Tofu Tofu — Restaurant in New York

Been to this place more times than I can count over the years. Being one of few Korean restaurants in Chinatown, it’s become a convenient place to go to when craving Korean food. However, I don’t go here only because of convience; I go here because the food actually tastes good.

To start, if you’re going to go here, definitely order the Korean fried chicken wings (For dine in… if for take out, they will get slightly less crispy). Though I like spicy, my favorite flavor of wings here is the soy garlic one. Wings are crispy, bursting of flavor, and cooked just right so that it’s not dry but still juicy. They give you disposable food gloves for the wings so you don’t get your hands dirty.

The side dishes change every so often so it really depends when you go. Pretty decent but the Korean macaroni salad, bean sprouts, broccoli, and the steamed egg in the hot stone bowl are usually the favorites. They refill everything except the egg. But on occasion, they have given us extra bowls of it which we of course gratefully accept.

Another thing we frequently order are the tofu soups and the bibimbaps. On cold days, the tofu soups just warm you up and you can adjust the spice level according to your preference and taste. They seem small but they do fill up the average person, especially if you order wings to share as a table/group. The bibimbaps are also a good option, as you choose what protein you’d like and then it’s filled with lots and lots of veggies. When you get it, you mix it all up and squeeze in the amount of sauce you’d like. The sauce is sweet with a bit of a kick. Nothing too spicy (but then again I like spice).

I’ve come here with reservations and without before. Either way, the wait is never longer than 5 minutes. The staff is always very attentive during the meal and always welcomes you with a smile even when they’re swamped/busy with customers.

Overall, will continue...

A little difficult to find Korean gem in Chinatown! I’ve passed by this restaurant so many times before unknowingly until a friend invited me to eat here. Now, it’s become one of my favorite Korean spots in NYC for tofu soup.

I selfishly hope this restaurant does not blow up on social media because the vibe is cozy and not packed. I wouldn’t be surprised though if one day it does because this tofu spot is just that good. There are a good amount of people eating out here on the weeknights but not enough to warrant a wait. Also, the food comes out fairly quickly (and of course there is delicious banchan to nibble on while you wait).

Speaking of which, their kimchi is one of my favorites. It tastes impeccably fresh and has the perfect crunch, sourness, and spice level. The other banchan was great as well and they even served a side of steamed egg on the house. We ordered a galbi tofu soup as well as a combo la galbi bbq and seafood tofu soup. Their galbi is marinated well and the sauce is sweet and full of umami. The seafood soup has plenty of seafood and the tofu is so tender. I don’t know what else they put into the soup but the flavors are so strong and tasty. The galbi soup contains the marinated la galbi with tofu and some vermicelli noodles. For some reason I thought it would be a different kind of galbi and unmarinated but the soup was good, albeit, slightly sweeter than I would have liked. When I ate here the last time, I ordered a beef tofu soup and that was out of this world. Perfectly beefy, spicy, and soul warming. The best tofu soup I have ever had and now I’m salivating while thinking about it.

Also, the service here is very good and the hostess was very attentive (but not overly so in a bad way). The tables are very clean, very large, and away from other diners. There are also two restrooms...

I hadn’t seen my big bro in a few months. He got a new job recently and has been traveling in his time between, and I’ve been eating as many rotisserie chickens as humanely possible. Life gets busy.

We decided we needed a BIG catch up meal, and opted for Tofu Tofu, a Korean restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. If you’re asking “why would there be a Korean restaurant in Chinatown,” I have no idea. I’ve had some BOMB Dominican food (El Sazón) in Chinatown as well. Make it make sense, idk.

We walked past the neon sign outside, and into a packed, no frills restaurant that consisted of all Korean patrons, and us. This is how I knew we were in good hands.

We sat down and started catching up, with the sound of hot stone bowls sizzling in the distance. Big Bro made me sign an NDA so I can’t say too much, but a lot can change in a few months. I’ll leave it at that.

After some strong deliberation over the menu, we went with the following: the complimentary egg starter in a stone bowl, Pork Bulgolgi, shrimp dumplings, 8 wings, Seafood & Scallion Pancake, and the Bulgogi bibimpap with extra beef. It is a little pricey ($20-$25 for a main), but the portion sizes are HUGE so I can’t complain. The only thing that didn’t really wow me was the shrimp dumplings, but everything else was smackin.

Head and shoulders our favorite was the Pork Bulgolgi. We loved it so much that we got a 2nd order, but after waiting 15 minutes for it to come out, our food had settled and we were filled to the brim. We got a togo box and I’m currently eating it as I write this to you, my dear reader. It keeps well…

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