Bar counter seat rockfish charcoal grill in Guro: Robatayaki Sodam

This is based on a visit on 9/2/26.

• Location: 97-3 Digital-ro 32-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 2nd floor
• Hours: Daily 19:00 - 01:30

What is robatayaki?

I finally made it to Robatayaki Sodam, a place in Guro Digital Complex I'd wanted to visit for ages!! For anyone wondering what robatayaki even means — it combines 'robata' (hearth/grill) and 'yaki' (grilling), a Japanese-style pub where fresh ingredients are grilled right in front of you on a charcoal hearth.

Sit at the bar counter and you can watch the chef grill fish, meat, and vegetables to a golden brown over charcoal, right there in front of you! The charcoal aroma soaks all the way into the ingredients, giving a much deeper and richer flavor than a regular izakaya, and the moody, atmospheric feel of the bar counter seats makes it the perfect spot for a drink after work!

Fish on ice at the entrance, and the bar counter seats

The moment you step in, there's a whole row of fish laid out on an ice bed right at the entrance — it genuinely felt like walking into an izakaya in Japan!! Seeing the fresh ingredients up close before eating already had my expectations sky-high haha. No hesitation, I went straight for the bar counter seats with the best atmosphere! Let me show you the menu.

What we ordered for three people

We ordered

• Rockfish (₩22,000)
• Ginkgo nut skewer (₩4,000)
• Bacon-tomato skewer (₩7,000)
• Vanilla cheese ice cream (review event)
• Soju (₩5,500 x 3)

That's what we went with!

Right next to us there were also huge fish sitting out, looking like they were 'aging' (?!) haha. The visual was so overwhelming I genuinely wondered for a second if it was real — surely that's a model, right?! It was fun just to look at, so I couldn't not take photos haha.

The basic side dish: pan-fried egg

Apparently a pan-fried egg comes as a basic side dish! There were three of us, so we got exactly three eggs.

How long do you wait for the rockfish?

Finally, the rockfish we'd been waiting for was gently placed over the red-hot charcoal!! True to robatayaki style, it wasn't blasted with high heat — instead it was grilled carefully over a gentle flame for a long time. We were told it needed plenty of time to cook, so we waited patiently with anticipation! Taking the time to grill it slowly means it comes out moist inside and perfectly cooked, right? haha. Good food really does require a bit of waiting!

Finally, the beautifully golden-grilled rockfish arrived!! It looked so glossy and upscale that for a second I nearly mistook it for a golden threadfin bream haha. It came with wasabi on the side and a nicely placed lemon wedge — a totally satisfying presentation! The visual alone deserved top marks, and just looking at it made my mouth water. It really lived up to the saying that food that looks good tastes good!

How did the rockfish taste?

The moment I bit in, I was shocked at how dense and full the meat was! Thanks to the long, careful grilling, the skin was crispy while the flesh underneath was completely moist. You could feel the heft the moment you picked it up with chopsticks, and the texture that filled my mouth the instant I bit down was amazing. It was clean-tasting with a light hint of charcoal smoke — the textbook definition of crispy outside, moist inside, and I ate it while marveling the whole time! The savory flavor from the fresh fish meat meant I couldn't put my chopsticks down haha. Honestly, it's one of the best grilled fish dishes I've ever had!

A tip: order the ginkgo nut skewer without salt

After the grilled fish, the ginkgo nut skewer and bacon-tomato skewer we ordered were also slow-grilled over a gentle flame and turned out really delicious!! The outside was nicely golden and the inside kept the natural flavor of the ingredients, making it a perfect drinking snack.

And when we order the ginkgo nut skewer, we always specifically ask for no salt! Leaving out the seasoning keeps it light and clean instead of salty, so it doesn't get tiring and you keep reaching for more haha.

Only the nutty flavor is left, so it's way tastier — it's our own little self-funded tip, definitely try it this way!

In summary

From the main grilled dish to the small skewers, every single thing we ordered at Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch was a hit!! The atmosphere was great and the food's taste and presentation were both spot on — it was a genuinely satisfying meal after a while. I'd highly recommend it for a day you want charcoal-grilled food with a drink, or for a date spot!! If you want the real izakaya feel near Guro Digital Complex, definitely give it a visit haha. I'm planning to come back soon myself for some delicious grilled food with a highball! An honest review I'm confidently recommending!!