Free Food Night at Namu: Not Quite Free, But Still Pretty Awesome

Doug Zimmerman

Namu's version of happy hour eating.

​We stopped in at Namu (439 Balboa at Sixth Ave.) last night to check out the restaurant's long-running Monday night free food promotion. From 9:30 p.m. till midnight (or until the food runs out), purchase a soju cocktail infusion, shot of sake, glass of wine, or pint of beer and you'll be treated to a pretty awesome array of complimentary family-style eats, along with some deep hip-hop and soul beats, the latter courtesy of a crew of rotating DJs.

We'd heard that each week's free food menu is different and normally includes at least three or four dishes. We showed up expecting not much more than light snacking. So imagine our delight when huge platter after huge platter was set out on the main counter, including a beautifully buzzing bowl of spicy kimchi and tofu soup, crocks of hearty lamb and beef shepherd's pie, melty pork belly tossed with crisp noodles and black bean sauce, and squid served with spicy green beans with heaps of tomato and garlic. We'll definitely be back.