SGD Tofu House

3/11/2018

I love this place on a cold, rainy, winter evening, I also love this place when it's hot and you need to get some spice back in your life. The ban chan, little plates of food they bring to the table before your meal comes out is always fresh and perfectly flavored to accent any entrée you plan to order. Usually an array of kimchi, some kind of cooling gelatin or cucumber or sprouts, and fish or some other protein. If you order the tofu soup (soon dubu) they don't even ask if you want an egg, they always bring one out because it just tastes better with one. My go to is the combination, seafood, or mushroom and it always comes out boiling hot. The seafood pancake is a must, and every thing comes with a bowl of black rice.

The service is great, prompt, and attentive. Everyone is always so nice, and sometimes they have someone who makes balloon animals for kiddos and anyone who wants one! The restaurant is bigger than the other SGDs in the area and there is a decent parking lot that's not usually too crowded. Vegetarian options are definitely doable, but I have to say their kalbi and bulgogi are promising for a tofu place. They will ask you the level of spice, keep in mind that temperature and spice heat together feel exponentially hotter so take it easy if it's your first time and enjoy the flavor explosion you're about to experience.

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  Kalbi

  Kalbi
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  Crab tofu

  Crab tofu
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  Rice

  Rice
• See all photos from Crystal L. for SGD Tofu House

3/17/2018

• 1 check-in

Just not very good.  Limited banchans, quality of meat, taste of dishes, restaurant decor to service...  everything is subpar.  

Came once a long time ago and I recall this place is not good.  Then came again with a friend who stayed nearby upon her recommendation and I was like ...  oh no!  Well, should try again just in case right, maybe it was a one off last time...  wrong!  still bad.

We ordered a variety of dishes...  galbi, seafood pancake, bibimbap, spicy chicken, rice cakes, etc...  everything was just not very good to put simply.  Meat was of poor quality (does not look or taste fresh), cooking and flavors lack sophistication, and the banchan sucked.  Seafood pancake was fried...  now who does that!?!  

Restaurant is plain and lacks decor, with florescent lights!  Service is blah and I didn't expect much to begin with.  

Not recommended.

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  Looks better than it tastes

  Looks better than it tastes
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  Seafood Pancake. Not good - wonder why it's fried

  Seafood Pancake. Not good - wonder why it's fried
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  Banchan

  Banchan
• See all photos from Winnie W. for SGD Tofu House

2/26/2018

Came here for a Monday dinner. The place was not crowded, and we got seated as soon as we arrived. Great food, great service, great people here! Highly recommend!

We had

- BBQ beef 4/5
- Tofu Soup w/ beef 4/5

2/24/2018

• 1 check-in

The owner is the sweetest man you'll ever meet and that alone already deserves a star.

The service is phenomenal, full of smiles, warm thank-you's, and hospitality that'll have you feeling as if you're eating with family. The restaurant itself is gigantic with tables and seating galore, although there is very minimal decoration. The menu is simple to read, shaped like a pamphlet, with mini descriptions of each dish underneath.

Wanting to warm ourselves up on such a chilly and windy night, my close girlfriend and I chose tofu soup for our entree, she the curry tofu soup while I got the dumpling tofu soup at a spice level of "very hot."

A good variety of banchan was offered like your typical kimchi as well as japchae, gamja jorim (braised potato), miyeok muchim (seaweed), and more. I also really liked how each bowl of tofu soup was served with multiple grain rice, also known as japgokbap, instead of the typical white rice.

The soups came out BLAZING hot and since mine was prepared "very hot," I could feel my esophagus burning as the soup traveled down my throat. The broth was quite flavorful and the tofu itself was incredibly silky. I was disappointed at how small the dumplings were and that the filling wasn't as flavorful, but it was amazing how well they held up in that scorching broth. The random pieces of beef, however, added good texture.

For such a chilly day, the dumpling tofu soup hit the spot and the service was amazing. Prices are quite reasonable considering the portion size and with such a roomy restaurant, dining will be easy. If you're looking for simple Korean food, SGD Tofu House is definitely the place to check out.

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  Tofu dumpling soup

  Tofu dumpling soup
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  Banchan

  Banchan

10/30/2017

• 2 check-ins

One of my favorite Korean restaurants! Doesn't matter if it's cook-your-own or not. It basically has everything that I love and the workers here are super nice.

Basically everything I ordered here is good. I love their tofu soup. There is a huge variety whether you are craving beef, chicken, pork, or seafood and any other combination. You can also add udon or ramen I think to your soup for a little extra. I always get the udon because the noodles are perfectly al dente and thick, just how I like it. When you add noodles, the bowl comes out bigger than the typical order.

My other favorite dish is their seafood pancake! Best I've had anywhere. It wasn't too cakey or thick. It was crispy and had a large amount of seafood. I felt like I got my money's worth for that. Their dipping sauce for it was also bomb.

The ban chan is delicious. I have no complaints. The variety is there and their kimchi is not too sour. I love the fish cake and the jap chae that was included.

Overall the majority of their food is delicious. The food is a little pricey because you get unlimited refills of the ban chan, but it's so worth it. When I come here, I usually want to order more than I should and it can easily get up to 70 bucks for two people. I would recommend going to a group so you can share everything, including the bill. lol

2/5/2018

• 7 check-ins

• Listed in My Favorite Places to Eat, Eat the Korean Food Here

This is probably one of the better soft tofu (soondubu jjigae) restaurants I've been to outside of Korea and also the priciest. Note: this is a review of this particular location as this is a family-owned chain and the other SGD (SoGongDong) restaurants quality has varied location to location.

Soft tofu is indeed very soft and the soup is made just perfectly. The spicy flavors and hot temperatures are balanced just right. You can eat the entire bowl down to the stone pot and not have to scrape off semi-burned or stuck-on food items.

I would say the serving is fairly healthy as most people will either barely finish a bowl by themselves.

I'd recommend pairing the soondubu jjigae with their galbi (beef ribs) as their galbi is cooked pretty well (most other places I've been to the galbi is not really worth it).

Service is great and the owner is very friendly and when at the restaurant will make an effort to get to know his customers and entertain little kids if you have kids that you bring in. It's really nice that they offer babies free small bowl of soft tofu soup (non-spicy, less hot, soup and tofu) so if you bring in babies, you can get them a free little bowl of their own goodness.

Depending on the day there could be a wait of 15-45 mins for dinner esp if you come in with a larger party but if you plan your meal just outside of the dinnertime rush, you should by able to get a table right away. And you're definitely not coming here for the atmosphere (bunigi). Other SGD locations might dress up their restaurants interior a bit more but this place does away with all that and just serves good food.

I see a lot of people complaining about the price and I must agree, their pricing is pretty high (most of the soondubu I've eaten that may not be as good but still pretty good cost anywhere between $7-$10/bowl) but one's gotta keep in mind that this is a restaurant on El Camino in Santa Clara and also probably one of the better soondubu tasting restaurants. You decide if it's worth it. Of course, I wish it was less expensive myself but I think it's worth it, I just don't go here as often as I'd like.

Parking: Shared strip mall lot
Price: $$
Wait: 10 mins after ordering

11/18/2017

• 1 check-in

SGD Tofu House is a simple, barebones Korean restaurant in one of the many strip malls in Santa Clara's "Koreatown," but the quality of food is unbelievably good! The menu is rather tiny with a selection of appetizers, tofu soups, meat plates, and rice/noodle dishes, but they simply nail everything they do!

The tofu soup is the thing to come for here--rich and hearty with the perfect amount of spice and flavor, the combination soup that I got came with beef and seafood, along with a bowl of purple rice on the side. There was also a variety of banchan dishes including japchae, kimchi, pickled daikon, bean sprouts, acorn jelly, and fish cake, and we kept asking for refills on these over and over again. The other dish I got to try was the marinated raw crab, which was tossed with strips of carrot and scallion. Not a bad dish, but definitely a little difficult to eat if you haven't had it before or are squeamish. There's nothing wrong with just sticking to the tofu soups, though!

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• See all photos from David K. for SGD Tofu House

1/20/2018 Updated review

Revisiting some of my old romping grounds.  Unfortunately, the tofu soup was not as good as I remembered it.  Maybe other places like Kong's have caught up.  The small appetizer dishes weren't as good either.  I remember the rice being served in a stone bowl before, but now it's in a metal bowl .  Too bad.  Loved the burnt rice on the bottom of the stone bowl.  That said, tofu soup is good, just not the best.

12/29/2017

• 1 check-in

SGD Tofu House is a typical Korean restaurant specializing in tofu stews. The restaurant is decently spacious and gives off a cozy but slightly drab atmosphere. The service was decent, but I could tell that the owner was very friendly when we went up to the front to pay for the meal.

I ordered a ~$14 Original Soft Tofu Stew (mild spiciness) with Pork and Mushroom and opted for purple rice as usual. I was disappointed by the purple rice quality because it seemed a bit lower/cheaper than other purple rice I've had at other Korean restaurants and at home. However, the soft tofu stew was on point and flavorful.

Given that there are a lot of great Korean restaurants, especially tofu houses, in the Cupertino/Santa Clara area, I do think that the soft tofu stews here are good but a bit overpriced.

12/28/2017

Great place to get your korean tofu soup fix. It can get pretty busy during lunch and dinner time but the wait is never too bad. Plus the owner is super friendly and he once took people's orders while they waited to speed up the process. Plus he makes balloon animals for kids (and the occasional adult).

I usually go for the dumpling tofu soup - which comes with crazy amount of dumplings and these tiny noodle thingies (very specific I know). It'll definitely fill you up by the end of the meal.

Definitely the go-to tofu soup spot for me and my friends. Would recommend.

1/11/2018

• 1 check-in

Honestly, at $14.22, this is the priciest soft tofu soup I have ordered. My whole party of 6 each ordered a tofu soup and it was good. The place is not that big so we did have to wait a little but we ordered our soups before we were seated so it wasn't too much of a wait inside.

I got the #2 Combination soup at Medium spicy (since the waiter said it was one of the more popular choices). The soup had a lot of soft tofu, two of the typical tofu soup sized shrimps, clam (most were missing the shells), an egg you could crack into the soup, and a good amount of beef. As for the heat level, I would say that I would have preferred it to be spicier.

It will most likely be a while until I return, since the price is a steeper than what I am accustomed to and in my opinion, not that worth it. Also, my friends say the prices have increased and many of the other dishes cost even more. It is not just the tofu soup that is pricier.

3/30/2018

The seafood pancake was too oily, and for the tofu soup, if we did not ask for the rice like twice, they would not remember to serve us rice, but other table had rice...the beef soft tofu is not that good.

1/6/2018

• 1 check-in

My best friend came back from San Diego on Friday night and he was craving some tofu soup. I remember SGD was on my bookmark list for the longest time ever so we decided to give this place a try. It did not disappoint! I would say that its the best tofu soup that I've ever had.

Environment: 4/5 I could describe it in 4 words: clean, simple, and spacious.

Food: 5/5 Like all Korean restaurants, the servers will bring out the free banchans. The banchans here are mediocre but that's okay since the main star is the tofu soup. Tofu is soft, silky and smooth. I ordered the seafood tofu soup while my friend got the original tofu soup with beef. My soup was great; I was able to taste a hint of seafood. It was not fishy or anything fowl. There was just the right amount of seafood in the soup so that I was able to get a clam or two in almost every bite. I absolutely love the soft tofu soup here! Only downsize for my order is that spicy level 7 out of 10 was not spicy at all. I loved the soup I ordered while my friend thought that his soup was just okay. Both our soups came with purple rice; fluffy rice, not hard at all.

Price: 4/5 The tofu soup is slightly on the pricey side of tofu soups. It cost around $14.50 including tax per a soup. However, I feel like it is worth it since it was delicious and well made. The flavor was amazing!

Customer Service: 2.5/5 I asked for more water during the middle of the meal but they kept forgetting to bring or refill our cups. The waitress didn't seem friendly and seems to be rushing us. I get the vibe that we were suppose to come to this restaurant, eat, and then leave quickly after.  However, I'm guessing that it could be due to the fact that they are getting busy for dinner.

Overall, I really enjoyed this place. Tofu soup is great to have on a chilly winter day! It will definitely warm your soul. I will definitely come back if I want some delicious warm tofu soup in this cold weather!

3/25/2018

• 1 check-in

This place is good but they have a hard time understanding me(English) & vice versa. Slow service.

12/28/2017

• 1 check-in

Minus 1 star, my #11 ramen tofu stew was a little on the bland side, but maybe because I only got mild spiciness? Not sure. Seafood pancake was yummy! The batter they use is a bit more like the batter they use for tempura. Different texture, by it's still yummy!

Will definitely come back!

3/28/2018

Very poor service when I went today the old lady didn't even greet when we came in and whenever we asked for water or side dishes she just stared at us without replying and looked annoyed. Food is alright I will never come back again.

11/7/2017

• 1 check-in

Best Tofu Soup I've had in a while! They have tons of options and I had the ramen one which was great. My husband had the bibimbap which was also very good. Both the dishes came in a hot clay pot and we were also surrounded by ban chans. I also liked the barley tea they serve.
Their Seafood Pancake is a MUST GET!
Get there early!! We arrived before 6 and got seated right away but by the time we left there was a long wait.
There's a guy that comes around and makes balloon swords and hats for the kids which is an awesome touch. The place itself is simple, lacks decor and a little dreary though.

11/4/2017

• 1 check-in

I love tofu soup so my mom and I decided to try this place because of the good reviews. Left very satisfied!! High rating mainly due to the exceptional service (everyone was SO kind and attentive despite it be busy for lunch hour). We got a seafood tofu soup and seafood pancake the share. The tofu soup was very good, "medium" spicy was not as spicy as I hoped so probably could go up another level next time! My mom and I both enjoyed the seafood pancake, though it was just a tad too crispy, kind of like they deep fried it of some sort. If there's a bit of a wait sometimes they ask you if you want to place an order before being seated so you don't have to wait too long to get your food once you are seated which I enjoy!

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  Seafood tofu soup

  Seafood tofu soup
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  Seafood pancake

  Seafood pancake

1/2/2018

This place is an A+.  People go nuts for this hidden gem. I typically order the #1 Soft Tofu with Chicken & Mushroom or the Combination dish and I try to always get the seafood pancake to share with others. All are delicious. There is a huge selection of delicious dishes here.

After ordering, it took about 8-10mins to get my food. The waitress was very friendly, attentive and funny. Great service.

3/19/2017

• 1 check-in

It is always busy but they seat you quickly. The banchan was not great, but the soon tofu was delicious on a cold day. We both got the dumpling soon tofu and it just hit the spot. The prices are pretty good and they give you plenty of food.

Overall it was good food and no fuss service. The owner was sweet because he offered us candy while we were leaving.

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  Dumpling Soft Tofu

  Dumpling Soft Tofu