Lamb skewers and kkanpunggi for two in Cheongju: Gukje Yangyukgwan

That greasy lamb skewer craving hits me periodically… After eating my fill of lamb skewers on a trip to Shanghai, I'd sort of forgotten about them once back in Korea! I loved them so much in Shanghai that I couldn't stop thinking about finding a real lamb skewer spot here to settle into. Now that my skewer cooldown is over, I went to Gukje Yangyukgwan, famous as a lamb skewer restaurant in Cheongju.

Where is Gukje Yangyukgwan, and where do you park in Jiwell City?

Gukje Yangyukgwan, a Cheongju lamb skewer restaurant, sits right on the main street of Jiwell City in Bokdae-dong, so it's easy to find. The address is 97 Jinjae-ro, 1st floor, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea.

Parking is tough in the Jiwell City restaurant alley in Bokdae-dong, Cheongju, so I recommend using the Heungdeok Health Center lot! It's a 5-minute walk from there and free to use. I always rely on this lot whenever I visit the Jiwell City restaurant alley.

Inside Gukje Yangyukgwan: a wide hall for group and family dinners

Gukje Yangyukgwan, a lamb skewer restaurant in Bokdae-dong, Cheongju, turned out to be bigger inside than I expected. Lots of tables and a comfortable layout — there were even group customers on a weekday! I'd recommend it for company dinners or family outings in Bokdae-dong, Cheongju haha *.*

The basic side dishes are pickled radish (jjasai), peanuts, and pickled onion.

How to order: 5 lamb skewer flavors, split 5 and 5

Since we came for lamb skewers, obviously we chose those first! At Gukje Yangyukgwan, skewers start at 10 pieces, and there are five flavors — even a single order lets you split it 5 and 5 between two flavors, which I loved.

I'd never seen teriyaki or curry flavored lamb skewers before, and they seem like they'd be great for eating with kids. I went with plain and original, 10 skewers total! The combo was such good value, and with all the cooked dishes on offer too, it was almost a shame to only be two of us… I'd love to come back with a bigger group and try one of everything!

With salt, cumin salt, cumin powder, and chili all available, we scooped some onto our own plates and got ready to enjoy them however we liked 😋

₩16,000 lamb skewers: raw-style vs original, and is there a gamey smell?

The lamb skewers were ₩16,000. Plain and original skewers come in different colors! The original skewers are seasoned, but the spice flavor isn't overwhelming, so even someone who dislikes strong spices could enjoy them without worry. The flavor wasn't too intense, so we dipped them according to our own taste.

If you grill lamb skewers too long, the meat shrinks up, so eat them right after they're grilled just enough! Lamb is a meat whose taste really depends on its condition, so you know you have to go to a place that knows what they're doing, right? I'm usually really sensitive to gamey or off smells in meat and can't eat it if it's even a little bit off, but the lamb at Gukje Yangyukgwan, a lamb restaurant in Cheongju, was so fresh that I couldn't detect any gamey smell at all! Greasy and delicious lamb skewers.

Kkanpunggi at Gukje Yangyukgwan: the cooked dishes are the real draw

While eating our skewers, we kept watching the dishes being served to other tables and got completely hypnotized by how good they looked… This place is definitely known for its cooked dishes! So we ordered kkanpunggi (sweet crispy fried chicken) too. And yep, it did not disappoint 🍴

It was a generous portion with a sweet flavor kind of like Sichuan-style sweet and sour pork, and the meat — chicken thigh, I think — was so tender we cleaned the plate. Next time I want to try yulinji (crispy chicken with sauce) and mapo tofu too! If you visit Gukje Yangyukgwan, make sure to order one of the cooked dishes.

With lamb skewers, you can't resist a soju-beer mix, and we finished it all… A happy Friday night spent eating amazing lamb skewers at Gukje Yangyukgwan, a lamb skewer restaurant in Bokdae-dong, Cheongju, haha haha. If you're looking for a great lamb skewer restaurant in Cheongju, I recommend Gukje Yangyukgwan~!!

Gukje Yangyukgwan visit information

• Hours: Mon–Sun 17:00–02:00
• Address: 97 Jinjae-ro, 1st floor, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea
• Parking: Free at Heungdeok Health Center lot, 5-minute walk