Guro izakaya weekend booking: whole grilled Spanish mackerel, Sodam

Today's post is about Robatayaki Sodam, an izakaya in Guro that's just a 3-minute walk from Guro Digital Complex Station!

Skewers grilled over charcoal right in front of you and aged sashimi — Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch

Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch: hours, location and seating

• Location: 97-3 Digital-ro 32-gil, 2nd floor, Guro-gu, Seoul (1124-20 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul)
• Hours: Daily 17:00 - 01:30
• Amenities and services: Reservations available, group-friendly, separate men's/women's restrooms, indoor smoking area
• Seating: Rooms (2-6 people), group seating (2-12 people), bar table, counter seats, single seats, standing tables
• Parking: Paid parking available (public lot or Science Valley 2) (3,000 won for the first 60 minutes / 3,000 won per additional 60 minutes, max 30,000 won)
• Payment: Simple pay accepted, high oil price relief vouchers (credit/debit card) accepted

Booking a weekend 6pm table — the counter seats were already taken

On a weekend evening, my friend and I were trying to decide what to eat when Robatayaki Sodam immediately came to mind. This is actually a revisit — I'd come once before with coworkers and sat at the counter seats, and I liked it so much I brought a friend back.

I booked for 6pm on a Saturday, but when I made the reservation the counter seats were already full and only regular seating was left. If you're hoping for counter seats, I'd recommend booking early!

The exterior: second floor of Kkalkkal-geori food alley, above Dolbaegijip

It's a 3-minute walk, about 250m, from Guro Digital Complex Station.

It's located inside the Kkalkkal-geori food alley, but since it's on the 2nd floor, first-timers might look around a bit. The 1st floor is a beef brisket restaurant called 'Dolbaegijip,' and above it is a wooden sign for 'Robatayaki Sodam.'

By the way, the sign says 'Guro Digital Station Branch,' but on Naver it's registered as 'Guro Digital Complex Branch.' Same place, so don't get confused!

Inside Robatayaki Sodam: counter seats, noren corridor and seat types

Open the door and the counter seats are right there. The fish showcase and grill are directly in front of you, so you get the vibe the moment you walk in. Past the counter, you're led further inside to a corridor lined with red-and-white Japanese lanterns. It felt like walking deeper into an alley, and the atmosphere was already there just from the entrance.

Along the corridor, seats are split between those with noren (curtain dividers) and those without. The curtained seats let you avoid eye contact with passersby, so they're a bit more private. We ended up at a regular seat without a curtain.

Our seat had a three-panel mountain scroll painting on the right. The interior keeps that classic izakaya feel intact with natural wood, noren, lanterns, and scrolls.

The seating layout is quite varied: regular seats (1-4 people), rooms (2-6 people), group seating (2-12 people), and counter seats. It covers everything from big group dinners to solo drinking, so it'd work well as a group gathering spot near Guro Digital Complex Station.

A small but nice touch: open the table drawer and you'll find spoons, chopsticks, and napkins neatly organized in compartments. Not having a utensil holder cluttering the table made everything look much tidier.

The 3.33-second timer game for a 33,300 won discount

There's a chalkboard set up in the middle of the hall for a '33,300 won discount event.' Hit the timer and land exactly on 3.33 seconds to get the discount. To participate: follow their Instagram and tag the account in a story upload, or leave a Naver photo receipt review. The green button next to it is the timer. I love places that have these little events, haha.

Restrooms are separated by gender, and there's a dedicated smoking area inside. Not having to go down to the 1st floor to smoke would be convenient if you're with smokers.

Menu prices and what two people ordered

For regular seating, you order from the paper menu, and there's a slight difference from the prices listed on Naver Maps, so keep that in mind.

We debated a bit and first ordered set no. 4 (small sashimi + mixed skewers) for 52,000 won and Chungha for 6,000 won, then added whole grilled mackerel for 21,000 won and hangover ramyeon for 9,000 won when we still wanted more.

According to the sign on the table, leaving a Naver receipt review gets you a vanilla cheese ice cream. A photo of the main dish is required, and it's limited to once per table — you just show the review screen to a staff member. Draft beer was Kirin Ichiban for 7,000 won.

The free fried egg that starts every meal

Once you order, the first thing to arrive is a fried egg on a hot plate. It comes out sizzling — and this is just a side dish, haha (a nice touch, served one per person).

Set no. 4 small sashimi platter: five kinds of aged fish

It comes out as aged sashimi. That day, it included salmon, octopus, and about five kinds total including white fish and blue-backed fish, all laid out on a stone plate.

The slices were thick, so each piece had a good bite, but the texture was soft with absolutely no fishy taste. Anyone who likes aged sashimi will definitely be satisfied. I already knew it was good from last time, so I ordered it again without hesitation. The fish selection changes each time, so it's part of the fun seeing what comes in on the day you go. Next, the mixed skewers arrived.

Mixed skewers: charcoal aroma, crisp outside and juicy inside

Grilled over charcoal, crispy outside and juicy inside. That day's lineup was 3 types of chicken skewers, chicken skin, 2 whole shrimp skewers, bacon-wrapped tomato, ginkgo nuts, garlic, king oyster mushroom, and heart. The plate came packed full of skewers, and the portion was more generous than expected.

I personally love items like ginkgo nuts and garlic that you really only get at skewer places, and the charcoal aroma was so strong I kept reaching for more. The bacon-wrapped tomato was a nice surprise as the tomato burst and mixed with the salty bacon, and the chicken was well-grilled without being dry.

What was funny here was my friend, who doesn't usually drink much, saw the sashimi arrive and said 'this absolutely needs alcohol' before I could even bring it up, haha. We ordered a bottle of Chungha and split it as an accompaniment, and Chungha really does seem like the standard pairing for aged sashimi and charcoal skewers.

With sashimi, skewers, and Chungha all laid out together, there was no way I wasn't going to take a photo.

Whole grilled Spanish mackerel, 21,000 won — order it in advance

Last time, I ordered grilled Chilean sea bass after finishing the skewers, and it took a surprisingly long time to grill the fish. So this time, I ordered ahead while we were still eating the skewers. If you're planning to have grilled fish, I'd recommend ordering a step earlier!

The mackerel was genuinely huge. It arrives whole, head to tail, filling a long plate — the tail was practically hanging off the edge. Think of it as the same fish you saw lying in the showcase, now grilled exactly as is.

The skin was grilled crispy and the flesh was flaked white along the grain — sprinkled with lemon and a touch of wasabi, it was perfect. Compared to the sea bass I ordered last time, this had a slightly cleaner, lighter flavor! The portion was plenty for two.

Hangover ramyeon, 9,000 won: noodles in a seafood stew broth

After all the sashimi and skewers, I started craving carbs, haha. So we ordered this to finish, and the earthenware pot came packed with seafood. Four or five mussels, whole shrimp, octopus, bean sprouts, corn, and cheongyang chili. At first, I was a little worried about the price for what's technically ramyeon.

Once it arrived, I understood. It's not just ramyeon with seafood on top — it's closer to a seafood stew with noodles added. The broth was spicy and refreshing, making it the perfect dish to finish off a night of drinking.

88,000 won for two, and why set prices have gone up

• Set no. 4 (small sashimi + mixed skewers) 52,000 won
• Whole grilled mackerel 21,000 won
• Hangover ramyeon 9,000 won
• Chungha 6,000 won
• Total 88,000 won

That's in the 80,000-won range for two people, but considering we had sashimi, skewers, grilled fish, and ramyeon, that's a pretty reasonable spread, right?

One thing worth noting: the menu listed on Naver Place shows set no. 4 at 44,000 won, but when I visited it was 52,000 won. The mackerel, ramyeon, and Chungha matched the Naver prices exactly — it seems only the set menus went up. If you're ordering a set, I'd recommend budgeting a bit more than the listed menu price!

Two visits to Robatayaki Sodam, satisfied both times

The aged sashimi was thick yet soft with no fishy taste, and the skewers were crispy outside, juicy inside with that charcoal aroma — overall, nothing on the menu fell short. The mackerel came whole for an overwhelming visual, and the hangover ramyeon was packed with seafood, going from a drinking snack to basically a full meal.

What to know before you go

• It opens at 5pm, so lunch visits aren't possible.
• Counter seats fill up fast, so booking ahead is recommended.
• Parking right in front of the shop is difficult given the food alley setting — use the nearby public lot or Kolon Science Valley 2.
• Since it's on the 2nd floor, you might walk past the entrance on your first visit.
• Lighting is on the dim side, so keep that in mind if you're planning to take photos.
• Grilled fish takes a while to cook — order it ahead if you plan to have it.
• Set menu prices are higher than what's listed on the Naver menu, so factor that into your budget.

Next time, I'm definitely sitting at the counter seats to watch the grilling up close while I eat!

Who will enjoy Robatayaki Sodam most

• Anyone looking for a group dinner or gathering spot in Guro
• Fans of aged sashimi
• Fans of charcoal-grilled skewers
• Anyone wanting a drink in an izakaya atmosphere
• Solo drinkers (there are single seats and a bar table)
• Anyone looking for a late-night bar in Guro (open until 1:30am!)