Gongdeok izakaya with sashimi platter and ankimo maki: Orot Robata

What kind of izakaya is Orot Robata in Gongdeok?

Orot Robata is a robata izakaya at 152 Baekbeom-ro, on the ground floor of Gongdeok Parkxi, near Gongdeok Station. With its calm, dark-toned interior mixed with wood accents, it's a place for enjoying sashimi and drinks together, which made it a good fit for an evening visit.

A dinner with a good atmosphere at a robata place, alongside Yebisu draft beer 🎆 (Orot Silbi was so, so good that I ended up here too — the overall style of the menu felt pretty similar!) I've been obsessed with sashimi lately, so off to Orot Robata I went! 🍣 From the entrance the vibe felt quite upscale and calm, which made it great for an evening visit.

There was a sign outside noting it's been a Blue Ribbon Survey pick for 6 years running, from 2021 to 2026, so my expectations were already up before I even walked in 👀

Inside Orot Robata: dark wood interior and open kitchen

From the entrance, Orot Robata felt great overall thanks to the dark tones layered with wood elements. I've really been into this kind of dim yet warm Japanese-restaurant feel lately haha. It felt less like a loud, bustling bar and more like a calm space for sitting down to enjoy food and drinks.

Once inside, an open kitchen comes into view, and being able to see some of the cooking in progress got me even more excited for the food 🥹

The seating was wood-toned throughout too, tying in well with the mood from the entrance, and it felt like exactly the kind of space made for an evening meal with a drink.

🍺 We ordered two glasses of Yebisu draft beer 🍺🍻 So nutty and cold, ugh, the draft beer flavor was amazing ⭐️⭐️ (one alcoholic drink per person is required here)

Is the sashimi platter enough for two?

🍣 The sashimi platter, ordered first! The first thing we ordered at Orot Robata that day was the sashimi platter. As always, a menu that lets you try several kinds of sashimi at once is the best. Rather than eating one type over and over, being able to taste a little of each kind made it a great order for two people. Wasabi came alongside it too, so depending on the mood we either dipped it lightly in soy sauce or added a bit of wasabi.

Ankimo maki, piled high with monkfish liver

🧡 Ankimo maki, eye-catching from the visual alone. Of everything we ordered that day, this was the one I was most curious about — ankimo maki! Ankimo is monkfish liver, and unlike a typical maki, this one comes out absolutely piled high with ankimo on top. As you can tell from the photo, the ankimo sits almost like a mountain on top of the maki hahaha. The look was so unique when it arrived that I photographed it immediately.

The salmon had that signature soft, moist texture, and since I love a fattier cut, my hand naturally went for the salmon first. 🍣🍣🍣 So plump and tasty..❤️ We tried the tuna too, and it had a leaner, cleaner flavor different from the salmon, so it was fun switching between the two. With so many kinds of sashimi on offer, it was fun to have a piece, cleanse your palate with ginger, then move on to the next kind.

This dish really delivered that distinctive soft, rich flavor of ankimo!!! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 The texture and flavor were completely different from the sashimi, so I was glad we ordered it alongside 😍 Having it with seaweed and rice made it much easier to eat than plain ankimo, and getting several flavors in one bite was really appealing haha. If you're an ankimo fan, this dish will win you over! (My friend who came along was raving about it. I loved it too.)

A bite of that, then a piece of sashimi, then back to the ankimo maki — heaven on repeat ✈️☁️🌨️ And the portion was more generous than I expected, so it was great for sharing between two.

Grilled octopus, squid and abalone with butter, plus cucumber and tomato pickles

The photo shows the grilled octopus 🐙 and squid with butter — chewy and soft at once! I'd never had a flavor quite like it anywhere else. It was great that abalone came alongside too!!! Each piece was pretty big..💛🍖 Eating only sashimi can start to feel texturally repetitive, but the chewy bite of the abalone was a nice thing to mix in between courses.

Personally, I like trying sashimi plain at first, then adding just a tiny bit of wasabi after — eating it this way seemed to make the difference in flavors between pieces stand out even more.

Cucumber and tomato pickles — the same ones I had at Orot Silbi!

Sashimi with beer — does that even need explaining... Especially in the evening, in a good-atmosphere Japanese restaurant, a cold beer and a piece of sashimi just melts away a day's worth of tiredness haha. Drinking our two Yebisus, sharing the sashimi platter, and splitting the ankimo maki made for a perfect dinner!! Especially on a night like this, when sashimi is the main event, I think pairing it with clean, light side dishes rather than something too intense works best!

What to order at Orot Robata: an honest verdict

🍣 My honest take after eating at Orot Robata. Overall, it felt like a great place to visit when you want sashimi and drinks in a place with a good atmosphere 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾 The calm mood starts right at the entrance, and inside, the dark tones and wood elements blend well together, making it a solid pick for a date or an evening get-together!!

Having an open kitchen where you can watch the food being prepared was a nice touch too 🎆 Next time I visit, I'd like to try some of the other menu items we didn't get to this time. Between the sashimi platter, ankimo maki, and Yebisu beer, I had a really good evening at Orot Robata 🫶🍣 Extremely satisfied 🫶🏾

• Sashimi platter: salmon is moist and plump, tuna is clean and lean — good to switch between
• Ankimo maki: piled high with ankimo, easy to eat with seaweed and rice
• Grilled octopus and squid with butter: chewy and soft, comes with a hefty piece of abalone
• Cucumber and tomato pickles: a clean, light dish to eat between sashimi bites
• Yebisu draft beer: nutty and cold, one alcoholic drink per person required