Jang Guem Tofu & BBQ Sugarland — Restaurant in Sugar Land

My partner and I ordered the combination (Spicy bbq chicken + seafood tofu soup and korean bbq + kimchi jigae tofu soup both mild spicy). We also ordered the fried japchae vegetable dumpling.

Korean bbq 2/10

For the price, the korean bbq was disappointing. $21.99 for 7 pieces of ribs that were tough to even get off of the bone. Plus there was a bed of onions. Cold. Made the ribs cool down much quicker, even when just brought out. The onions were probably supposed to cook with the heat but there's about 2x as many onions as meat and no sauce with the meat so it was mostly crunchy oniony-ness with a side of rib.

It didn't even taste that seasoned. You could take a cheap cut of meat off the supermarket shelf and fry it for the same taste. If you love cooked meat, you will love this dish!

Spicy bbq chicken 5/10 chicken, 7/10 onions

My partner has a high spice tolerance, but the spicy bbq chicken did not really live up to its name. The mild spicy soup was so much spicier in comparison. Great for people who can't handle much spice. The onions were cooked perfectly with the sauce of the chicken. No rawness here. He laughed when he saw the bowl of raw onions I had compared to his. He also said his was kinda bland but onions save the day.

Good, but wouldnt order again

Kimchi jigae tofu soup (mild spicy) 1/10 (not 0 because the tofu made it edible)

It didn't taste like much. I don't really understand where all the raving reviews are coming from. I get the sliiight kimchi flavor and little pea-sized chunks of meat and extremely spicy. Great. The soup came before everything else and by the time we finished our meals and rice it was still piping hot.

I guess it was too hot for the reviewers to taste the flavors. It tasted like spicy water. Like you take hot water, put it in a hot bowl, and throw some cheap hot sauce in it. Very little if any flavor. I love the texture of the tofu though. After waiting for the soup to be not-burn-your-tongue temperature, it was disappointingly bland.

Would be a nice meal on a cold day if you're looking for hot and spicy. I can excuse the spice, maybe they accidentally threw in more than needed. A nice non-spicy alternative is turning on your kitchen sink and taking a sip alternating with bites of silken tofu.

Seafood tofu soup 2/10

Same too-spicy-tastes-bland deal with the previous dish. This time they have little cooked clam at the bottom. Some of the clam tasted nasty but some tasted alright. +1 point from the former dish.

Still, the broth didn't taste like anything. Scratch that, it tasted like spice and only spice. Like capsaicin's younger brother wanted to play in the broth and all the cool ingredients that actually flavor broth wanted out as soon as possible.

Fried Japchae Vegetable Dumpling 6/10

Actually pretty good. I think they forgot to bring it to us while it was still fresh but that's fine (~5 minutes after mains). It is savory with some vinegary sauce on the side. Tastes great if you dip it in the sauce. On its own its alright too

Probably the only thing that was worth it that we got, and ordering it was an afterthought.

Service 5/10

character limit, look to others' reviews for side dishes.

Food came out extremely fast. I gotta give it to them. I would have liked it better if they took more time and made the ribs more tender but the speed is unmatched.

Speed is probably the only good thing about the service though. On this particular day, it was busy when we first came in. Big table where there were many guests and others who were clearing out as we came in. By the time we got our meals, it was emptier. Around half the restaurant occupied to maybe 1/3 to 1/4 capacity.

So I don't understand why they refilled the beverages and side dishes before our main dish came out (15 minutes). Probably 10 minutes worth of eating/drinking got refilled. After that, they refilled the side dishes once, which was nice, but we had empty cups for about 30 minutes?? They need to get their priorities straight instead of gossiping in the kitchen

Overall 2/10

Would...

I've been meaning to post a review of Jang Guem for a while. This is one of my go to spots for lunch during the work week and probably my most frequented restaurant in the Sugar Land area.

This place always has a relaxed, affable atmosphere every time I go in. The staff is always polite, friendly, efficient and attentive but will give you space to order and will not interrupt or inconvenience you in any way.

Fortunately, I've been able to try several different dishes here. Every visit always begins with a tray of Banchan, which they will refill if you finish the initial serving. Some of the items you can expect on the banchan tray are kimchi, sukju namul (seasoned bean sprouts), eomuk bokkeum (stir-fried fish cake), oi muchim (spicy cucumber salad), mu saengchae (spicy radish salad), gamja salad (Korean potato salad) and dried seaweed sheets. When I've eaten here with a group, they have refilled it several times.

On the BBQ side of things I've had the Korean BBQ, Bulgolgi and Samkyupsal (pork belly). All three of these were very flavorful and the portion size was awesome for the price. You will not leave anything less than full and satisfied after eating any one of these. The spicy BBQ chicken is also very tasty and true to its namesake, spicy! Just like I like it.

Don't sleep on the Yachaejeon (Vegetable pancake)! This thing is huge and a meal in itself. Golden, crispy, light and delicious! It's hard not to just keep eating this like potato chips. Excellent choice for anyone on a plant based diet.

The star of the show here is the tofu soup. I have had several different kinds. My two favorite are the seafood tofu and beef curry tofu soup. Of those two, I'm saying it and sticking by this, the beef curry reigns supreme! Feel free to change my mind Jang Guem but as of today, that is my go to lunch every time! It's that good. Shoutout to my friend for recommending it to me. Either way the soup comes with rice and an egg. It's not complete until you crack the egg into the soup. Trust me! You can choose your level of spiciness. I go full spicy!!!

If you haven't stumbled upon this hidden gem yet, what are you waiting for? Do not drive down Highway 6 again without stopping here. You will be glad you did and you will leave with...

I came here tonight for dinner, and this was what down the most ridiculous dining experience l've ever had. From the moment I brought up an issue to the waitress, she told me to either scream in the restaurant or go write a Google review. Seriously?

🚨5 points the this place should be shut down and never come back !!!

⚠️1 • The waitress literally told us to "scream or write a Google review." No apology. No solution. Just attitude. Like... what!? You don't want to work just go HOME

⚠️2• Rotten shrimp. Not "bad taste" - actually spoiled you can get food poisoning here easily

⚠️3• Dumplings soaked in oil like they were deep-fried. I had to wipe them with a napkin terrible food that can be easily done

⚠️4 • Food went to the wrong table, and I already wait my food for 30 minutes. Fried Chicken came after we were FULL.

⚠️5• No manager. No responsibility. No reason to ever come back.

Let's talk about the food first. The shrimp was spoiled, and the dumplings were drenched in oil — I literally had to dab them with napkins before eating. But the worst part? There was no manager on-site to handle complaints. Honestly, just shut this whole place down. If you don't want to waste your time, there are plenty of better Korean restaurants in Katy or Chinatown. I genuinely have no idea what that waitress thought she was doing. The order of dishes made no sense, either. My family and I ordered two tofu stews, two sets of dumplings, and Korean fried chicken. First, the dumplings were disgustingly greasy. Then we had to wait 25 minutes just to get our tofu stews — and get this: our rice and egg were sent to the wrong table, and we had to wait another 10 minutes. When we complained, the waitress boldly told us to just go leave a bad Google review or yell in the restaurant. Like, really? If you hate your job that much, maybe just don't show up to work. To top it all off, the fried chicken came out last after nearly 30 minutes — by which time we were already full and frustrated. To anyone considering this place: don't bother. Head to Katy or Chinatown instead - way better options, and you won't be treated like a nuisance just for...