Guro izakaya soju night for two, 52,000-won set: Robatayaki Sodam

Guro izakaya Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch

Where is Robatayaki Sodam? A walk from Guro Digital Complex Station

After work I wanted a casual drink with a friend, so we headed over to Guro Digital Complex. This time we visited Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch. Guro has tons of bars, but among all the noisy ones, I always end up looking for a place with decent atmosphere and food that's actually good too. This one really nailed that Japanese izakaya vibe, so it was a great spot to chat with a friend over drinks. The address is 97-3 Digital-ro 32-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor, and it's an easy walk from Exit 1 or 2 of Guro Digital Complex Station. The distance felt totally manageable straight after work, so I think it'd be a great spot for office workers in the area.

The place is on the 2nd floor, but the building has "Sodam" written in big letters, so it wasn't hard to find at all.

Inside Robatayaki Sodam: counter seats and a private room

Stepping inside, the wood-toned interior combined with soft lighting to make the whole place feel warm and comfortable. There's a counter in the center with 2–4 person tables set up on either side. And best of all, there's also a private room, so it looked like a great spot not just for hanging out with friends but also for company dinners or group gatherings.

Set no. 4 at Robatayaki Sodam: sashimi and mixed skewers for 52,000 won

Looking at the menu, they had everything you'd expect from an izakaya — sashimi, mixed skewers, grilled fish, fried items, soup dishes, all kinds of variety. If you're visiting with a group, ordering one of the set menus to share a bunch of different dishes seemed like a good option. We went with set no. 4 that day — sashimi plus mixed skewers, ₩52,000.

While we waited after ordering, the starter side dish and drinks came out first. The starter was a fried egg, nicely browned and golden, easy to just pop in your mouth haha. Somehow having just this one basic side dish at a bar always makes me feel good right from the start lol.

After a short wait, the sashimi and mixed skewers we ordered came out together on the table, and it looked pretty generous from the visual alone.

How was the sashimi plate?

I tried the sashimi first. It was cut thick, so the texture was great, and it was clean with no fishy taste at all. It had a chewy yet soft feel, and it went really well with a bit of wasabi on top. There were a variety of types in the platter too, so it was fun picking through them one by one. It's fine to eat the raw fish on its own, but it went even better as a drinking snack! Especially the savory depth of flavor — my friend and I kept saying how good it was as we ate.

Open-flame mixed skewers and two bottles of soju

And the mixed skewers that came with it were great too. They were charcoal-grilled, so you could faintly taste the smoky char on the skewers, and it was nice being able to eat them while still warm. Meat, seafood, vegetables — all kinds of things mixed together, so it was also fun for my friend and me to pick through one by one. The seasoning wasn't too strong either, so it wasn't overwhelming even after eating a lot. Sashimi alone might've felt a little lacking, but pairing it with skewers made for the perfect combo of snacks. In the end, the drinks went down pretty smoothly that day, and we ended up finishing two bottles of soju lol. With good snacks like that, time flew by while we chatted and drank.

Does Robatayaki Sodam work for work dinners and group nights in Guro?

Overall, the atmosphere was relaxing and there was plenty of menu variety, making it a great place for a drink with a friend after work. Especially since there's a private room, it could also be a solid choice for anyone looking for a company dinner or group gathering spot near Guro Digital Complex Station. If you're looking for a Guro izakaya where you can enjoy sashimi and skewers together, this place is worth a visit. Next time, I'd like to try some of the other menu items I couldn't get to this time :)

• Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch
• 97-3 Digital-ro 32-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor
• Walk from Exit 1 or 2, Guro Digital Complex Station
• Daily 17:00–01:30
• Reservations available / group visits welcome