Nine skewer types and oden nabe at Robatayaki Sodam, a Guro izakaya

Where is Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch?

Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch is an izakaya on the 2nd floor at 97-3 Digital-ro 32-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul. Meeting an old coworker after a long time, we had dinner in Guro, and this time we visited Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch.

There are a lot of offices around Guro Digital Complex, so once evening comes it's easy to see office workers heading out for dinner or a drink. That day, right at quitting time, the neighborhood was pretty lively.

As the name suggests, Robatayaki Sodam is a place where you can enjoy Japanese-style robatayaki (charcoal grilling) and izakaya menu items.

What is the atmosphere like inside Robatayaki Sodam?

Walking in, I immediately felt that distinctive Japanese pub atmosphere. The lighting wasn't too bright, and the comfortable mood was great for talking over drinks in the evening.

It seemed like a good place to visit with friends, but it also suited catching up with coworkers or acquaintances you haven't seen in a while.

That day we ordered a bit of everything to share.

Which nine skewers did we order at Robatayaki Sodam?

The first thing we ordered was the skewer platter. There were more skewer types than I expected, so picking out the menu was fun in itself.

There was chicken skewer, chicken cartilage, heart, tomato, garlic, ginkgo nut, butter shrimp, bacon cheese rice cake, mushroom, and more. From the crowd favorite chicken skewer to vegetables, seafood and rice cake, the lineup was well-rounded.

Once we ordered a bunch, the skewers started arriving on the table one by one. Meat skewers like chicken skewer and heart were great as drinking snacks, and the chicken cartilage had a distinctive crunchy texture that was good to alternate with the other skewers.

There were also lighter, plainer skewers like garlic and ginkgo nut, and vegetable-based ones like tomato and mushroom. The bacon cheese rice cake in particular — a combination of bacon, cheese and rice cake — was familiar yet suited drinking really well. We also ordered the butter shrimp, which brought a bit of butter flavor to the shrimp's natural taste, giving it a slightly different feel from the other skewers. Eating only skewers can get a little heavy, but mixing in several types let us switch things up along the way.

Why order oden nabe alongside the skewers?

We also ordered one more thing that day.

That was oden nabe. Adding a warm soup dish alongside the skewers turned out to be a good combination — the warm broth with fish cake was perfect for a spoonful in between skewers.

With the skewers and oden nabe in the middle, we ate a little of each while catching up with my old coworker. We talked about our old workplace and how things were going lately. Even people you used to see every day at the office grow apart once one of you quits and life goes on separately. So when you finally meet up again like this, the conversation starts with recent updates and naturally drifts back to old office stories.

The food was good, but that day it was really the conversation that stood out. Still, having good food alongside a reunion after so long made the whole mood that much more comfortable.

Is Robatayaki Sodam a good spot for dinner and drinks in Guro?

When looking for dinner in Guro, a place where you can order several dishes and share them, like skewers, tends to be the more comfortable choice. If you're looking for a Guro izakaya, Robatayaki Sodam's range of dishes made for drinking — skewers and oden nabe — was a definite plus.

The atmosphere wasn't overly formal either, more of a relaxed setting to sit and enjoy food and drinks, so it seemed like it would suit work dinners, drinks with friends, or a meal with an old acquaintance equally well. We ordered a wide range of skewers to share this time, and next visit I'd like to try some of the other skewer options one by one. If you're looking for a place in Guro Digital Complex for dinner and a casual drink, Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch is worth considering.

An evening spent catching up with an old coworker over tasty skewers and oden nabe. Both the food and the atmosphere were comfortable, making for a nice end to a long-overdue meetup.