Young Dong Tofu — Restaurant in Chino Hills

The #12 Spicy Beef stew soup is the bombdiggity! It's a classic Korean dish called Yukgaejang. The heat from this soup was making me sweat like there was no tomorrow but trust me, it was a good pain. I got the regular bibimbap and shared this amazing soup/stew and it was definitely big enough for two to share so you should for sure get a second bowl. Either pour it over me rice or throw the rice in the bowl and it's all good. It will clear the sinuses and then some. It's a spicy broth with strips of beef, glass noodles, some green onions and some eggs cooked in the broth. It hits the spot especially on a cold rainy night like tonight . Still gotta try the pork cutlet they got going here, it looks more like a schnitzel with panko by the size of it!

First Review... Don't let the name fool you. No pun intended. This is a Korean tofu house but much more. What you will find is authentic Korean food. I will let you in on a little secret, which is my go to order. The Galbi-Tang (short rib soup) and the Bibimbap (rice mixed up with beef, vegetables with an egg on top), I prefer the regular bibimbap rather than the hot stone version. Add some gochujang (red chili paste) and top it off with an egg and mix that all up and grub! Usually, I'll take out the white roots, giant mushrooms and the brown stringy vegatables on my bibimbap. Everything is served with Banchan (small side dishes of food served along with cooked rice). Oh and that savory pancake that you dip in the sauce is great for a starter. On cold nights, this place definitely hits the spot. They let you choose your spice level when ordering the Sundubu (soft tofu stew). If you are craving meat, then I would recommend the Bulgogi (thin, marinated slices of moutwatering grilled beef) and they give you your money's worth. The other meat choice I would recommend is the Galbi (grilled beef short ribs cut sideways). The Galbi is fatter meat and is just as awesome but you don't get as much as you do the Bulgogi. I've seen people eating the pork cutlet tonkatsu and it looks tempting. It's definitely the biggest sized pork cutlet I've ever seen. Maybe someday I'll order it because I heard it's delicious. To describe this restaurant, the words that come to mind are fresh ingredients, garlicky, spicy and delicious. I can overlook the service because for some reason they usually only have two waitresses for the whole restaurant, so they are understaffed. Don't expect too much from the waitresses there, Korean waitresses are notorious for being indifferent to your situation.You probably will end up asking them a few times for refills or anything for that matter. I just smile and say thank you when I finally get what I want. Tip, throw your rice into the Galbi-Tang or Sundubu and you will have an amazing gumbo. There's nothing pretentious about this place. Now if they only had tables for just grilling Korean bbq or even better, all you can eat korean bbq, I would never have to go anywhere else when I get a craving for...

If you are craving tofu soup and are in the Chino Hills area, go to Young Dong Tofu. This restaurant is always packed, but the turnover is super quick so don't despair! Try to go during non-peak hours though or on weeknights to avoid the crazy weekend and dinner rushes.

There is a lot of variety on the menu: they have a number of different tofu soups, BBQ platters, beef rib soups, and even pork cutlet plates you can order. Here's what I recommend:

BBQ short rib + tofu soup combo (4.5/5 stars, $31.95): this is my go-to order and it is perfect for sharing. It comes with 8-9 pieces of LA Galbi served on a sizzling platter of onions AND comes with a tofu soup as well. We always get the beef and seafood tofu soup, medium spice.

Seafood pancake (5/5 stars, $27.99): the seafood pancake here is delicious - it's thick and it's a very large order. We can never finish it and always bring home the other half to put in our air fryer the next day.

Pork cutlet (4.5/5 stars, $22.99): the size of this pork cutlet is going to astound you. I've never seen anyone be able to finish the entire portion. It's gigantic.

The banchan are really good at Young Dong as well. The staff is extremely attentive, even though they run a very small crew of servers and bussers. It's a well-oiled machine there, and I'm always impressed. We've tried other Korean soup options in Chino Hills - just go to Young Dong. It's the...

Young Dong Tofu is a constant hustling and bustling restaurant in the heart of Chino Hills. They’re one of the best Korean restaurants in the city and the proof is in how busy they are for lunch and dinner service.

We came here on a Friday evening around 6pm and waited at least a half hour.

We ordered the bbq beef rib combo (with mushroom tofu soup), bbq beef combo (with dumpling tofu soup) and a seafood pancake. Their banchan (cold side dishes) are absolutely delicious. We enjoyed everything we ordered and had a ton of leftovers to have for breakfast the next day, which is always a nice treat.

Because they have a small staff, you will need to feel comfortable flagging them down for service by raising your hand. They turn tables over fairly quickly and do the best they can with who they have. We would come back or order takeout from...