Myung Dong Tofu Cabin Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
82 Reviews for Myung Dong Tofu Cabin Restaurant
went golfing today with one of my friends and we were trying to think of something good to eat after for dinner. i remember going to myung dong w/ my mom a lot and i suggested there because him and my other friend wanted soon doo boo and i figured naeng myun sounded pretty bomb after a day of golf.
good banchan, the service is good (the key is to speak to the waitresses in korean, if you can't....take a korean friend that can :P ). get soon doo boo spicy because it's not that spicy at all, mool naeng myun is bomb (could have used more than 1 piece of beef and 1 korean pear though).
i recommend this place to anyone! :D
Good kimchi, can have more side dishes. Good soon dubu (soft tofu) with black rice, not spicy enough though. I tried 1 or 2 more dishes but they're not that great. Service is ok, can be better.
2 words: naeng myun.
2 more words: arrowroot noodles.
i enjoyed my cold noodles but the spicy version is too spicy for my liking.
thanks irene s. for the recommendation.
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Gas prices have gone up, so have the prices at Myung dong, and they are starting to skimp on ingredients.
My girlfriend and I were in the mood for some neng myun, so we went over to our favorite neng myun place in SJ. When we got our orders, it didn't have ta deh gi (spicy red paste) and it only had one little beef strip. I had to keep stirring it to see if there were any hidden in there, but there were no more. I still come to this place for soondubu, cuz its the only place that can do mushroom soondubu right in the bay area. Skip the jung shik Korean BBQ add on to your dish, unless you like big pieces of fat.
i came here a long time ago for dinner in a large group and didn't come back again until yesterday. this is a reliable place for soondoobu, but service is kinda haphazard. my parents and i ordered the seafood dol sot bibimbop, squid stir fried w/ rice cake, the combo soondoobu, and the mackarel, and this was way too much food for the three of us.
the tofu here is pretty good, and i like how they give you rice w/ wild black rice mixed in. they then pour the hot water into the pot, so you can have porridge after.
oh, and get the tofu "spicy." it's not very spicy at all, so i can't imagine what medium would be like.
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I have the same experience as some of the reviewers. The place is clean and nice. Tofu is great. I found other items on the menu just so so.
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In my opinion, the best soondubu (tofu stew) that I've had in the south bay area. They also have good mool naeng myun, although it tends to vary less. The medium soondubu is sooo tasty, rich broth, decently spicy, good quantity, etc. There isn't much of the seafood or beef or whatever, but the flavor of the soup more than makes up for it.
Decent ban chun, (decent jap chae and kimchi and cucumbers) and if you ask for water or tea, they'll almost always leave a container for you on the table. mmm.
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I have been going to this place for about 3 years now and I have never had a bad experience here. I remember the first time I came here because I was looking for new korean place to try. I remember I asked my korean friends where I should go and they recommended this place.
There is a couple thing that I really like about this place, one the people here are very friendly and do their job well. Whenever I need more side dishes they are speedy in refilling them. The other nice touch is that they will just give a pitcher barley tea if want to drink a lot. The other thing that really makes me like this place was that one of the waitress there remember me even though I hadn't gone to the place in almost a year.
So with me rambling about everything but the food you must be thinking that it is not good, that is where you are wrong. The food here is great. I remember I was talking to one of my friends who goes here a lot and he told me that the owners will go to korea to taste the food there and then try to recreate that at Myung Dong, that is true dedication to their craft. I would have to say my favorite dishes here are Bulgogi, beef soondubu and I am very happy that they added kim chee ji gae which is a recent addition. The Bulgogi is tender but has an excellent flavor to it.
So if you are serious about eating good korean food in the south bay you owe it to yourself to go here
The moment you enter this restaurant, you will realize it is SO DIFFERENT from what you saw from outside. It is SOOO CLEAN!
Tofu stew is so delicious!! Believe or not, they actually gave away jap chae (the clear fried noodles i can't spell it sorry) as side dishes.
Service is weird, the waitresses will never walk around your tables. So when you need tea you literally have to stand up to them and ask for it. But this is not the reason I minus one star.
The reason I minus one star is caz other than tofu stew, i couldn't find anything else they are good at. I absolutely do not like their bulgogi!
But again, tofu stew itself is already enough reason for me to go there again, and again, and again...
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There are so many soon tofu place off of El Camino Real yet none of them come close to this place. This place is clean, friendly, and reasonably priced. Side dishes are plenty and they even give you jap-chae (which tastes better at lunch than dinner). Their kimchee is also consistently good as well.
However, stick with soon tofu. I have yet to find anything else I like there and I've tried bi-bim-bap, cold noodles, and duck man doo gook.
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Delicious. The only real competitor to Korea House.
The tofu stew is fantastic and can be ordered extra spicy. The galbi was delicious, although LA cut and not the same "hwang" cut as Korea House. The thing that impressed me the most is that the quality of the meat is fantastic. The dish came with 12 individual short ribs (about 4 standard LA cut strips) and most did not have any fat in it. I wonder where they get their meat from because I haven't seen this high quality of short ribs from any of the Korean markets in the area.
The side dishes are generally inferior to Korea House, but the tofu stew is superior.
I left Myung Dong with that amazing afterglow that I seek from all my dinners... an immense feeling of satisfaction, full but not queasy, and knowing I got my money's worth.
If Korea House burnt down again (like it did a few years ago and was out of commission for about long, long 2 years), this would become my regular choice for Korean food.
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Clean and friendly staff but food was a bit overpriced. In terms of taste, the side dishes were pretty delicious but the tofu soup and the stone pot were just so-so. Price was a bit high for the portion and variety of side dishes you get. Compared to other tofu houses, this is just okay.
Fri, Wondercon Day 1, Dinner
=======================
"Ay, where we goin'?", I ask, tired from Day 1 of Wondercon. My verbiage drifts towards ebonics/ghetto-ese when I'm tired.
"Myung Dong...", Stupac exclaims.
"What the PH*CK you just call me?", I joke, snickering and giggling in delirium.
"You're an @-hole, Mike", Stu laughs.
"Whatta jerk...", Jigga adds, through a smile.
But upon entering Myung Dong Tofu Cabin and getting seated, the laughs gave way to the serious business of food. Stupac, having been here before and being a friend of the owner, took the reigns, almost forgoing the menu altogether.
The banchan (appetizer/garnish... technically not kimchi, but, yeah, you get the idea...) were refreshing, very crisp, devoid of that sagged, preserved texture that comes from sitting in a jar too long. Very fresh banchan.
The hae mool pa jun (seafood pancake, appetizer) was delicate and light, not so oppressively greasy like I've had elsewhere.
My hae mool soon du bu (seafood tofu stew) was quite tasty! At first, I thought the "regular" spiciness was weak (you can order "mild, regular, spicy"), but it snuck up on me, giving me all the more reason to get beer'd... (*hehe, like I need a reason, huh?) Next time, I think I'm gonna brave the "spicy". I live dangerously, ladies. I'm a bad boy. Stop laughing.
Good food. Two big bottles of Hite beer. Incredibly attentive service*. A great finish to a rough first [convention] day...
Highly recommend!!
_____________________________________
"... whew, THAT was good! What's the place called again?" I ask, smirking.
"... you're an @-hole, Mike..."
"... whatta jerk...".
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With a name like "Tofu Cabin", one would expect a top notch soondubu. Me, I expected a boiling pot of homemade, natural tofu in solid broth. Unfortunately, that's not the case here, and we've been here enough times to conclude that it's not going to get any better.
The tofu doesn't impress me. It's firm and tasteless. The stew is weak in flavor, and the broth has no real depth. They will make it spicy upon request, but all they seem to do is add in extra chili flakes...which sorta throws the flavors out of balance. The banchans aren't particularly appetizing, either. Of all the dishes we've tried so far, the kalbi and the other meat dishes seem to be the better bets...but c'mon, this place is called "TOFU" Cabin, isn't it??
The rice comes in a stone pot, which is nice. However, I wish they didn't have to pour in the hot tea so soon, like IMMEDIATELY after scooping up the rice into our bowls.
2.5 stars for now. Many people seem to like the bibimbab here, so I'll give that a try next time.
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Great food, friendly staff and clean. The food was awesome. I like the tofu soups and the bi bim bap. The bathrooms were well-maintainted and all the fixtures were new. Price is reasonable!
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Good Clean Place to Eat lunch or dinner...I enjoy the tofu stew !
This is one of my favorite places to eat lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Santa Clara. I love the bi bim bap and the tea that they serve which reminds me of Corn Pops cereal (strange, I know).
I recommend: kalbi and dol sot bi bim bap.
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Great place for sun du bu/korean tofu soup. I personally think SGD Tofu house is overrated, it tastes like any other tofu place worth a dime. As for Myung Dong, what makes this place stand out is their banchan, the usual small dishes that they serve before your main course. This tofu house has banchan that is lot more varied and a wider selection. Their sweet potato is pretty darn good and unlike SGD, they have my noodles too! All of this for cheaper, by a buck haha.
Their tofu soup is what you've come to expect from a tofu house, its just right however some people might find it a bit salty. Attentive service and all the waiters have been working there for a long time and know who their regulars are. Last time I didn't even need to pick up my menu and the waiter knew what I wanted and I'm not even Korean.
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Unless you are familiar with the area, this restaurant is on a side street right before/after lawrence expressway. A friend recommended this place to me however I have to say I was disappointed because the kim chi dol sot bibimbap did not come with MEAT! The stonepot itself was very clean, I liked how they used silver chopsticks. There were about 5 sidedishes: daikon, small picked cucumbers, kimchi, japchae, potato, and beansprouts.
I give it a three because the dish itself was good; however the rice was a little bit too moist. No meat factor and it was $11.99 for just rice and small portion of beansprouts, carrots shreds, mushroom, kimchi and daikon slices.
I still prefer Korea House because of the many of sidedishes!
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The bibimbab here is to DIE for! (Twas oodles better when they used plain steamed rice as opposed to the purple bean & rice they use now). But (and its a big BUT) their soon dubu lacks flavor & the service is inconsistent - some days are excellent while other days the services makes me want to never come back but... the bibimbab is too good to never come back - ahhhhhhh the inner turmoil.
Loved the food here. The seafood pancake was great, what a treat. The kimchee was good and spicy, and the radish one was nice and crunchy. The acorn jelly stuff was great, makes for a nice desert. The seafood tofu was nice and tasty. I like the purple rice, tastes normal but has a nice color to it with the wild rice mixed in. Service was good.
Only complaint: The seafood tofu was not spicy enough. We made sure to order it extra spicy but it was not. I guess they are afraid to make it spicy for a white guy. Hey, some of us like spicy stuff too! I have this problem a lot in Korean and Thai restaurants. The only place I have ever had food that was too spicy was at a hot pot place in Newark... but that's another Yelp...
I think this is one of the best place to eat SoonDuBu. The tofu is nice, but somehow varies btw days... Is this due to "home made" tofu? When it was the best, the tofu was very smooth and scooped out, the seafood one will give you good soup. I like how they serve purple rice in stone pot.
Service could be good and bad, but most of the time I am satisfied.
Clean, decent service, fresh ingredients and taste good to me!
I'd come back...
I ordered the seafood Bibimbap, which was a big fat mess. The rice was soggy, not crispy at all on the bottom. It was like a porridge with stuff on top. The items on the top had no flavor. It was all squid, no other seafood. They should call it squid bibimbap. All chewy, tough squid pieces. Yuk! Puke puke puke!
3.5 stars, I came here tonight for some nice hot soon dobu, ordered the beef tofu stew spicy and the spicy beef with rice cake as an appetizer. I had originally ordered the soy bean stew but the kitchen ran out, sadly to my disappointment. The panchan was decent, got like 6 items from kimchee, cucumbers to chap chae and something i have no idea but ate anyways. I also enjoyed the beef soon dobu, came out hot and had decent flavor and was a nice spicy flavor for me. The spicy beef and rice cake dish was pretty good and the beef was nice and tender. I would recommend this place to others since they have a pretty good selection of Korean food and I definitely need to try their kalbi next time I am here.
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I'm not a fan of tofu houses, but surprisingly, this place was good.
Due to communication problems, they didn't add mushrooms in my tofu stew (I wanted to know what type of mushroom they had in the dish and they probably thought I didn't want any mushrooms). I love mushrooms, especially shitake. I was really sad that they left out the mushrooms.
I came in the evening and the place wasn't packed at all, so I didn't experience any bad/slow service from the waitress.
OK - this place has officially replaced Korea House as my favorite comfort food. I have come to this place so many times that I, a creature of habit (aren't we all), do not even bother looking at the menu before ordering.
"Can we have pork tofu and galbee, please"
"How spicy do you want the tofu?"
"EXTRA spicy, please."
Ten minutes later, I was enjoying the slow burn from the superheated, extra spicy pork tofu, the juicy beef spare ribs on the bed of onion (a garnish which was never touched) and the purple rice.
And as the short ribs at Korea House is undergoing a decline in quality and taste, I found myself coming back to this place more and more often.
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Back home in the bay area, I was having a little rumbly-in-my- tummy for Korean food...So we went to the tofu cabin. Mind you, not tofu house, but tofu CABIN, which somehow is really amusing to me. I should open a tofu castle.
Anyway, the menu consisted of a variety of stews, noodles, soups, and rice dishes--nothing out of the ordinary. And everything we ordered (soon dubu and dol sot bibimbap) was averagely tasteful, nothing compared to K-Town in LA, but it hit the spot. We ordered a spicy soon dubu seafood combo, and it turned out rather lukewarm flavor wise. The rice dish was tasty and comforting but nothing too extraordinary. All-in-all, this place is the safe and unadventurous choice for Korean eaters -- clean, appropriately priced, and with a full, tasteful menu.
I always get their Dol Sot Bibimbap and I love it. It's something about the huge clay pot that they give you that makes the bottom portion of the rice extra crispy. I've been to numerous Korean restaurants around the Sunnyvale area and I think Myung Dong gives you more for what you pay for. They did raise their prices over the past year, so this favorited dish is now going for $10.99, I believe. The side dishes are also delish!
If I was stuck in the wilderness, I'd want a cabin full of delicious perfectly cooked tofupot.
mm Tofu Cabin time!
Whenever i'm in the south bay, this is the place i meet up with my peeps to get my kimchi soon dubu on. Always piping hot, actually spicy, delicious small dish selection, tasty exactly perfect taro (?) rice and they crack my egg in my pot!
full of azians (thank god that apparently the stanford and google kids go to korea house instead) so you kno that its prolly semi-legit :)
eat up!
and save me a plate of the bulgogi :D
Tina's Evaluation:
Taste: ( A-)
Consistency: ( A-)
Authenticity : ( A )
Portions: ( A )
Service: ( B+)
Ambiance: ( B -)
Price: ( B )
Comments:
You ever notice how most Korean places don't interact well if you don't speak the language? It is really difficult to try new and exciting foods if the staff is not helpful. Well, if you ever wanted to try Korean spicy boiling soup in a clay pot but was afraid to go into one of their restaurants...then you should go to this place.
The staff at Myung Tofu Cabin can't speak English to well but they are friendly. All I have to say is - thank god the menu is in English with pictures on it!! The atmosphere, I find, is pretty comforting maybe because there's nothing fancy about it.
I ordered the Combination Spicy soup which consisted of minced beef, shrimp, clams, and large cubes of soft tofu. Along with that I order sizzling Korean short ribs and some baked purple looking rice. Some rice is left caked on to the clay pot after they scrape a good portion of it out and then they pour hot water into that same clay pot and have it sit there for a while. But what ever you do don't assume that the egg that comes along with the meal is a hard boiled egg and just toss it into the boiling soup like I did! One of the staff members acted quickly, took it out of my soup bowl, and cracked it open for me. How embarrassing. Haha The raw egg cooks instantly in the soup. Yummy! After all is the soup is finished the staff comes back to the rice clay pot with the hot water and scrape out the remaining rice and put it into a separate bowl for you to eat. It's just hot water and rice, it help wash down the spicy food. Note that Korean food along with food most other foods around the world started off as peasant food, so they never waste a thing.
Yelpers should give this a go!
I got introduced to this place a month ago by a coworker. I have only been here and SGD Tofu House for tofu and my dining partner and I liked this place better.
The service is very friendly. At SGD, you feel like you are crammed in and they are trying to get you out ASAP. SGD doesn't even crack your egg like they do here! I also like the purple (bean?) rice that they have here. It is more flavorful than plain white rice. My friend and I agreed that they were more generous with the meat in the tofu soup. In addition, the small appetizer plates they bring out at the beginning are much better here.
Verdict: If you're looking for tofu soup, when on El Cam pick El Cab.
My new coworker is Korean and when I said I hadn't had Korean yet in SJ she said we HAD to go here- so 9 of us piled in and headed over. Good thing we showed up early, within 30 mins the place was full.
She ordered some items for us that I can only describe because she spoke Korean when ordering and I don't have a lot of experience with Korean food (YET, she has created a monster!) : Kim Chee, glass noodles, bean sprouts in a sweet sauce, dumplings with scallion dipping sauce....many veg options for me-Yay.
I had Bi Bim Bob, with no meat (would not let me sub tofu) , in a clay pot- it came out crackling hot with a raw egg on top that cooked as I mixed in the totally fresh veggies (carrots, bean sprouts, something leafy and green) with the rice at the bottom - the meal was excellent and more than enough food.
NEAT epicure note: the rice in the bottom of the pot is so hot that it fries up so that it's crispy- it's like dessert waiting for you at the bottom of your bowl- YUM-MAY!!
Lunch was $20 each including tip- steep, but we went ALL out so I doubt a normal lunch would be that high.
Less one star: Two of our guests had the same meat dish that was not delivered to our table until 30+ mins after we had our meals....which wouldn't be AS bad if a third guest hadn't already rec'd the identical dish when all of our orders were delivered....ouch- like I said, they were hella busy, maybe this was a one-time mistake- I'll have to go back to make sure... :)
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I like the Tofu stews at this place a lot. Also the dolsut bibimbop is very good. They cook their rice in clay pot. The kimichis they put out with every meal are very good also.
The service is pretty funny, but we like it. The waitresses always seem unhappy, but do a good job. I would not recomend the polgogi (their are many Korean places that specialize in this) but any of the tofu stews or the dulsut bibimbop is great.
Also good price for what you get.
Disclaimer: I am not Korean - I am Italian. Given that, I think the Soon Dubu is outstanding, and it's one of the regular places I go to for lunch. Great service at lunch and dinner. Some of the other dishes I don't find 5 stars, which is why I ranked it 4 stars. The condiments that come with the Soon dubu are great. The Korean BBQ Ribs are also outstanding (5 star). Ask for medium spicy the first time you go there.
I love Korean food because it gives me an excuse to eat 100 different dishes with a big group of friends. I came to Myung Dong with a party of 8. Half the table decided to get their own dishes, while the my half of the table decided to order family style. HA, I must say that it was the other half's loss that night.
My half of the table ordered a mushroom soon doo boo, a plate of gal bee, a pot of dolsot bibimbap, and a seafood pancake. All were to die for. In addition, the side dishes were exactly what I was looking for, and what I didn't have to order. For example, unlimited servings of jap chae, the potato dish, and sprouts. All the side dishes were prepped perfectly as well. For my half of the table, tab came out to be only about $12 pp for a whole buttload of variety and food.
Unfortunately, this place doesn't open until super late at night, so won't serve to satifsy late night munchies. But still, 5 stars for one of the overall best Korean restaurants I've ever eaten at!
Good seafood tofu soup, one of the better Korean tofu places in the area + a lot of other variety of dishes, everything is very tasty here.
myung dong is heaven.. soon dubu w/ beef.. very spicy please..
gotta have your soon dubu spicy.. if you order it medium or kinda spicy.. it'll taste bland.. soon dubu is meant to be served hot and spicy..
one of the best soon dubu places in the south bay.. w00t
With all of the different Korean restaurants on El Camino, and especially with all the different choices of places for soon du bu, I still think that Tofu Cabin is the best one out there. It is somewhat hidden since it technically isn't on El Camino, and is tucked away in a strip mall, so a bit difficult to find.
So I started coming to Tofu Cabin several years ago after being introduced to it by some friends, and come back to it every once in a while. I have always had great food and service here, and what I find interesting every time I go is that regardless of how busy the place is, when are food comes out, the waitress always does everything for us, such as cracking the egg into the pot, serving the rice, etc., but she does it in lightning fast speed. That is one thing that always gets me everytime! :D
I've also tried their other dishes, and of those, my favorite, at least at lunch, is the dol sot bibimbap. It is just something about the crispy rice at the bottom of the plate that always does it for me....
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I've been here for lunch with Korean friends and without Korean friends and the service is equally spotty. The food is pretty good, but my main complaint is that the staff is indifferent. It also never fails that one member of our party does not get their food until the others are almost done (and after constant reminders). This is the main reason we don't come here anymore. Also, I would get the bibimbap each time because it was delicious but my tummy ached afterwards...I wonder if I'm not cooking the raw egg that comes on top thoroughly enough.
I do like the bakery next door though - yum!
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