Guro izakaya aged sashimi with Kirin Ichiban draft: Robatayaki Sodam

Today I met up with a friend for drinks in Guro Digital Complex, but neither of us had eaten a proper dinner, so I was hungry and wanted somewhere with good vibes. Searching for a Guro bar izakaya, I found Robatayaki Sodam over in Kkalkkal-geori!

It's close to Guro Digital Complex Station and has a wide range of side dishes, so it looked like a good option for dinner in Guro too. Once I got there, the space really was spacious — counter seats, window seats, even private rooms — and I got to enjoy generous aged sashimi and mixed skewers. Perfect if you want to have drinks with a friend and settle dinner at the same time — let me walk you through it!

Where is Robatayaki Sodam and what are its hours?

Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch is on the 2nd floor, 97-3 Digital-ro 32-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul, inside Guro Digital Complex's Kkalkkal-geori. It's open 17:00–01:30, and reservations or inquiries go through the store's phone line.

It's about a 3-minute walk, roughly 250m, from Guro Digital Complex Station, so accessibility was really good. It's tucked inside Kkalkkal-geori, on the 2nd floor above Dolbaegijip on the ground floor, and the sign is big enough to spot from a distance, so it wasn't hard to find.

For anyone like me looking for a Guro bar izakaya to meet a friend for drinks after work, the location was quite convenient. If you're after dinner in Guro where you can eat and drink at once, being so close to the station makes it easy to get to.

Atmosphere and seating at Robatayaki Sodam

The interior is far bigger than it looks

The moment I walked into Robatayaki Sodam, I was surprised by how big it was. The first thing that caught my eye was the counter seating, set up open so you can watch the fish and skewers being grilled right in front of you — fun just to watch.

Fresh ingredients like fish and skewers were laid out at the front, giving the place that real robatayaki atmosphere. I'd booked a window seat this time, but next time I definitely want to sit at the counter and watch the cooking too, haha.

Window seats feel like drinking outdoors

I sat at a window seat. With the window open, you get a bit of outside air and it feels almost like an open-air pojangmacha (street tent bar) vibe — really nice for drinking. On a good-weather day, a beer by the window would be the perfect mood!

It was a great spot for chatting with my friend, so I was happy with the seat choice. I'd recommend the window seats to anyone looking for a Guro bar izakaya with good atmosphere.

A private room for group gatherings

On top of the spacious floor, there were several private rooms as well. That makes it look good not just for small friend gatherings but also for company dinners or group meetups.

The store's own info also mentions bar-table seating and private rooms for various gatherings, and seeing it in person, the layout was well thought out. If you're looking for a group spot among Guro Digital Complex Station bars, it's worth checking room availability in advance.

Restroom and smoking area are both indoors

Another convenient thing was that the restroom and smoking area were inside the store. It's kind of a hassle when you have to leave the building or change floors just to find a restroom while out drinking. Here you can handle it all inside, which made moving around during the gathering easy. These small conveniences actually matter a lot when you're sitting and drinking for a while, haha.

Menu lineup and set menus at Robatayaki Sodam

Looking at the Robatayaki Sodam menu, there was a wide range: grilled skewers, seafood, signature dishes, grilled fish, nabe hot pot, and fried items. It's a letdown when an izakaya has limited side-dish options, but here you could go light with just skewers, eat properly with sashimi or grilled fish, or go warm with nabe or fried food — the range of choice was wide.

So it worked well whether you wanted to focus on drinks or you were hungry and looking for dinner in Guro.

Are the set menus good value?

With so many options, I was torn over what to order, so I went with a set menu. Ordering a set lets you try several items at once, which made the value pretty good.

Some set configurations come with a 10% discount on sake, and there's also an event running through a Naver Place coupon, apparently. Event and discount terms can change by season, so it's worth checking the latest info on Naver Place before visiting.

What we ordered: set no. 4 and Kirin Ichiban draft

We ordered set menu no. 4 — sashimi plus mixed skewers — and Kirin Ichiban draft beer. Since we hadn't eaten a proper dinner, having sashimi and skewers together was exactly right. Totally recommend this combo if you want to fill up while having a drink!

A fried egg arrives first

At Robatayaki Sodam, they bring out a fried egg before the main dishes arrive. It was such a nice little surprise, haha.

Having a warm fried egg show up first at a bar feels oddly homey, and it's good to nibble on while waiting for the main dishes. Popping the yolk and eating it was savory and went really well with the beer.

What comes on the aged sashimi plate

The aged sashimi came out first. It had a variety — halibut, salmon, octopus, sea bream — so just one plate gave us plenty to pick and choose from. I prefer this kind of mixed setup over sashimi with a lot of just one type.

The halibut was clean and chewy, the salmon soft and savory, and the octopus had a nice texture that paired well as a drinking snack. If you want a hearty dinner in Guro along with drinks, the sashimi setup was a good choice.

Aged sashimi and Kirin Ichiban draft: a perfect match

Sashimi with Kirin Ichiban draft — perfect! A cold sip of draft beer followed by a piece of aged sashimi genuinely melted away the day's tiredness, haha.

My friend and I kept saying, "We picked well today," as we ate.

With the great atmosphere and variety of side dishes, I could see exactly why this style of place is popular when you're looking for a Guro bar izakaya.

How many kinds come in the mixed skewer platter

Next came the mixed skewer platter. The skewers came in several varieties, so it was fun picking through them, and each one had that proper grilled aroma.

Being grilled robatayaki-style, the skewers were well-seasoned from the base. Personally, I didn't even need to dip them in sauce — they had plenty of flavor on their own, and made a perfect beer snack just as they were.

Skewers that taste good even without sauce

Usually at a skewer place I dip everything heavily in sauce, but this time eating them plain was better. The ingredients' natural flavor and grilled aroma came through, so it didn't feel bland even without sauce.

Of course you can add sauce if you prefer, but I'd recommend trying them plain first. Eating the aged sashimi and skewers together made for a pretty filling dinner in Guro.

That distinctive robatayaki mood

According to the store's own info, Robatayaki Sodam is a premium izakaya-style spot that brings the Japanese robatayaki method to life through grilled fish and skewers.

Watching the ingredients and cooking happen right in front of the counter seats really did give a different feel from a typical beer hall or pojangmacha. It suits anyone looking for a slightly more atmospheric Guro bar izakaya.

A note for sake drinkers

Robatayaki Sodam apparently keeps a wide range of sake as well. Per the store's info, there's an event offering 10% off sake with a Naver Place coupon.

Sashimi, grilled fish, and skewers all pair well with sake, so next time I'd like to try sake instead of draft beer, haha.

Events and discounts at Robatayaki Sodam

When I visited, there were quite a few events posted. Through Naver Place coupon use and review-related events, they were offering things like one free skewer or a complimentary mini fried snack.

There was also a 3.33-second timing challenge — land exactly on 3.33 seconds and get ₩33,300 off, which my friend and I found pretty funny, haha. Fun little extras like this are worth trying during a gathering. Just note events can change or end, so double-check what's currently running and the conditions before visiting!

Does Robatayaki Sodam work for company dinners or a date?

Fine for a group company dinner

As mentioned, the spacious floor and private rooms make it well suited for company dinners or group gatherings. With such a wide range of side dishes, everyone can order to their own taste, and with sashimi, skewers, grilled fish, nabe, and fried items all available, you can cover both dinner and drinks in one visit. I'd recommend it to office workers looking for a group spot among Guro Digital Complex Station bars.

Also a good date bar in Guro

It's good with friends, but I also think it works as a date spot. Window seats give that open-air drinking feel, counter seats let you watch the cooking, and if you want something quieter, there are private rooms — so you can pick a seat to match the mood you want. It'd suit couples looking for something a bit different from an ordinary bar, in a Guro bar izakaya kind of way.

Looking for dinner and drinks in one place in Guro

Like us that day, when you go for drinks without having eaten properly, a place with hearty side dishes really matters. Ordering the aged sashimi together with the mixed skewers worked well both as drinking snacks and as a filling meal.

So rather than a second-round bar, I felt this was a great first stop for dinner in Guro. If you're looking for somewhere to grab a drink right after work while hungry, keep this in mind!

Who Robatayaki Sodam suits best

• Anyone looking for a Guro bar izakaya with good atmosphere
• Anyone who wants dinner and drinks in one go
• Anyone who wants to try a variety of sashimi and skewers
• Anyone looking for a group spot among Guro Digital Complex Station bars for a company dinner or friend gathering

Above all, the wide menu selection for dinner in Guro made it easy to satisfy everyone's different tastes in the group.

Final verdict on Robatayaki Sodam

Robatayaki Sodam, where I visited with a friend for dinner and drinks in Guro Digital Complex! It's about a 3-minute walk from Guro Digital Complex Station and sits inside Kkalkkal-geori, so it was easy to find.

Inside, there's a variety of spaces — counter seats, window seats, and private rooms — and the place itself is spacious, so it worked well both for two people and for group gatherings. I booked a window seat, and with the window open it had that open-air drinking feel, which set a great mood. Next time I definitely want to sit at the counter seats where you can watch the cooking, haha.

The menu was varied — grilled skewers, seafood, signature dishes, grilled fish, nabe, and fried items — and we ordered the sashimi plus mixed skewer set with Kirin Ichiban draft beer. The aged sashimi came with a nice variety of halibut, salmon, octopus, and sea bream, and the mixed skewers were seasoned and grilled well enough to taste great even without sauce.

Both the atmosphere and the food were satisfying, so I'd recommend it as a dinner-in-Guro spot where you can handle dinner and drinks at once. If you're looking for a Guro bar izakaya with rooms and spacious seating, or a group gathering spot among Guro Digital Complex Station bars, Robatayaki Sodam is worth checking out! Next time I'll have to properly sit at the counter and try the grilled fish with sake.