Mackerel grilled fish and ginkgo skewers at a Guro izakaya: Robatayaki

The grilled fish spot in the Guro bar scene Robatayaki Sodam, great for a glass of soju

Today's recommendation: a Guro Digital Complex bar great for an evening soju session, Robatayaki Sodam. Here's my story of trying their grilled fish.

2nd floor of Kkalkkalgeori in Guro — booking is safer on weekends

Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Station branch, a Kkalkkalgeori favorite, is on the 2nd floor, which keeps it pleasant. It's been popular on Instagram for a few years now, so if you're visiting on a weekend, I'd recommend making a Naver Reservation first.

It has a cute Japanese-style izakaya vibe. Right as you walk in you see the bar counter, with various seafood and skewers grilling in real time looking delicious — it sets the whole mood.

I came with a friend, just the two of us, and since we preferred somewhere more comfortable than the counter, we booked a regular table.

Why we picked à la carte instead of a set

Robatayaki Sodam, this Guro Digital Complex bar great for evening soju, has good set menu options — you get a discount and decent value. But we wanted to pick exactly what we felt like eating, so we went à la carte. I wanted grilled fish, but there was no grilled fish set. So we ordered the grilled mackerel, some skewers, and the smallest size of the aged sashimi platter.

First round was, of course, a cold draft beer. These days I basically live for weekends... we went almost at opening, so honestly it felt like day drinking haha. It was so cold and delicious.

The free side dish is fried egg in a cast-iron pan

One of my favorite things about this Guro Digital Complex robatayaki bar, great for an evening soju session!! They give you fried egg as a free side. It comes sizzling in a cast-iron pan — getting some protein in before drinking means you don't get drunk as fast and can keep eating and drinking longer, forever, lol.

The fried egg usually comes out matching the number of guests. We had two people, so we got two eggs (obviously).

Grilled mackerel spilling off the plate

The grilled mackerel I'd been singing praises about finally arrived. The size was seriously huge — it stuck out on both sides of the plate. This is truly the grilled fish spot of Guro Digital Complex.

The grilled fish at Robatayaki Sodam, this Guro Digital Complex bar great for evening soju, is genuinely delicious. If you like fish, you have to try it at least once. The size is enormous, crispy outside and moist inside.

The crispy grilled fish, with a squeeze of the lemon served alongside and dipped in soy sauce mixed with wasabi, makes for a clean, healthy, and delicious drinking snack.

Smallest aged sashimi platter — is it enough for two?

Second soju snack of the day: the aged sashimi platter. We ordered the smallest size. Honestly, this could pass as a real diet meal — minus the beer, haha.

Salmon, flounder, boiled octopus, and mullet, I think? A variety of sashimi came out. Good for picking whatever you're in the mood for.

My friend's appetite has shrunk a bit lately, sadly, and since the grilled fish was already huge, we went with the smallest sashimi size. The portion was still fine for two people as a drinking snack.

The sashimi at this Guro izakaya, Robatayaki Sodam, isn't the chewy live-fish style — it's more of a soft, aged sashimi style that melts in your mouth.

We ordered two ginkgo skewers and the staff asked twice

We also ordered skewers. At an izakaya like this, you've got to get at least one skewer, right, haha. My friend and I both love ginkgo nuts, so we ordered only ginkgo skewers — two of them. It said on the menu that your first skewer order has to be two or more.

But the staff member asked, 'One ginkgo order comes with 4 pieces — are you sure you just want two ginkgo skewers?' — and asked us twice, lol. Like, why? Is that weird...? Grilled ginkgo is so good, ugh.

I guess younger people just don't eat ginkgo nuts these days, haha. Fair enough, haha. But it's nutty and chewy and genuinely tasty!

A recommended combo if you don't know what to order

Maybe nobody cares, but whenever I go to izakaya skewer spots like this, I tend to focus on grilled fish, chicken skewers, and chicken cartilage skewers. If you don't know what to order, try my picks.

The restroom inside is also pretty clean, and there's a smoking room inside the bar. The spaces are well separated, so it's a good Guro Digital Complex Station bar for chatting while drinking — Robatayaki Sodam, which I recommend. My personal must-order is definitely the grilled fish.