So Gong Dong Tofu House
3307 W Bryn Mawr Ave
(between Christiana Ave & Spaulding Ave)
Chicago, IL 60659 (773) 539-8377
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
18 Reviews for So Gong Dong Tofu House
This place is actually a great substitute to Cho Dang when I'm having a spicy tofu soup craving and my favorite tofu soup place in the city! They make the soup nice and spicy so I'm super content munching away (okay, not literally munching since it's soup but you know what I mean). Plus, their pan chans are quite good...they had some different ones that I don't see at most restaurants and the seafood pajun was tasty as well.
The service wasn't very attentive but hey, it's a Korean restaurant...you need to lower your expectations, like getting excited when your child gets a C on his report card instead of that A!
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I come here about once a month to get my fill of their tofu soup. I always get the pork and kimchi tofu soup. I love how everything is served and the included appetizers that it comes with is appetizing as well. The owner is very friendly as well, she gives me a fashion magazine usually after I order to flip through.
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my favorite thing about each of my 3 visits to date has been the (presumable) proprietor, who speaks close to no English, coming over and showing us how to eat the food. I realize, usually, when eating out, we eat culturally wrong, but when she comes and gives us a little lesson after seeing us do something wrong (mixing rice int the soup, for example), it just fills me with pleasure. It has been particularly rewarding to come back--and we will continue to come back-- and demonstrate that we have learned, again, for example, to crack the raw egg and stir it into the soup as soon as it comes. she has also handed us an all Korean fashion-gossip magazine to look at while waiting. Such pleasures are not to be missed.
whatever you order, you will end up with a tableful of kimchis and other side dishes. It is all quite good, though sometimes a little mysterious. the dolsot bi bim bop is an excellent introduction for the weary, although we've been happy with everything we've ordered. they will prepare most things without meat if you ask--
and I fashion myself a vegetarian. this is one of those few place where I am willing to suck it up and eat a little meat mixed into my food. shrimp and fish are a bit omnipresent in Korean food (except of course at vegan Amitabul on Milwaukee), and I can live with that here and there. I'm pretty sure it's not possible to eat there without getting some fish broth, shrimp paste etc into your meal.
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The place is known for it's Soon duboo soup, it's a very soft variety of tofu but the other dishes on the menu are good as well. Bryn Mawr has a lot of Korean businesses/restaurants but this is one of the highlights. The waitresses are very friendly-I went to a Korean place once where the non-Koreans were frozen out but they've very engaging. I like how every meal ends with the boiled barley water mixed with the cooked rice at the bottom of the stone pot. Great place to come to for lunch or dinner
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What a difficult name for a restaurant!
Try saying that 3 times fast - I'm Korean, and I have a hard time saying it just once!
Name aside, they do have delicious soon duboo (same thing as tofu, but that's how it's phonetically pounced in Korean). It's so spicy, I was sweating!!! In a good way. Their rice comes in the stone pot - with peas!!! Delicious! Freshest rice you'll ever get! I'm not sure if they do this for the non-Koreans, but after you scoop the rice out, and the rice cooks and browns on the stone pot, they pour barley water in the stone pot, and you get nu-roong-ji! That's my dad's favorite thing ever. I guess it's like rice in water, if you're not Korean. You don't get that at all Korean restaurants.
We had the dukbokki to start, it wasn't very good - I wouldn't recommend it. There was one positive though - the egg (see below)!!!
Side dishes (banchan) could have been better, but for the price, I'll take it!
I had 3 eggs during my meal!!!
I loves eggs!!!
1 - egg in dukbokki
1 - egg as banchan
1 - egg in my soon duboo
The dolsot bibimbop was also very good (there's an egg in that too)!
I love the crispies on the side of the bowl!
Super cheap though - definitely worth every penny. Service is also very personable and friendly.
If you're having an egg craving - you can get it here!!!
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We showed up at the Tofu House as they were closing up for the night (around 10 pm). The place was already empty, but maybe we looked especially hungry, because they took pity on us and made us 3 delicious dolsot bibimbaps.
The servers are very nice and really go the extra mile to look after the customers. The food was fresh, tasty, and affordable ~$8. We will definitely come here again.
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One would think that a place called "Tofu House" would blow you away with their casseroles, but I found the jigaes and dubus are comparable to fare offered at Cho Sun Ok or San Soo.
Did I like the food? Yes. Will I forsake the above restaurants for it? Eh...
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We were just driving down Bryn Mawr looking for a Korean restaurant, and thankfully stumbled on this one. I knew we hit the jackpot when we entered during off hours (2pm?) and saw several tables with Korean customers. Thats how I judge my ethnic food, if there's people of that ethnicity eating there.
When we sat down, we were both served hot tea and got a generous portion of banchan. I ordered the bi bim bop, which was delicious, but after reading the reviews I wish I went for the dolsot bi bim bap so that the rice stayed warmer. My boyfriend got a cold, buckwheat noodle dish, which was also delicious. Oh yea, and I got a magazine of Korean businesses in Chicago and Korean fashion while we were waiting for the food. Interesting touch. Not to mention, the waitress was very kind and praised us for finishing our food. It was a great meal!
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Finally, some real sundobu jigae!! We were feeling so deprived that we asked our Korean friends for recommendations...and a couple of them directed us here.
FOOD:
First off, the banchan. Sweet and sour kimchi, marinated sardines, beans, etc...they're all so tasty. The waitress saw us enjoying them so much that she brought us some new kinds of banchan...so we ended up with about 10 dishes. Fair enough!
The pot of tofu actually came out boiling and sizzling hot, not like the fake ones that are merely steamy warm. The seafood tofu tasted just right for me, smooth and mild. If you want it spicy, you're gonna have to insist for it because I think they generally make the soup mild. The rice in the pot was good, especially the 'burned' sections. At the end, we walked out happily stuffed and satisfied.
PRICE: Reasonable beyond doubt.
DECOR: How can I say...a typical Korean setting? It's partially wooden, but bright. On the side are several elevated rooms for private and larger parties.
PS: The best part was when the waitress brought me a Korean fashion magazine while waiting for our food. Very thoughtful -- You need not understand the language to enjoy the photos!
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I went there b/c I was craving for some sudobu. I ordered the seafood tofu sundobu. It was bubbly hot and came with an egg to crack into the soup, and a big bowl of rice. It was very good soup, with a big mussel, some clams and loads of tofu. I am going to order extra spicy next time though. I'm a fanatic with spicy soup.
My friend had their dolsot bibimbap which is a hot stone bowl, filled with rice korean preserved vegetables and a fried egg on top. They also give you a saucer of hot sauce, so you can mix everything together to a steaming bowl of goodness before you eat it. The stone bowl creates crunchy texture by toasting the rice on the bottom. It's a must -try.
We also shared a seafood pancake and enjoyed it. Chunks of shrimp, squid and oysters in the pancake with loads of green onions. This pancake has more content than ones from other Korean restaurants that I tried.
The lady saw that I didn't eat much of my rice that came with my soup, and told me I could get brown rice next time if I'm on a diet. Nice lady.
Not much atmosphere to speak of. It's a neighborhood restaurant for the Korean community. I'll go back in the winter and try their other soups for sure.
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So I had a hankerin' for bibimbap the other day and was looking for something other than SSGS (not that there's anything wrong with SSGS, quite the opposite), but I wanted to branch out. So I went to So Gong Dong Tofu House. The only problem with SGDTH is that unless you read Korean you really have to use the street address to figure it out. After that, the game is afoot!
My friends and I were given plenty of time and room to make decisions, though I knew exactly what I wanted. So when the wait staff showed up, my friends ordered 2 orders of cubed beef and I ordered the Dolsot Bibimbap.
The banchan came quickly and were delicious. The beef arrived and we tossed it on the grill and My bibimbab was sizzling with the egg sunny side up right on top. The delicious aroma of sesame oil wafted from the bowl like a super hot heaven. I mixed it up and dug right in. Everything was right with the world.
The rice in the bibimbap was hot, and delicious, crispy golden and sticky against the searing hot bowl. I can't wait to go back!
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the dol sot bibimbop is possibly the best i've ever had. it sorta makes me feel like it's 3:01 pm on the last day of school. i know that doesn't make any sense, who needs you?
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After having a horrendous experience at "Korean Restaurant" on Lawrence, we were scared of Korean Food (not Korean BBQ, mind you).
Sogongdong Tofu House has brought us back into equilibrium.
The ambience is very much a flourescent lit, cafeteria style Korean diner, but the food is anything but (obviously it is not hypercolor, but also not cafeteria style). We had the steamed dumplings and went half-sies on the Miso Spicy Tofu Soup and the BeeBimBop. Both were very good.
The Miso Soup would be an excellent rainy day food and was a meal onto itself. The BeeBimBop, once appropriately splashed with Chili Paste, was excellent as well.
We will be back out to try the Korean food, but likely will do so at SoGongDong only.
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This is probably my favorite soon-dubu tofu house in Chicago by far. The dining setting is very simple like most family style Korean eateries but the soon dubu jigae (soft tofu stew) is amazing and always hits the spot. The rice and tofu stew is served in the traditional hot clay pots with a good selection of side dishes to compliment the meal.
The ladies who run the tofu house are usually nice especially once they see you again after your first visit. Prices are reasonable and the food comes out quickly.
It only holds about 50-60 people max so it's a nice intimate dining setting for friends and family. The banchan sides are always fresh and the portions are hearty.
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perfect for these frigid days! affordable, all the dishes you expect with a korean meal. If you don't speak korean (I don't), dont' worry! But don't expect anything fancy decor-wise, get in, eat up, leave happy!
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This is a good place to go for a cheap Korean meal. Almost all the soups are $8 or below, and the beef entrees are 10-11. You don't get as much as other places, but with all the side dishes, it's plenty of food. I will say that the kalbi (ribs) don't have much meat on them, but overall, a very good meal for the price. 3.5 stars.
The house special is a spicy tofu soup served eight ways with your choice of seafood, beef, kimchee, pork, miso, vegetables or ginseng roots in it. The tender, sweet and salty barbecued ribs is delish
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sometimes when i miss my moms amazing homecooking and im sick of tasting my mediocre korean cooking i go here.
they have perfected soon do boo. a spicy tofu soup. and its moderately priced (7-8). i love that they give you a raw egg that cooks in your still boiling soup when they serve it to you.
they also give thousands of side dishes. which is pretty customary in korean restaurants.
and the service is really good. the hostess always asks how im doing and asks about my family. and then proceeds to give me a korean magazine to look at.
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