Surawon Tofu House — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Really good hole in the wall that has some excellent take out as well as dining (can't do takeout for cold noodles, fair enough)

I ordered the all beef sul lung tang and seafood pancake. My favorite sul lung being Han Bat this place is a good competitor. The price here is 9.99 and you get all the goods. The benefit being they give 4 times the amount of meat than what you get at Han Bat and it's all incredibly tender and tasty. The actual stock is different and I'd say this one is a lot more hard core. They really cook the bones down and get ALL of the nutrients out. It's very dense in flavor. Almost like your straight up drinking the marrow. I loved it, it feels very healthy and that bone broth flavor is great with no additives like msg in it. Han Bat has a strong flavor but a lighter touch. Both are good depending on your mood! I love Surawon's version of this more for its dense flavor. I got takeout of it and it was enough to last me 3 meals. The next morning after having this for dinner the night before I felt healthy and more awake than per usual. Great stuff!

I also got their seafood pancake and it's to die for. I love how the pancake itself consists of way more veggies and seafood than actual batter. A lot of ktown places that do seafood pancake it always mostly consists of batter but not this place. The flavor is great and the seafood is fresh too! The only negative being their kimchi and radish kimchi fell short of the ones I've had at other restaurants in ktown. Rather forgettable and maybe overly vinegary.

An amazing hole in the wall,...

Incredibly delicious and authentic culinary experience. Every dish surpassed expectation. Not being too well-versed in Korean food, I admittedly felt a bit overwhelmed when first seated as the tables around me were filled with a variety of beautiful dishes and the menu was extensive. The thoughtful, friendly server woman noticed I was a little lost with the menu, so she took time to learn about my preferences and then walked me through the menu, finding me several dishes that fit my tastes. Every dish was truly outstanding! The Korean pancake and the short ribs stole the show, but it’s the kimchi I’ve been dreaming about. Best kimchi I’ve ever had! Despite the food being out of control delicious, the most memorable part of the experience was the above-and-beyond customer service. I was on a business trip to LA while eating here and forgot to take my receipt to get some of the price of the meal reimbursed by my employer so I called the restaurant the next day. To my surprise, the owner of the restaurant graciously spent time searching for my order in the computer and eventually emailed me a copy of my receipt. This level of customer service is so rare now a days. I can’t express my gratitude for the amazing flavors and customer service. I will be going to Surawon Tofu House every time I go back to LA. It really doesn’t get any better...

It brings tears to my eyes as I write this review on the eve of my move out of LA. I’ve probably eaten here over 50 times in the last 10 years and can confidently say this is a top 3 favorite restaurant in SoCal for me. Surawon is not your fancy “pinkies up” type of place. It is the home to the most delicious, authentic and welcoming Korean food that only a Korean mom and grandma with decades of excellence, love, and care can produce.

The star is the thick-cut Galbi - smoky, sweet, savory, and incredibly juicy from what can only be premium, highly marbled beef. The other star is the large offering of banchan - each executed perfectly and with a different flavor profile that can balance any meal. Of course the brand is centered on the soondubu, which blends a rich and flavorful broth with generous portion of fresh tofu.

The service is truly 5/5. It doesn’t matter if the restaurant is full or empty, the ajummas will always serve you with a smile and make sure your banchans are replenished.

After so many meals here, I can go on for a very long time about the great memories I’ve had at Surawon. But I’ll stop and let whoever is reading this make their own memories and hope that when I come back in a few years, this wonderful place is still...