16 November 2025
We had chosen to stay near the Gwangju Seongjeong Station in Gwangju and there are many eating places near the train station and our hotel.
I have tried Korea barbeque many times with pork and beef. I recently learned that Koreans also have a unique culture of grilling seasoned lamb skewers over charcoal. This dish is called Yang-kochi (Grilled Lamb Skewers) has a history rooted in Chinese cuisine that was later adopted and popularized in South Korea as a staple "Korean-Chinese" dish.
For our first evening in Gwangju, we went to check out a Chinese restaurant named Jangbaesan that serves Yang-kochi. The large signboard of the restaurant has 3 Chinese characters 長白山 which translate as “Long White Mountain”. Google Map location here.
This restaurant offers a variety of Chinese food but the main highlight is their grilled meat, especially yangkochi.
The staff does not speak English but we had Google Translate to help us. Orders are made via a tablet that shows pictures of the menu items. There was no indication of the quantity of skewers with each portion on the tablet. Based on the pictures, we ordered 3 different cuts of lamb skewers since the portion seems to be about 6 skewers per order. We were pleasantly surprised when our food was delivered.
Each portion came with 10 skewers. So between the two of us, we had a total of 30 skewers to finish!
Automatic Grilling System
The most interesting thing about the yangkochi is the automatic, self-rotating grills, which allow diners to cook the skewers easily at the table.
The grill has a moving gear system with slots that moved sideways - from left to right and then back. We simply place the star-shaped gear in each skewer into the slot, and the machine automatically rotates the skewers over the charcoal fire.
It was so fun to watch our skewers getting cooked while we were also eating the earlier batch.
The lamb skewers were plump and juicy if we did not over-cooked them. Some spices were provided on a plate as a dip for the cooked meat.
Some of the cuts were chewy while some were tender. Combined, they offered a slight variation in taste and texture and were simply delicious. There was a little gamey smell that was just right for me. The best drink to go with the grilled meat is cold beer.
We also ordered a plate of fried rice for the “carbo” content. The rice was nicely fried and fragrant. Thumbs up to the chef.
Overall, it was the first time we tried yangkochi in Korea and we loved it. We finished all 30 skewers!
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