Lobster grading explained at a Gwangju restaurant: Tams Badaetgaja

A friend of mine with a shellfish allergy said she'd take allergy meds just to eat here, so I'd been saving this place — turns out my own family used to come here a lot when I was little too. I heard Tams Badaetgaja is the top-tier lobster course spot in Gwangju, so here's the review right away!

Tams Badaetgaja hours, parking, and what to know before booking

Tams Badaetgaja is on Jiho-ro 124beon-gil in Dong-gu, Gwangju, open daily from 11:30 to 22:00 with last order at 20:30. Reservations are taken by phone, and the parking lot can fit 30 cars at once.

• Small lobster: at least 30 minutes ahead
• Large lobster: at least 40 minutes ahead
• Christmas: at least 1 hour ahead

Calling ahead before you arrive lets you get seated and served faster, so keep the above in mind.

Walking in, the chef greeted us holding the reservation list.

9 private rooms at Tams Badaetgaja, seating up to 38

Tams Badaetgaja's dining room is made up of 4 regular tables plus 9 private rooms. They've set up all kinds of room layouts to suit different tastes and needs.

The photo above shows rooms 101 through 104.

Rooms 105 through 109. Rooms 106–109 can have their walls opened up, allowing for up to 38 seats when combined.

What makes A-grade live lobster different?

My boyfriend hadn't arrived yet, so I was looking around the fish tank when the owner came over and explained the lobster grading system to me.

Lobster grades — it tastes even better once you know them ⭐️

• A-grade (live): freshest, top quality, still alive (what Tams Badaetgaja uses)
• B-grade (live): slightly lower meat yield or missing some legs (20–30% discount)
• Boiled and frozen: steamed or cooked then flash-frozen (30–40% discount)
• Pre-dead: flash-chilled and distributed after dying (50–70% discount)

Lobster prices vary a lot depending on freshness and grade, so if you want to eat good lobster, the pro tip is to check the grade first, not just the price per kilogram ❗️

An even simpler way to check: if you don't see live lobster in the tank, or a place can't serve lobster sashimi, it's likely using boiled-frozen or pre-dead lobster, so keep an eye out ❗️

They use Canadian lobster here, and apparently it takes about 10 years for one to grow to 1kg! The longer it takes, the better the flavor, I'm told.

• Tams Course: 7–8 years old, 600g–700g
• Couple Course: 16–20 years old, 1.6kg–2kg

What's in the Tams Half Course, from appetizer to dessert

What I had that day was Tams Badaetgaja's Tams Half Course. It came in this order: appetizer, cream soup, jellyfish salad, lobster leg broth noodles, main lobster, mini rice balls, and dessert.

The appetizers were already set out nicely at the table.

The vegetables were fresh and the sauces worked well together, refreshing enough to perfectly whet the appetite 😋

⚠️ Not for drinking ⚠️ This is set out so your hands don't smell after picking apart the lobster meat, but apparently a lot of people mistake it for drinking water.

The cream soup was savory and warming for soothing the stomach, and the jellyfish salad was refreshing.

This is broth made from lobster legs with thin noodles — the broth was clean yet rich, with a spicy kick at the end that made it really delicious.

The main lobster: how do the meat and roe taste?

The main dish appeared looking gorgeous ✨ The plating was appetizing and beautifully done.

Just as the owner claimed about it being the best grade, the meat was very sweet, and the roe and tomalley were wonderfully savory.

Can you see how plump the meat is?! The texture was just as amazing as that plumpness suggests.

The sweet-and-sour mini rice balls that I kept reaching for 😋

As I started getting full, I noticed the view outside. Looking at the greenery felt oddly healing.

For dessert, you can choose between coffee and sujeonggwa! A clean finish to the Tams Half Course 💕

Is Tams Badaetgaja good for anniversaries, family introductions, and big groups?

There are so many omakase and fine dining spots these days, but coming to a distinctive, long-running traditional restaurant like this gave me a different kind of satisfaction. It would be perfectly fitting for a special anniversary, and even a family meeting (sangyeollye) here would leave everyone satisfied!

With so many different seating options, it's easy for anyone to visit comfortably, from kids to grandparents. Finding a room that fits 20+ people is genuinely hard elsewhere, so I'd recommend this to anyone planning a large group gathering! I enjoyed a great value, delicious meal with the half course, and next time I'd love to come back with my whole extended family and try the other course options too.