Cheongju lamb restaurant with eggplant fritters: Gukje Yangyukgwan

This time I wanted to introduce a lamb skewer place I go to often. Gukje Yangyukgwan doesn't just do lamb skewers well — the lamb ribs and rice dishes are all above average too!!!

These are the dishes I had on a previous visit haha. Last time I had the boneless egg soup, basil tomato egg stir-fry, cucumber muchim, and Gukje mara clam okmyeon (glass noodle soup)!!

I've been to Gukje Yangyukgwan enough times to eat a lot, so if you have a chance to go, I'd really recommend it ><. If you're looking for lamb skewers or lamb ribs in Bokdae-dong, Gukje Yangyukgwan is my pick.

Parking at Gukje Yangyukgwan: why public transport beats driving

Gukje Yangyukgwan is on the 1st floor of 97 Jinjae-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, in the Bokdae-dong dining alley, and parking is genuinely bad. We parked at the Heungdeok-gu Health Center! This place is full even on weekday evenings••• I'd just recommend taking a taxi or public transit.

What does the restaurant look like from outside?

Walking through the Bokdae-dong dining alley, this flashy-looking restaurant pops up. The exterior is clean, decorated with a trendy sign. The building itself isn't old and the windows are large, giving it a clean impression.

Gukje Yangyukgwan menu: lamb skewers, lamb ribs, sets and rice dishes

Gukje Yangyukgwan sells lamb skewers, lamb ribs, and has set menus too, so even indecisive people can order easily!! The rice dish selection is especially varied, which is great for groups. I've been here about 3 times now and eaten a lot, and the rice dishes have been pretty solid too!!

Inside Gukje Yangyukgwan at 7pm on a weekday

Right when you walk into Gukje Yangyukgwan you see the register, and there's a separate inner section divided by partition walls. We came around 7pm on a weekday, and there were already a lot of people..!! So many people I thought maybe it was actually Friday.

Tables were packed even on a weekday••• no wait, but more people than I expected. Still, the place itself is fairly spacious with plenty of tables, so it never felt cramped or uncomfortable.

The entrance area is set up like this — lots of 4-tops and some 6-tops, so it looked good for group visits too. When I was there, a lot of people seemed to be at company dinners. There's a baby chair too, for reference. It's located near the entrance!!

What three of us ordered and what it cost

• Gukje lamb skewers 10p (teriyaki + curry) ₩16,000 ×2
• Premium lamb ribs (3p) ₩32,000
• Kkanpung eggplant fritters ₩21,000

For 3 people, this is what we ordered. We finished everything except we left about half of the kkanpung eggplant fritters haha. The rice dish portions are pretty big. Keep that in mind•••

The banchan (side dishes) were peanuts and some unidentified dish.. plus pickled onions. Good to eat when the meat starts feeling heavy 👍

Premium lamb ribs, 3 pieces for 32,000 won: cumin over salt

The lamb ribs came out first, and the meat had a pink hue that looked like good quality, and the pieces were nice and chunky. It comes with asparagus and wasabi too.

Grilled it right after taking the photo. The visuals were insane. It's been forever since I had lamb skewers and lamb ribs, so I was excited.

Grilling the lamb ribs carefully,, cutting them up,, flipping the mushrooms too,,

First bite was the classic salt + wasabi combo. But lamb ribs really are heavenly with cumin. It seems to cut through the richness of the lamb with its saltiness. The salt, if anything, is salty but kind of plain? A little disappointing in comparison.

Gukje lamb skewers in teriyaki and curry seasoning

We first ordered just one serving of lamb skewers and added more later. We thought about ordering plain meat, but since the lamb ribs had no seasoning, it felt slightly monotonous, so we ordered seasoned skewers instead. I went with curry and teriyaki!!

Hehe I just feel good watching the lamb skewers grill, it's fun to watch. They spin round and round and you can get lost staring at them ha. This batch of skewers had a lot of fat apparently, because there was even a bit of a flame show 〰️

Kkanpung eggplant fritters, 21,000 won: the dish that cuts the richness

I'd recommend this dish too ✨ Eating only lamb skewers and ribs gets rich fast, and the kkanpung eggplant fritters cut through that nicely.

Honestly I'm firmly anti-eggplant, but the batter and sauce were spicy and the eggplant's texture surprisingly didn't bother me, so I ate it happily :) Last time I came it was crispier — this time the batter was a bit thicker, which was a little disappointing.

Beer is a must with lamb skewers. Not quite a wild Friday night, but enjoying it anyway >.< Personally I think draft beer beats Tsingtao. Colder beer.. want it.. beer.. cold.. blah blah..

The meat was fresh so it was genuinely delicious, and the portions were generous enough that we left full haha.

Honest verdict on Gukje Yangyukgwan

I went to Gukje Yangyukgwan, known for lamb skewers and lamb ribs in Bokdae-dong. I'm not sure the rice dishes are amazing given how many there are, but the meat itself is good enough that I'd call it above average. If you're looking for lamb skewers or ribs near Jewell City, I'd recommend it.