Kimchi Tofu House — Restaurant in Minneapolis

To be honest, I have waited for a while prior to deciding to write this review because I wanted to wait I had enough pictures. However, I could not wait anymore as the world needs to know this place, and their value does not depend on the way their food looks. First of all, it is definitely a "hole in the wall" place that you should just come, eat, and leave, as chances are others will be waiting for seating. This subsequently also means they have bomb food. Their kimchi tofu stews are probably some of the best I have had anywhere in the United States, including places in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, etc., so that says a lot. The boiling silken tofu soup, the meat / kimchi / others, and the raw egg to drop into the stew, everything was just authentically perfect to the maximum. I also love their bulgogi and bibimbap, which I have had in addition to their stew, despite the fact that I just love those two food items in general from anywhere almost. Even if I am not too much of an expert on Korean food, I have had plenty throughout childhood since I grew up around Koreans due to my hometown having a huge Korean population, so I don't think I am making an exaggerated statement here. Plus my friends who have been in Minnesota for school and such have literally said the same thing ever since they had left Minnesota for other big cities in the United States. I have not tried their ramen yet, but I have no doubt it is going to be great. Other than food itself, the place is extremely affordable, and at this age, to remain as such an economical establishment is definitely not easy, and I would love to support them in whatever way possible. Whenever my friends visit me, I ensure I bring them to Kimchi Tofu House for the food, as long as they are okay with Korean food. If you are reading this, please help support this business as well because it is truly a gem and deserves to remain such for students across campus and other citizens alike! Oh, and make sure you come earlier than later because there is not a lot of seating at all and this place can be super packed, especially...

Hiding down a side-street, Korean Tofu Kitchen is definitely a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Walking in, especially during the busy hours, the crowded atmosphere is right in your face. Limited and tight seating make navigating a little bit of an awkward endeavor, not only for the patrons but the servers too. Despite the packed restaurant, it’s evident that the food is good enough to warrant a line and I saw several patrons waiting for a seat to open up. I myself grabbed takeout.

The menu seemed straight forward, though the nature of the dinner special – a stew, meat, and sides combination – was a little confusing for me to understand at first. And the person manning the counter seemed patient, albeit not the best at explaining things. Not unexpected at local mom-and-pop hole-in-the wall restaurants.

I eventually ordered the bulgogi dinner special with seafood stew, at a medium spiciness level. The food only took around ten minutes to come out and was packed in well thought out boxes – keeping everything segregated to combine at my leisure. Though a little on the expensive side, the volume of food was impressive as well – the stew lasted me three meals.

The beef was thinly cut savory slices on a bed of crisp vegetables and with plenty of broth. The sides were a variety of spicy kimchi, fried tofu, and pickled bean sprouts that added unique flavors to the savory bulgogi and stew. The stew was packed with tofu and a few seafood morsels, coming with a side of plain white rice.

However, here’s a warning. Whatever spice level you think you can handle, order one rung below. I consider myself well accustomed to the heat, but even just the medium spiciness level overwhelmed my senses and made eating the stew a little bit of a chore. Additionally, my own folly, but I would not recommend the combination of the bulgogi and seafood stew. They were both delicious separately, but combined added a little too much variety in the...

Parking is a problem, very limited street parking. I parked in a U of M parking ramp a couple blocks away ($3 for the time I spent).

Smaller interior, so there's limited seating. It's pretty popular. I had to wait 5-10 minutes and other customers came in and left as I waited. This was around 1 pm.

As this is a tofu stew (순두부찌개) restaurant, I had to try it. I've had very little of this in the US and only a couple of times in Mn. The size is smaller, yet still on the low end of standard. It'll probably still fill up most. The taste wasn't bad. I had the ham & sausage. The sausage tasted like Oscar Meyer hot dogs, not great. The ham was fine. As far as tofu stew, it's kind of standard. Not as good as the stuff I'd get in Chicago (although, that's a particular restaurant) and not quite as good as I would expect in Korea.

The menu is in English so I don't know if the meat I had was 제육볶음 (stir-fried pork) or 돼지불고기 (pork bulgogi). Based on the flavor and the sauce, I'm guessing it was pork bulgogi. Had I just had the pork, I would have been very happy. It was really good/what I'd expect in Korea. Chicken is an option or beef for a little more.

The stew and pork lunch combo is about $20 including tax. I had an extra rice which I think was $3. They refilled my sides for free.

It was kind of cramped eating and a bit warm inside so it was a little uncomfortable. It's a little loud with all the chatter.

Service (American-style meaning) is great. They were friendly, got whatever I requested quickly, and the food came relatively quick. They gave extra napkins to everyone. Everyone got their own bottle of water.

Overall, this place is good. Slightly lower prices than I've seen for Korean food in MN.

김밥 (Kimbap/K-style California Roll) is crazy expensive in the US, yet a couple dollars cheaper here than other places I've seen. Someone tried to order one and they were sold out. I guess they only make a limited amount in...