Young Dong Tofu House — Restaurant in San Gabriel

Selection/Price— This place has a great selection of Tofu soups from beef to seafood. They offer multiple dishes as well as meal combos (tofu soup + entree). They also have side orders if you’d like Spicy Korean Rice Cakes (Ddeokbokki), steam dumplings and the like. Soda comes in cans, but they provide you a paper cup with ice to pour it in— straw included. Be prepared to clear out the table of your personal belongings because the food tends to be served on multiple or large dishes, plates, and bowls.

I got the steamed dumplings (2/5) - It was cold when it arrived and definitely didn’t taste how I had expected. The picture on the menu showed dumplings in a steamer basket, so I expected piping hot dumplings, so this was disappointing, unfortunately, but the rest was good.

I also got the Chicken Katsu curry and it did not disappoint. The curry was $17.99 and was plain (it just came with the Katsu, rice, and curry— no potatoes or anything else cooked in). It was HUGE. It came with about a cup and 2/3 rice, flattened and two big servings of chicken curry (see picture). The curry was great and wasn’t salty— it was perfect for me. The rice was cooked really well, soft but there was texture. It was good!

Employees/Service— The service was okay. They didn’t seat us until our whole party was there, which was understandable. They were attentive, though for some it seemed like they were rushing a bit while we ordered. My family tends to be into small talk, and if they’re busy, it may feel like they’re trying to get away from the conversation. Nonetheless, they were nice. One of their staff had seen my sister come in multiple times to dine in and he was pleased to be there to serve us. They had thought that we were Spanish-speaking, so he was sent to our table (we’re Filipino), and our table had a fun time conversing with him with what little Spanish we knew and the English he was able to use. I wish I could have gotten his name, he was the best one out of the ones who handled our table last night! He was all smiles!

Ambience/Cleanliness— The place was clean. They have a little set up outdoors even though they also served food inside. They have heaters near the tables and provide a notice on the table that it has been sanitized. The tables come with a staff buzzer in case you needed them, but we don’t like to use those. Even then, they servers came promptly and they were always checking outside in case people needed something. The whole dining experience was smooth from start to finish.

Time in Line/Wait Time— The rest of our party came about 15 minutes after my sisters and I did, and we weren’t seated until they arrived, which was okay. There was a waiting area there, but I didn’t know whether that was for the restaurant or for Diamond Bakery. We proceeded to take a seat on the bench anyway. It didn’t take too long for them to tell us the table was ready once we’ve let them know that we had a complete party.

Favorite thing: The place was very comfortable and Katsu was good!

Least favorite thing: The steamed dumplings. I felt like seeing a steam basket full of dumplings and being served cold ones is kind of false advertisement.

Overall impression: Food was pretty good, ambience was great, safety measures were pretty solid. We will be back...

I've always been on the lookout for good Korean food, and I used to drive straight to K-town whenever I craved it. But after trying so many places, I just realized there's an incredible restaurant right near my home! How did I not know about this place until now?

We arrived at the restaurant around 9:10 PM on a Friday night and had to wait for a table. There were 12 parties ahead of us, but the restaurant was very considerate--since it was a chilly evening, they had heaters and hot barley tea available for guests waiting outside. While waiting, we took a quick walk around the 168 Supermarket and came back just in time, with only a short wait before being seated.

Once inside, the restaurant was warm and cozy. The decor was authentically Korean, with thatched roofs, murals, and couple of menu boards hanging on the wall--it really felt like stepping into a little corner of Korea.

The service was warm and welcoming. We ordered two glasses of water with no ice, and along with them came a variety of classic Korean side dishes: kimchi, pickled radish, pickled cucumber, bean sprouts, and what I believe was a plate of seaweed--though I never got to confirm because my wife devoured it before I even saw it!

The quality and portion sizes of the main dishes were very reasonable for the price. I ordered the hot stone bibimbap conbo , which came with a bowl of bibimbap and a small tofu stew--slightly smaller than a regular order but just the perfect individual size. It was the perfect way to warm up and start the meal. My wife ordered the beef short rib soup, and every single dish was served in a hot stone bowl, which kept the food warm for a long time. Even while chatting and eating at a leisurely pace, we never had to worry about the food getting cold--such a great way to preserve the flavors and experience.

Now, let me tell you about the bibimbap--it was hands down the best bibimbap I've had in my 13 years in the U.S. No exaggeration. I drizzled in just the right amount of sesame oil and their house-made spicy sauce, then used my spoon to break apart the sunny-side-up egg on top and mix everything thoroughly--the meat, the vegetables, the rice--all blending together into a burst of flavors. The fragrance of the sesame oil, mixed with the freshness of the vegetables and the rich taste of the beef, made every bite an absolute delight.

The beef short rib soup was equally impressive. The broth was rich and flavorful--exactly what you need on a cold night. The short ribs were incredibly tender, effortlessly falling off the bone. The accompanying glass noodles soaked up all the essence of the soup, making every slurp feel like a spoonful of broth. The texture and flavor were just perfect!

Overall, this was an amazing experience, and I will definitely be...

Early lunch isn't busy :)

Very delicious lunch combo ~$24 Beef tofu (hot bowl depicted) + beef (usually a sizzling hot plate) Comes with a tiny bowl of rice (choice of white or "brown." I think it's actually the nice purple + black rice)

I've eaten here multiple times, absolutely delicious!!! Service is still bad lol but the food is still top-tier.

Food tip: If you like spicy food, get the spiciest because "spicy" is not spicy enough for me. Also, the soup comes boiling hot, break your egg in it soon after it arrives.

Chicken curry dish is huge; I received a lot more than what I expected to get from a restaurant!!!! For once I was actually full, quite rare. It comes with your choice of rice underneath the chicken. I don't know if they charged for the extra bowl of rice they served me before the curry dish came.

Edit:

Receipt price is not the same as the advertised menu price.

I waited 20 minutes to get rice at my table. I watched other tables get their rice before me, when I ordered before them. My table gets our food order; I asked different waiters for the rice that came with my table's order and still didn't get it. I had to stand up and go to the kitchen area to tell them I didn't get my rice yet. My food became almost room temp by the time I got the rice. The bulgogi plate was hot but not sizzling hot like it usually is :(

Still delicious food but service was awful :(

(Rice bowl for comparison)

White rice is $2...