Charcoal-grilled chicken and highballs at Gongdeok izakaya Orot Robata

There are evenings in Gongdeok when you want a proper drink along with proper anju (drinking snacks). This time, out of everything on the menu, I really craved charcoal-grilled skewers, so I ordered the charcoal-grilled pork teki and charcoal-grilled chicken thigh at Orot Robata, along with a highball and a draft beer.

In the end, my choices that night were pretty simple: two fire-grilled meat dishes and a drink. It matched exactly what I was hoping for when I set out to find a Gongdeok izakaya.

The entrance wasn't overdecorated — dark exterior walls and lighting kept the mood calm and understated.

In front of the entrance there was a sign noting six consecutive years, 2021 to 2026, on the Blue Ribbon Survey list.

Where to sit at Orot Robata: folding-door window seats and the open kitchen

Inside Orot Robata, the table seating stretched wide, and the window side had a structure with large folding doors.

On a decent-weather day, the doors open right up to the outside view, giving it a different feel from a typical indoor izakaya.

If you're the type who cares about the atmosphere when picking a spot for a casual drink with two people or a date, this window setup will probably catch your eye. On the other side, there were also seats facing the cooking space.

According to the store's own description, Orot Robata is a robatayaki specialist from the Japanese dining brand 'Orot,' grilling fish, seafood and meat directly over binchotan charcoal and straw fire. Since it's an open kitchen, you can actually watch the cooking happen, including moments when the flames shoot right up over the coals.

Whenever the flames flared up, the open kitchen briefly looked like a tiny stage show. It made me think the name 'robata' wasn't given for nothing.

What the charcoal-grilled chicken thigh at Orot Robata comes with

Per the menu description, Orot Robata's charcoal-grilled chicken thigh is special-sauce chicken thigh grilled over binchotan charcoal. There were more menu items to choose from, but I was drawn to the charcoal-grilled options from the start, so I ordered one chicken thigh and one pork teki. First, the chicken thigh.

It came as thickly sliced chicken thigh served with cabbage and green chili peppers.

As the menu description says, it's special-sauce chicken thigh grilled over binchotan charcoal. The grill marks on the surface were vivid, and the plate was arranged so you could easily grab the meat and sides together in one bite.

What we wanted that night was less a meal and more a proper grilled anju to go with drinks, and by that standard, this felt like a good pick.

The anju was tasty enough that we naturally kept reaching for the drinks between bites.

Charcoal-grilled pork teki, 24,000 won: how it differs from the chicken thigh

Second up was the charcoal-grilled pork teki. It's priced at 24,000 won, and per the menu description, it's special-sauce pork grilled over binchotan charcoal.

The pork teki came as thickly sliced pork topped with finely chopped green vegetables and red chili, along with shredded cabbage and green chili peppers. It's in the same charcoal-grilled family as the chicken thigh, but the plate composition was clearly different, so ordering one of each didn't feel repetitive at all.

What I liked especially was being able to eat the meat little by little with the accompanying ingredients on the plate, rather than eating it plain.

If you're torn between charcoal-grilled dishes, ordering both the chicken thigh and pork teki like we did, and alternating between them, could be a good way to decide.

Drinks at Orot Robata: highball 10,000 won, draft beer 12,000 won

For drinks that night, we ordered a highball and a draft beer. My highball was 10,000 won, and the draft beer was 12,000 won.

With the two charcoal-grilled dishes in front of us and a highball and draft beer on the side,

the evening clearly took on the character of drinks-with-good-anju rather than a meal. Beyond familiar picks like highball or draft beer, the store's own description says they also carry Japanese shochu, sake, wine and more, which is worth knowing if you're looking for a Gongdeok izakaya where you can pick both drinks and food together.

Is Orot Robata worth it for charcoal-grilled anju in Gongdeok?

What stuck with me most at Orot Robata, in the end, was the fire right in front of us and the two charcoal-grilled dishes that came out of it. Ordering both the pork teki and the chicken thigh made for more fun, alternating between them rather than sticking to one, and both were genuinely tasty.

On top of that, we had the highball and draft beer to go with it, and the space itself had things to look at, like the folding-door window seats and the open kitchen. So if you're looking for a place in Gongdeok for a date-night drink, or a Gongdeok izakaya with a proper charcoal-grilled anju rather than just a long list of menu names, this is a solid candidate to compare.