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PyeongChang Tofu House
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
4701 Telegraph Ave(between 47th St & 48th St)
Oakland, CA 94609
Neighborhoods: Temescal, North Oakland
(510) 658-9040
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Sun 1 pm - 9:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Eileen Z. said: "My first AYCE KBBQ in the Bay Area and I got nothing but positivity to write about! SERVICE: EXCELLENT! The people are so nice! We had a group of 4 and 2 of them were running late so we ended up sitting at the restaurant for about…" read more »
265 reviews for PyeongChang Tofu House
Review Highlights
"in NYC, but I always crave Pyung Chang."
(in 44 reviews)
"this is my favorite spot for soft tofu soup."
(in 21 reviews)
"Their side dishes are some of the best i've ever had."
(in 48 reviews)
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265 reviews in English
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Review from Danny L.
2/6/2012 2 Check-ins Here
You know a Korean restaurant is a good one when all the patrons are ajumas (old Korean women). And for good reason..... The food comes out boiling HOT and tasty as hell.
They are known for their Spicy Tofu Soup "aka "soondubu" as you can tell from their name. Shocker right? But they also have other soups and bbq dishes that are equally memorable in quality and sizzling HOT attributes. -
Review from Vicky B.
Monterey, CA
1/19/2012
This place makes me not homesick anymore. When living near Marina, CA, the best Korean surrounds you but coming here is like going home!!
Standouts are the kimchi dishes you get especially the tofu and greens dish that was super unique.
We also had the most excellent soup that you can order or comes with a Bibimbop order or two fried fishes. I was totally blown away with how smooth and tasty it was and perfectly spiced. Do yourself a favor and go to this East Bay Gem. -
Review from Venus L.
Alameda, CA
1/15/2012
I came here with my family today to get some Korean food because I really craved a good bowl of soon tofu and haven't had one since I moved back up north. I realize that the Bay Area has very little soon tofu places compared to Socal. :(
I got the Kimchi Soon Tofu ($10.99) in medium spiciness. It was a good amount of spiciness for me but I was a bit disappointed that they didn't serve an egg + small fish with it like most places I've had in Socal. The quality of the soon tofu also isn't as good as the other places I've had before in LA and OC.
In addition to the soon tofu, we ordered the pancake appetizer ($6) - pretty good, I really liked the crunchy outsides, the beef short ribs ($16.99), and the stone pot bi bim bap. All decent fare.
The side dishes were a bit disappointing though. All cucumbers, bean sprouts and kimchi....bleh. Where's the potato and the other specialties!? -
Review from Mary A.
Mill Valley, CA
2/6/2012
My Japanese yoga teacher has been telling me all about the different restaurants that she likes to go to. We went to this one recently. We walked in and I knew it would be good because of all the Koreans eating there. I grew up with a lot of Koreans and spent tons of time and sleepovers at their house so I have a certain home cooked standard for good Korean food. This place met the standards of my memories.
So yummy. Yes, the soup does come piping hot. I think the tofu tasted fresh and silky. Great service. Nice atmosphere. Eat the crispy rice at the bottom of the hot pot! If I weren't watching my manners, I would have gone right for them earlier and dunked them in my soup. I tried to go back the following day that is how much I liked it! -
Review from Sean S.
1/9/2012
I liked this place in the beloved gourmet ghetto of Oakland. We originally had planned to check the pizza shop across the street, famous for their cocktails as much as their cheese. But alas it was post NYE and they were closed!
So Tofu House really saved the day. Upon sitting down they brought us all those delicious apps that korean restaurants love to bring, sating or ravenous appetites and allowing calm cool drink menu reviewing.
Look they have that ginseng soju! OMG, bring us a bottle of that, and one of the sweet ones too. Damn tasty.
I ordered a bim bim bap, but it was with barley and some even tastier veggies. My korean friend told me, oh that's the healthy one. Give me one of those please! I think it maybe is called boribap? It was delicious, as was the tofu soup that came with it. I'd never had that before. Ended up with too much food and saved the tofu soup for breakfast next day.
If you're in Oakland, stop by this place. It feels like k-town in manhattan! -
Review from Jeremy G.
1/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
Spiteful review.
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Review from Jixie H.
Oakland, CA
2/2/2012
Hands down one of my favorite restaurants. My boyfriend and I always order the bulgogi and the BBQ short ribs, and they are always cooked to perfection. The meal comes with rice, bowls of spicy tofu soup, and an assortment of korean appetizers. If you're just looking for one dish, I highly recommend the short ribs, I can never get enough!
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Review from Jenn C.
1/6/2012
This is yet another local business that I am re-reviewing because my previous review has totally disappeared!
A friend told me about how awesome this place is - and I was skeptical because I haven't seen a lot of vegan friendliness on Korean restaurant menus!
The ambiance is quaint - wooden tables and tile floors - like some cross between fast food and cafe, with loads of colorful artwork. They were mopping the floors while we were eating - filling the dining are with strongly scented amonia based cleaners (yum!).
I was quite surprised when I found that they have quite an affordable hot pot of tofu on the menu - which comes with a load of little side dishes. The food was tasty and filling - the two of us ate dinner for about $20. The vegan/vegetarian options are quite limited (I think only one or two entrees) but when dining out with friends this will do in a pinch! The food was good but not compelling enough for me to make regular visits to the PyeongChang Tofu house. -
Review from Lolia S.
San Francisco, CA
12/6/2011 3 photos
With its hefty wooden tables and benches and bubbling pots of soft tofu stew (soon dubu), Pyung Chang is the perfect spot on any cold evening. They have 9 kinds of soon tofu (mushroom, seafood, dumpling) and some other dishes too (BBQ, fish, appetizers) but I always get their specialty, soon tofu.
* Banchan: not a huge spread (8 dishes) but quite good, fresh, particularly liked the boiled potatoes in a sweetened soy sauce, blanched sprouts crunchy
* Kimchi soon tofu ($9.99): the silky tofu and spicy broth were delicious, the broth had tiny bits of chopped veggies, enoki mushrooms, and tiny, tough bits of beef, no egg was provided
Service was brisk. They didn't offer to refill banchan or tea. I think you have to ask for that and the egg.Listed in: All things Korean, To-Fu is Never Destroyed…
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Review from Young K.
Emeryville, CA
12/14/2011 10 Check-ins Here
My favorite soondubu (Korean soft tofu) place in the eastbay. Love their wooden tables and seats, which give them a uniquely Korean look.
Their soondubu is excellent. But what I really like about this place is their banchan (the side dishes). They're about as good as they get. Especially their steamed potato.
Also really good is their flat fish deal. You get 2 whole fish plus a small side order of soondubu for like $14! If you're hungry, or need extra protein or omega 3 EFA, this is the dish for you.
Their other great dishes are:
Murnaengmyun, which is the cold noodles soup (as in they put ice cubes cold). Downside for me personally is that they don't give you the well done beef like most places do. But tastes great.
Kong gook soo: noodles in soy based soup. Very unique traditional dish. For those that are adventurous, I recommend trying it. It's got a very like-able taste profile and texture. Goes well with kimchi and other banchan.
Samgyetang: THE soup to get if you're sick with a cold. It's a whole hen stuffed with sticky rice concoction of dates, nuts, seasoning. It's just good on a cold day. Period.
I love this place but don't recommend their bulrgogi as it tastes a bit off for me. Come here for the soups and the dishes I mentioned and you'll leave with a happy belly.
Quick tips:
1. Ask for an egg to put in your soondubu. Makes it taste richer. I mean... what doesn't taste good with an egg right?! Just be sure to put it in while it's boiling so it's cooked.
2. Ask the wait staff to pour water into the hot stone rice pot after the rice has been served. The burnt rice will loosen with the water and you can enjoy what's called the nooloongji in the water, which has a nicely roasted, nutty flavor. Goes well with kimchi. But again... what doesn't it go well with right?! Pizza, burger, ice cream... kidding about the ice cream, tho i'd be willing to try. anyway... -
Review from Christopher W.
Danville, CA
12/18/2011
After spending a long day in Napa with friends, we decided we needed something warm. PyeongChang was a great idea especially given the congestion going across the Bay Bridge to SF.
I haven't been here before but my friend's said that tofu soup was pretty good. We kept it simple, pretty much everyone at the table ordered beef and dumpling tofu soup. Spicy is pretty darn spicy! I broke a sweat and probably would have enjoyed mild a bit more rather than getting the sniffles and sweaty forehead haha.
I have a new outlook on the crispy rice that is beneath the clay pots that they cook the rice in hehe. My friend little tried to scrape every last bit to consume. :-) Definitely would be back for the tofu soup. Also, it the kimchi was super fresh (if that's even possible)! :-) -
Review from Sam B.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2012
I have dreams about this place. The simple radish stone bowl rice is the best pickle-centric entreé I've ever had, and pickle-centricity means a lot to me.
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Review from Julia L.
Berkeley, CA
1/19/2012
Santa Clara Koreatown is the place to go for Korean tofu stew. I've never had such expensive tofu stew before ($10.99), and it was very average. The banchan wasn't too great either. The tofu stew didn't even come with an egg!
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Review from Jimmy Z.
Walnut Creek, CA
12/4/2011
Soongdubu is AMAZING here :)
The soup is flavorful and the service is great. I came in a party of 8 and we were seated promptly. Prices aren't too expensive and the decor is very nice with authentic wooden benches and tables.
This place is packed with Korean people so you know the food here is very authentic. At the end of the dinner, our Korean server even gave us 5 free bottles of their homemade sweet rice drink that came with our dinner since we were so enthusiastic about it! -
Review from David C.
1/4/2012
A very run of the mill tofu stew place. This place is mediocre at best in my opinion. If you've tried BCD or Young Dong in southern Cali, you'll know what I mean. The stew was just not as flavorful as I had expected, and while the portions are alright, expect to pay a bit. The fact that they serve up such a variety of Korean style small dishes is definitely a premium, but I've definitely had better quality at this price point.
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Review from Robert K.
San Francisco, CA
11/24/2011
Me being a die hard Korean who has the juices of kimchi flowing through my bloodstream, I'm extremely critical and have high taste expectations when it comes to the food of my heritage. I tend to believe K-food in Los Angeles tastes better, but that opinion is biased because I grew up in LA and there are so many more Koreans down there. However, there are some great Korean restaurants up here in the bay area and this is one of those places. Whenever I have that craving for tofu soup, I drive over to PyeoungChang Tofu House to satisfy my desire for tofu. I recommend the combination, seafood, or kimchi tofu soup. I prefer getting the soup spicy, but you may want to get it mild or medium if your tongue easily catches fire when eating spices. You can add other dishes such as Kalbi or bulgogi to your meal, but in my opinion, the tofu soups here are the best items on the menu.
When going to a Korean restaurant or any Asian restaurant for that matter, I don't expect fanciness or any sort of ambiance, but this place is pretty clean, so you can eat in peace. -
Review from Amy L.
If you love Korean tofu soup, and I mean LOVE it, this is the place for you. I absolutely loved the overall experience and quality of food and service I got here, which is rare to find at most korean places (which usually gives you a button to push). The servers had such attention to detail it was astonishing!
Great deals: the fried fish and beef tofu soup combo.
Combination soup! Thinking about it makes me drool. They put in loads of seafood and they get the spiciness right. It was scalding and so delicious.
Korean pancake: I do not recommend it. Too bland
Appetizers were also delicious: probably most of the best ive had. Favorites: kimchi, caramelized eggplants, shredded diacons, beansprouts, lotus roots, etc.
Also their rice is cooked fresh and in a clay pot.
The menu is not very extensive so don't expect to order any jap chae, kimchi fried rice, fried chicken etc. It's purely soups, some meats and ginseng chicken -
Review from Ashley K.
Berkeley, CA
11/5/2011
Didn't get the tofu soups, but I got the galbi-tang (beef rib soup), my friends got the kong guk-su (soy bean noodles) and we shared the mung bean pancake.
The galbi tang was not very soupy because all the liquid had been displaced with a big hefty load of CABBAGE. Plus it was salty.
I'm not a fan of kong guk-su to begin with, but this one was particularly starchy, thick, and bland. Friends said it was good for the first few bites, but was too much after awhile.
Mung bean pancake was really good though. Nice and crispy, great texture.
Banchan dishes were mediocre... basic kimchi and veggies.
Service wasn't horrible, but our water glasses weren't refilled until a salt-laden thirsty me requested some at the end of the meal.
For the price, I recommend the other restaurants on the same street. -
Review from Queena T.
San Francisco, CA
11/15/2011
Ordered the pork ribs and potato stew which was surprisingly really good. The meat literally fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. Def comfort food for two people recovering from colds. Service was also better than expected, but could have been because the restaurant was 1/4 full on a weekday.
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Review from Annie S.
7/16/2011
I don't like tofu, but WOW THIS PLACE HAS SOME AMAZING SOONDUBU. I ordered the Kimchi Soondubu ($9.99), and the tofu in it was sooooooooooooooo soft... Wowowowow. Everything was just right--serving size, spiciness, saltiness, etc. It definitely filled me up.
My friends got a combo meal (fish + mini bowl of soondubu) for $12.99, and I think it's a great deal because they give you sooo much fish!! I'll probably come back on a cold day when I'm sick because the soondubu definitely clears up your sinuses. -
Review from Guillermo K.
Ann Arbor, MI
10/12/2011
The great soon dubus have this unique, crave-worthy clarity of flavor: the taste of fresh tofu, pungent kimchi, seafood/meat, chili powder, all melding amazingly into one little bubbling pot.
This place lacks the aforementioned clarity of flavor. It's okay, I guess. Just okay. -
Review from Hana H.
7/28/2011
Food tried:
1. Ginseng chicken soup: Perfect. Love the sticky rice stuffed inside the chicken. Good amount of ginseng that I could taste. Love the garlic cloves too. Good clean and healthy soup. Great to warm your tummy in the winter.
2. Stoneware Bibimbap: Great portion with good amount of meat and veggies. It would be much better if they have just the raw egg yolk in there instead of fried eggs. However, it was still good.
3. Kalbi: Hit and miss. The meat was chewy and not well marinaded the last time I was there. However, there were times when it was great.
4. Banchan: Great portion and variety.
Bonus: The last time I was there, they'd given each of us a small bowl of tofu soup. That was very nice of them and the soup was tasty too.
Service: Fast and friendly. They even thought about my little 2 yrs old girl.
I will come back and you should too. :) -
Review from Felix W.
Berkeley, CA
9/3/2011
You know.. the place with the wooden logs for tables and chairs? Oh yeah! that place!
This is how i have to explain korean restaurants to people and have them explained to me, since i can't differentiate between the places anymore.
This isn't an indictment against PyeongChang or any of the other fine korean eateries in the Easy Bay, it's just that i feel like they seldom differentiate themselves from one another, and while many of them are fine, few are very good.
People always rave about how good the soondobu (tofu soup) is at this place, and while i'll admit that its good, it's definitely not something that will make you go wow. I feel that the soup on occasion is inconsistent like the last time i went.
The small dishes were of good quality, and the limited menu doesn't have to be a bad thing for bickering couples who can never decide what to decide on.
For me.. PyeongChang is a run of the mill joint that derives its fame from a soondobu that can be too watery at times. Take that for what its worth. -
Review from Kathleen W.
Albany, CA
5/31/2011
3.5 stars.
The tofu stew is really good. But bowls of it comes with some of the meat orders - which we didn't realize, so we ended up each with our own bowl of soup. The tofu is some of the silkiest I've ever tasted. We also ordered the dumpling stew ... but you should let the dumplings sit for a bit b/c they were cold on the inside.
The bulgogi (I think they spelled it Boolgokee) was served on a metal platter, so I expected it to be slightly, but ever so deliciously carcinogenic ... instead it was saucy - too saucy and not enough grilled / BBQ flavor. The spicy pork on the other hand was very good. The bowl of rice was excellent with all the crunchy bits.
Service was friendly, albeit a bit absent minded since I had to ask 2x for water. Decor is cute and I liked the style of the tables. I think if I lived closer this could be a dependable place for the good dishes ... but for now, I probably wouldn't go out of my way. -
Review from Drew G.
Oakland, CA
7/11/2011
Soondubu (Korean spicy tofu stew) is my favorite food EVER. I'm from the Korean District of So Cal so I'm used to lots of tofu houses all over the place with competitive prices and good authentic food.
Pyung Chang delivers on the good food most of the time. The prices aren't anything special (unless you get bibimbop/soondubu combo), but it's not outrageous either.
This place is definitely good enough for me to have been a regular here the last bunch of years I've lived in the area. -
Review from Eileen Z.
Oakland, CA
8/14/2011
I wanted to give it 3.5 stars but the service made it bump up to 4:
Came here on a Monday night and it was surprisingly packed but we got seated immediately. We ordered the 2 tofu soup and a bulgogi for 3 people.
There was only 1 server working so it was a bit slow. We waited for a while before receiving the side dishes and waited some more before the rice came. We sat there for a good amount of time with the rice in front of us but we can't start on it without the tofu. Finally when the food came, we received an extra tofu soup ON THE HOUSE! That was pretty awesome. Our server (probably the bosslady?) was super nice and friendly even though she was running around everywhere serving all the tables herself.
The soup were spicy and I realized that our server didn't ask us which spicy level we wanted and so we never told her to get mild...but luckily- we didn't mind spicy so we finished everything. -
Review from Daniel P.
Oakland, CA
8/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
The best soon tobu in the east bay. Not as good as the soon tobu I've had in LA or Korea, but pretty darn close. My favorite is the pork soon tobu. The service is a bit spotty here (Usually there's one waitress here serving the entire place even if it's packed or not), so don't be afraid to call/yell out to the waitress if you need a refill of banchan or water. All about the grub here!
Some goodies...
-wide selection of soft tofu soup (seafood, beef, veggies, etc.)
-Rice is cooked in a stoneware (crispy rice!)
-Can choose the spiciness of the soup
-Soft Tofu soup combo with a rex sol fish for $12.99 (this is my order every time) -
Review from Bonnie P.
Oakland, CA
8/21/2011
Delicious tofu stew (I ordered the dumpling version with beef--super yum!). "Mild" was fairly spicy, but just right for me. The rice was amazing in the stoneware pot, and all of the banchan were just the right balance of salty and spicy and sweet. I loved the pickled celery.
Get your stew with an egg on the side--delicious!
We had 3 stews, a great assortment of banchan, 3 eggs on the side, a big pot of rice, a large sake and a large beer and the bill was $41 for the three of us. Pretty awesome! Very much looking forward to returning in the winter months. -
Review from Wen Y.
Berkeley, CA
5/30/2011
Great line of banchan. We got 7 different kinds.
I got the seafood tofu soup. I ordered the "spicy" but it wasn't too bad. For all those spice lovers, go for the extra spicy. There was a good amount of seafood in my order but I wish they would use bigger pieces of shrimp. They use the small shrimp and throw it in head/shell and all. It's not the shell and head that bother me (they add great flavor) but it's a small amount of shrimp meat on those things.
The rice! The rice is served out of stone bowls so you can get the great crispy rice bits along the wall of the stone bowl. PERFECT to go with your tofu soup.
The soybean pancake was just okay. Cooked very well though. Crispy outside, soft on the inside. Flavor is nothing special. A tiny bit bland for me. Use the dipping sauce.
Price is pretty good at under 10 for tofu soup. Especially since the seafood options are not more expensive than the veggie options, which is good for the seafood lover (me). -
Review from Ray d.
Glendale, CA
7/24/2011
Vegetarian Soon Tofu. Best tofu soup ever!!!!
Peeps: Jack, Nono, MC -
Review from Tim C.
Berkeley, CA
6/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Love their side dishes, you don't always get the sweet potato at other places but it seems like a staple here.
Other than that, the food seems pretty typical for Korean cuisine.
They also didn't give us the sweet/rice water dessert the last time I went, and I had dreamed about having it for ages! Aiiiiiish. -
Review from rob c.
San Francisco, CA
10/16/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Omg this place is so good!! The banchan is tasty and the sundubu makes me want more!!!
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Review from Patricia Q.
San Francisco, CA
6/6/2011
I went here yesterday for dinner with some friends. It was my first time going to get tofu soup up in this area. I'm a regular at a different tofu house back home in the OC.
I had high hopes, but the meal overall was kind of average. The soup wasn't as spicy as I wanted it to be. The dishes that came out in the beginning weren't very good. I unknowingly slurped down an oyster in the kimchi (I'm allergic), so that was unpleasant. There was also a very long strand of hair in the kimchi...that was discovered afterwards
A lot of stuff that tofu houses give to you along with your meal you had to purchase here. It was satisfying, yes, being a cold day and all. But there was much to be wanted. I'll probably look around for another tofu house to try in the area in the future. -
Review from Esther Y.
4/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Definitely heard a lot about this place from multiple unrelated people and when my friends said they wanted to get soondubu, this was the first place I thought of on my Yelp bookmark list. So I dragged everyone over to this little restaurant, which has a very Korean country-side feel to it with its carved wooden furniture (the middle of the table seems to dip down a bit).
Okok you want me to get to the food!
- Side dishes: not really a huge fan of the variety here...probably the best one was the radish with oyster, but where's the fish cake, the seaweed, japchae, etc? The side dishes here are bigger than most other places I've been to in Oakland K-Town though.
- Dolsot bibimbap: EXCELLENT. Some of the best dolsot bibimbap I've ever had, comparable to Korea. The stoneware was hot enough to make a lot of the rice crispy without burning it. :D Comes with a regular small soondubu.
- Combination soondubu: Very good, this is a tofu house after all. The rice comes in a stone pot too, which wasn't quite enough for everyone but we managed. They pour water into the stone pot so you can eat a sort of jook at the end.
- BBQ Kalbi: EXCELLENT. Slightly sweet, tastes so yummy! I could've easily inhaled a ton more than I did if I didn't feel bad about putting such oily pieces of goodness into my stomach. Also came with a regular small soondubu.
My group of 5 was way overstuffed with just 4 dishes (2 soondubus) because two of them came with their own small soondubus. We had a fair amount of leftovers.
Great Korean comfort food...would definitely not be opposed to coming back again. -
Review from Kyle K.
Alameda, CA
5/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm kind of torn writing this review. I love this place and have been going for years but I don't want to see it get too crowded since it's pretty small... but with over 200 reviews and a 4 star rating I guess it's not a secret or anything.
They offer quite an extensive menu that all looks good. That being said, I've only only had the soon-du-bu because I'm addicted to it. The combination platter with a small bowl w/ two fish fillets is a fantastic value and delicious.
The food is very consistent and I've never been disappointed after a meal here. Unlike my experiences at the perhaps better known competitor down the street. -
Review from Garett N.
Berkeley, CA
9/5/2011
Came here with some friends for tofu soup. So good and a pretty good price. As my friend said, if you don't sweat, it's not Korean food. We were all pretty sweaty afterwards. Recommended.
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Review from Toni M.
2/18/2011
Today was my two week post hospital checkup at Kaiser Oakland. It was the first time I'd been in the car since I'd been discharged, so we were looking forward to going out to lunch. Korean food called to me. I hadn't checked my bookmarks before leaving home, but remembered having this place and Casserole House bookmarked and having deleted one of the bookmarks, but couldn't remember which one. We passed by Casserole house, which has its own parking lot in back, but the descent from it was too steep for me to manage, so we bypassed it and came here.
It was about 11:20 and the restaurant was empty. An attractive young woman came out from the kitchen and seated me while Alan parked across the street. Tables are large and sturdy, constructed of wood slabs and supported by logs. Benches are narrower slabs and look as if they would be too low, but were a comfortable height. It was a bit uncomfortable for me getting up, though, and Alan's back was complaining about the backless bench, so w/ the help of our hostess we switched to a couple of chairs.
We ordered, the bibimbap in stoneware for me and the bulgoggi for Alan. We were brought tall glasses of hot tea. It may have been traditional Korean corn tea, but wasn't as strong as some I've had. There were about 7 banchan and though they were tasty, they weren't as varied in taste and texture as those I've had at Sura or Jong Ga House. The bibimbap was a bit bland until I added some of the boiling hot soft tofu soup. There were a variety of tastes and textures and I liked the crunchy rice from the bottom. The soft tofu texture was nice and silky, but ultimately the dish wasn't as satisfying as bibimbap I've had elsewhere. Alan's bulgoggi was tasty and he was pleased w/ the crispy crust that formed on the rice in his stoneware bowl.
Service was friendly and attentive, the bathroom was large and clean and by the time we left almost all the tables were filled. Aside from one very loud pair of young women whose voices filled the room despite their small number and size, conversation filled the air w/ a quiet hum.Listed in: Eating All Around the World, I Hella Heart Oakland
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Review from Leah E.
San Francisco, CA
1/29/2011 8 photos
Saturday Date Night: January 29, 2011 @ 6:30 PM
Still not fully recovered from the residual yucky symptoms of flu, my guy and I still do not have our normal voracious appetites even after two full weeks. For date night, we decided to eat something non-greasy and comforting. Korean food met such requirements for this Saturday's date night.
We chose a place in the hood that we have not tried yet. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
DECOR: Pyung Chang Tofu House is traditional yet cute and cozy. The tables are beautiful thick and heavy wood found in traditional Korean restaurants. The menu on the wall was in Korean but the actual paper menu was in English. All the dishes were served in traditional Korean stone claypots. http://www.yelp.com/bi... http://www.yelp.com/bi... http://www.yelp.com/bi...
SERVICE: Service was friendly, very fast, efficient and a little too deferential. The server slightly bowed everytime he was talking to us. As soon as we sat down, our orders were taken; teas and banchans were served right away.
BANCHANS: I was disappointed to get only 7 banchans. Although I missed my favorite banchans such as the jelly, anchovies and fermented beans, the banchans we had were actually very flavorful. We had 2 types of kimchis, bean sprouts, shredded onions (warm and tasty), big chunks of sweet potatoes and pickled celeries (cruncy and sweet/sour). http://www.yelp.com/bi...
MAINS:
1) Bulgogi ($16.99): My guy ordered the beef bulgogi which he said was flavorful but a little too fatty. He did not get the lettuce and hot sauce that is usually served with the bulgogi. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
2) Seafood Soft Tofu Soup ($9.99): Since we were at a Tofu House, I wanted to try their specialties which are soft tofu soup. I was not so happy with my soup which I ordered "mild". It was served boiling hot but mostly salty and did not have a lot of flavor. It had squid, 2 shrimps, an oyster and mussel. It was missing the spicy kick of a good soup. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
RICE: I really enjoyed the rice that was served with the dishes. It was plain steamed white rice but baked in a claypot. I ate all the burnt crispy rice in the bottom. It reminded me when I was kid in the Philippines and my dad and I "fought" over this crispy rice bottom. In the end, we both shared while my mom and brother just rolled their eyes and could not understand why we loved it so much. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
TAB: $36.00 including tax, a Diet Coke and 20 % tip. Very reasonable and filling dinner.
OVERALL:
*If you want lots of banchans, (like 10+) Pyung Chang is not the place but the banchans were generous, fresh and tasty.
*The service was friendlier than most Korean restaurants.
*Casserole House remains to be our fave among the Korean restaurants in North Oakland and we've tried quite a few already. We are still glad we tried this place.
3.35 Stars -
Review from Ava S.
Berkeley, CA
5/23/2011 2 photos
MmMmM. I always crave this place on cold, gloomy days.
This is my favorite place to get soft tofu soup (seafood!). Yum. It's so flavorful and comes with a lot of seafood. However, I don't like the shrimp they put in it because they're baby sized and I feel like it's too much work to peel and such for a tiny piece of meat. It comes with a lot of rice in a stone pot that you can pour hot tea in to eat with the remaining rice. Oh yeah, don't forget to ask for an egg for your soup!
I think the number of side dishes they give you depends on how many people you have. Recently, I got 8 side dishes (party of 3) whereas the table next to me (party of 2) got 6. The dishes were quite salty and nothing special; I've had better elsewhere.
It's always quite busy whenever I come here so be prepared to wait a few minutes. The gum they give you at the end is the yummy fruity gum that loses its flavor by the time you get to your car. -
Review from Bona K.
Albany, CA
3/4/2011 5 photos
One word: Gamjatang.
You want to experience Korean food culture in a way you can't anywhere else around here? Experience an Anton Ego-esque childhood flashback from his bite of Remy's ratatouille. Demand a pot of pork ribs and potato stew and eat like a champion. WIN.
EDIT:
Okay, the last two times I went, the gamjatang wasn't as good. They weren't that busy either, so I'm not sure what's up.
HOWEVER, the soondubu will definitely make your jaw drop and have you slobber all over yourself (don't wear something white if you're the drooling type). They really use meat stock here, no chicken stock! So good. Lots of chunky pork in it too. Definitely the best soft tofu soup I've ever had, and I am your neighborhood Korean fob!
