry, and croquette curry to choose from. It’s fun choosing according to which fried item you want.

There are udon sets too: meat udon, mentaiko udon, fried tofu udon, and kimchi udon.

There’s also a separate vegan menu, so I think choosing would be easy even if everyone in your party has different preferences. Here’s what we ordered!

The karaage here is so good that I order it every single time, so I chose the karaage set without hesitation again. My friend was craving curry and went for the pork cutlet curry set.

A restaurant atmosphere that works for family meals too

Inside, it’s neat and cozy. The soft lighting is pretty too, right? There are mostly tables for two and four. Cute Japanese-themed character decorations and illustrations are all around, so it’s fun to look at them too.

It’s always been a popular Nampo spot for family meals whenever I visit, and it’s well equipped with high chairs too.

A full spread of karaage and pork cutlet curry set meals

I ordered a strawberry ade, while my friend ordered Pepsi Zero. The drinks arrived first, before the set meals.

The strawberry ade was such a pretty red and full of strawberry flavor—delicious. It’s just right alongside Japanese food. My friend’s Pepsi Zero also seemed like a great order with a meal centered on fried food, haha.

The set meals arrived! I love that everything comes out as a full table spread here.

Karaage set meal

My karaage set came piled high with karaage, cabbage salad, rice topped with a fried egg, soup, two sauces, a little curry, sausage, quail eggs, and various banchan (small side dishes). It also came with milk pudding for dessert.

Pork cutlet curry set meal

My friend had the pork cutlet curry set: pork cutlet, cabbage salad, rice generously covered in curry, a fried egg, soup, quail eggs, sausage, side dishes, pork cutlet sauce, and milk pudding for dessert.

Pour lots of dressing over the cabbage salad and dig in ^-^ There was a huge amount of salad too. Fiber boost~~ It’s a perfect match for the karaage.

Daidokoro’s karaage is so moist and delicious. I remember being genuinely surprised by how tender it was the first time I tried it, and it was just as delicious this day too...

The two karaage sauces each have their own charm, so I recommend trying both. Even though it wasn’t a curry set, mine came with a little curry too.

You can eat it with the rice, and it was delicious too. It’s even better with the fried egg on top!!

I had a bite of my friend’s pork cutlet too. It was delicious and went really well with the pork cutlet sauce that came alongside it. Japanese-style pork cutlet never disappoints~

The curry in the pork cutlet curry set~ Isn’t it so cute???! I couldn’t not take a photo. My friend mixed the curry into the rice, and said there was plenty of curry, so it was just right with the rice and didn’t feel lacking at all. The fried egg made it even better.

Eating the side dishes here and there resets your palate, so you can keep enjoying every bite.

The sausage and quail eggs were tasty too, and the milk pudding dessert was a lovely finishing touch. It was really delicious..... The flakes on top were sweet, and the soft milk pudding made the whole meal even more satisfying.

Final thoughts on this Japanese home-style meal in Nampo-dong

• A department-store restaurant with excellent access from Nampo Station
• Well-executed Japanese home-style dishes, from karaage and curry to pork cutlet
• Set meals served as a full, satisfying spread
• A good Nampo meal spot for family dining, with high chairs available
• A complete meal finished with milk pudding dessert

Daidokoro Gwangbok Branch is a Nampo-dong meal spot I never get tired of, no matter how many times I visit. I had another satisfying meal this time too. I think I’ll be back again!