SGD Tofu House

The combination tofu soup is soooo delicious, best I ever had! We also ordered BBQ beef, and stove ware rice. So full when walking out! Will definitely visit again

We had a fantastic experience at this Korean restaurant! We ordered the BBQ beef, seafood tofu soup, and dumpling tofu soup—all of them were absolutely delicious and full of flavor. The portions were generous, and everything tasted fresh and authentic. What really stood out, though, was the service. The staff was incredibly kind and attentive, and they even gave balloons to our kids, which made their day. We’ll definitely be coming back!

Been here a few days ago. The side dishes are really good. And they offer free refills to all side dishes! The service here is very good as well. They respond quickly. Unlike other Korean restaurants refilling the side dishes slowly and unwillingly, they happily respond to all our requests! We ordered tofu soup combo and we both like our food. Highly recommend this place!

We've been to SGD before a few times. I"m surprised I haven't wrote a review yet. SGD ("So Gong Dong" on my receipt) is conveniently located on El Camino Real. There tofu dishes are usually what I order. This time, I got their classic #1 Original Soft Tofu with beef, spicy level 3, $21. That hit the spot. It came out boiling hot. I like how clean tasting it was with a bit of spice. My tofu salad appetizer $6 was mostly iceberg lettuce. The #27 bibimbob, seafood and vegetables in stoneware $25 was also good. Overall great meal. Service was excellent. Well done everyone at SGD Tofu House.

People used to say that it was delicious, but now the taste has changed and they don’t want to go because it doesn‘t taste good. Today I went to have lunch with my husband after a long time. They also prepared an apron for me, and everyone was so kind and the food tasted good. I will come to eat again next time.

Much delish! The seafood tofu soup was heart warming and paired so well with the mixed brown rice. The seafood pancake was perfectly crispy and the sauce with it was sweet and tangy, absolutely mouthwatering. The banchan was so generous and the service was so friendly! Would hope to come again!

They are not as busy as before. Tofu stew still good, but the BBQ beef looks like it's boil.... Not that busy, but they don't offer much help and has to ask for refill....

It was still crowded past 1pm. We ordered 2 tofu soups with octopus and beef BBQ, pork BBQ. They brought 2 sets of ban chan and then brought the order. The pork needed a bit of searing and it would have been perfect. We could have used a few refills of ban chan. Service waa ok.

Back in the Bay Area for a long weekend. Staying at a hotel nearby. My wife wanted Soft Tofu soup for dinner. This places was great. It's a relatively small place. Came here on a Wednesday night. Was empty when we arrived but was packed when we left. I had the Combination Tofu and my wife had the regular tofu. I liked that you can give a sliding scale for the hotness. We also ordered the Kim Chi and Spam pancake. Very crispy. The dipping sauce had just the right amount of saltiness.

Ordered their BBQ beef, it's dry and bland, with way too much sugar in it, and barely any seasoning. Served with onions and puddle of water in the bottom. It's sad they ruined the beef like this.

Located along El Camino at the border of Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, parking is plentiful and easy to find. The noise level is average. It's also on the colder side so do bring a jacket. BBQ pork and vegetables in stoneware (4/5): delicious. The food was burning hot. The rice was so crispy and the meat was tender. Overall SGD Tofu House is a great Korean restaurant. The food is delicious. I absolutely loved the kimchi.

We've been to SGD before a few times. I"m surprised I haven't wrote a review yet. SGD ("So Gong Dong" on my receipt) is conveniently located on El Camino Real. There tofu dishes are usually what I order. This time, I got their classic #1 Original Soft Tofu with beef, spicy level 3, $21. That hit the spot. It came out boiling hot. I like how clean tasting it was with a bit of spice. My tofu salad appetizer $6 was mostly iceberg lettuce. The #27 bibimbob, seafood and vegetables in stoneware $25 was also good. Overall great meal. Service was excellent. Well done everyone at SGD Tofu House.

This has always been a favorite spot of mine. On colder days, or when I feel like I need something warm and comforting, I come here for the tofu soup. I like mine extra spicy and the workers always laugh at my request - tickled that someone would want it at level 10 - but make it as spicy as I want. I've come here before the pandemic, getting take-out during the pandemic and am still making stops here - albeit not as often as before since I moved away from the area. My favorite is the dumpling tofu soup and sometimes, but I sometimes get the seafood one. I also like their seafood pancake as an appetizer - they always get the right crispiness to it that I really enjoy. I've also had their stone rice pot and galbi a few times, but I still prefer the soup over it. The banchan have always hit the spot as well, especially the potato one. It can depend on the days/times, most the wait for seating doesn't take that long. It seems like most people still grab to go orders instead of eating at the restaurant. The service is quick and we've usually been able to get whatever we needed with ease. The servers have been efficient and attentive - refilling waters and banchan dishes when asked. It's a quiet atmosphere - great for chatting with the company you're with. Overall, a great spot for some warm, comforting tofu soup.

The best soft tofu soup I've had. A no-frills authentic Korean-run restaurant with speedy service and a simple menu. A complete meal with bonchon. I'll likely visit this and the other location again.

This is our go to restaurant for soon tofu. Solid soon tofu and friendly service. Grandpa likes to make balloons animals for the kids. Korean food is so $$$ these days

This was an awesome double date spot! This past Saturday, my girlfriend and I were accompanied by our friends to eat at SGD Tofu House. We were all so pleased with the food, service, and overall vibes of this establishment. The owner of the restaurant was going around from table to table making balloon animals for us, which we all thought was so sweet! We all ordered: Combination Tofu Soup - 8/10 - Very homey and cozy, perfect remedy for the cold. Spam and Kimchi Pancake - 9/10 - Super crunchy and tasty! Galbi - 7/10 - Nothing spectacular, but still very good! Spicy Raw Marinated Crab - 8.5/10 - Seasoned well and some pieces had a lot of meat on them!

Food was good, service was meh. The food was delicious. But the service was lacking. they would check-in multiple times with other tables, but not ours.

Fast, filling, and with a lot of variety! I was craving banchan so I picked this new-to-me Korean spot and ordered the curry veggie soft tofu soup, a flavor version I had not seen before. It had tofu (obvi), carrots, zucchini, and onions with a turmeric soup base and some sort of intense smoky flavor that I couldn't figure out the source of but added an interesting dimension! All portions plentiful and food delicious Logistics: - indoor seating only - plenty of strip mall parking outside - double check whether the veggie tofu soup base is actually vegetarian - Google maps menu photos are out of date as of 2024-12-20, the menu given to me was very different but I forgot to snag a pic

It's been awhile seen we've been here and tofu soup sounded good with the cold weather. Service is quick and you'll be quickly seated if it's not too busy. Tofu soup is solid. Just remember to crack the egg while it's still boiling when it comes to the table. I usually get the original with pork with the spicy level at 10. I'm used to Thai spicy and this wasn't spicy at all for me. I have a high tolerance for spice, though. My husband got the tofu soup deal with the raw marinated crab. He picked beef as the meat choice, which he said wasn't as good as pork. However, the raw marinated crab hit the spot for him since he's been craving it. It was such a great deal to get the crab since you get a big portion of it that can easily be shared between 2-3 people. For the price of it, it's cheaper than what you can get in the Korean markets. Parking can be tricky in this plaza. There's signs all over the restaurant and even on their menu to not leave any valuables in your car. If you're looking for solid tofu soup and spicy raw marinated crab, this place is definitely a spot to check out!

Get over here and support your local harabeoji! He was the SWEETEST and so excited to serve everyone and reccomend us his favorite dishes. With the colder weather, it was quite full on a Saturday night, around 7pm there were more than 4 groups waiting in line. Lots of Doordash orders too. I came specifically for the soondubu (soft tofu soup). Ordered mine with spice level #3 out of 10. There's more than 10 different soondubu options (seafood, dumpling, mushroom, etc). I chose the kimchi and pork one and no notes at all-- seriously, it was so warm and filling! The banchan were pretty good too and the servers came by often to refill. I've seen some reviews saying that service was slow, my case was more that the restaurant was just busy but whenever we asked for something, they did their best and came ASAP. My only downside would be the price, it's more than $20 for the soondubu. I totally understand quality, but this felt like a big surge in price. Otherwise, I would definitely come back on a cold night.

We got there at 1:10PM today, and the server told us it closed at 2PM. She wanted us to order right away and be out of there by 2PM. She even did not allow us to use the bathroom at 2:02PM. Once we walked out the restaurant around 2:05PM, they locked the door without cleaning the tables.

Came for a late Saturday lunch (1pm) and the place was bustling and hectic!! Kudos to the place for being so popular but did not feel very welcome at the start as the servers were all so busy and almost seemed bothered. We were luckily sat down immediately at a table for two and were able to order right away. I got the Combination Tofu soup at medium spicy level which probably could have been spicier. The tofu soup is good but not enough to fulfill my BCD cravings. Also a bit sad considering the high price, but oh well in the bay area this will do!

Average Korean restaurant! They were pretty full on a Friday night but there was no wait. My group of 3 ordered: - Original Soft Tofu with Beef and spicy level 6/10 (3/5): The beef pieces were surprisingly big but were very rough and hard to chew through. The soup and tofu was ok. - BBQ Chicken and Vegetables in Stoneware (3/5): Big plate but eh. - BBQ Chicken (2/5): They had large portions but the chicken itself was pretty mid. We had to ask for water like 4 times before they gave us refills. Then, when we asked for more, they finally gave us that iced water plastic bottle with a green lid. Overall, this place had larger than normal portions but taste was just ok. I probably wouldn't go back.

I LOVE this SGD location! The owners are sooo sweet(and cool). They have my grandparents vibes lol. And much attention given to kids and super authentic Korean menu.

Workers were so friendly and efficient. Came in with the goal of trying raw marinated crab and left satisfied. The set menu option that includes raw marinated crab is definitely enough for two, but we also tried the steamed pork and cabbage which was delicious.

While visiting San Jose, a friend of mine recommended SGF Tofu House as a solid place to get some yummy Korean food in the area, and I'm glad I had the chance to visit this place! I went on a Wednesday around 6:30pm and was seated promptly. When I went, there was adequate parking as this restaurant has a shared parking space with other shops including a CVS. Service is good, the service workers were speaking Korean, which is always a good sign for a Korean restaurant. The ambiance was casual with kid's cute artwork on the walls, definitely a nice lowkey place to eat some delicious food. In comparison to other Korean food that I have had, this was definitely one of the better tasting and more filling meals from this cuisine that I've had. for $20. I was satisfied with the price as I've seen Soondubu at $25+ for just the soup and some banchan. But personally, I think I still mentally would price this dish at $15 - $16 as at the end of the day, it's just a tofu soup. The broth here has a better dimension of umami from the seafood and meat in addition to the gochugaru flavor - other restaurants I've tried just have straight gochugaru flavor with no other flavors, which is flat. It's nice that they also give a raw egg to crack into the soup, which is something I haven't experienced before when having this dish. The banchan was delicious, I especially like the spicy squid? I think dish which had a very pleasing chew and chili flavor. The seafood pancake was great! Excellent crunch with green onion, seafood, and meat completely lining the inside. This pancake is not oily at all with delicious flavor not only coming from the ingredients but the pancake batter itself - sort of like a subtle creamy fragrant seafood flavor. But do note that this pancake is $25, which I thought was definitely on the steeper side for this dish. In the end, you'll likely spent at least $20 for a meal here, which is decent considering the food you receive is filling and flavored nicely. There are many options to select from on the menu, and if I'm back in San Jose, I would definitely revisit to try the other options!

I remember 30 yrs ago, this place was always packed with lines out the door. My late grandmother loved it here and lots of family memories were created here. Now it's a shadow of its former self. Today we found out why, and won't return. The food is mediocre at best. The flavors aren't rich like it used to be. The bowls were so dirty with dried broth and food all around it. We asked for vegetarian side dishes and only 2 came. In the past when we asked for vegetarian, they will serve at least 5 dishes. Now the service: the waitress who served us gave us the check mid meal. Then hurried us to pay it. It's only 7 pm and not a lot of customers. Why hurry us. When we finally finished our meal, she demanded the check. We were not done filling out the receipts yet. She repeated to demand we fill it now. We said, wait again, and that we needed containers for the left overs. She wasn't happy. She came back with the container and we gave her the signed receipt in return. She came back to see if we got a plastic bag. It has floated onto the ground and my mom didn't see it. So at first she said no, then saw it on the floor, apologized to the waitress and said yes. The waitress cursed under her breath and stormed away. We were all shocked at her attitude. We don't understand why she was in such a foul mood and taking it onto her customers. We were in such good mood, and enjoying our family time. We were reminiscing our late grandmother and our times here. But all this turned sour because of the service. Sorry grandma, we won't be coming here again.

4/18/24 for lunch 1pm Sometimes we crave for hot foods on a hot day. We were seated right away and they closed the lights inside to keep the inside cooler which was nice. The interior hasn't changed since forever. The servers were extremely nice and attentive. Well, there was also only three tables at the time. There were five side dishes this time. And they were all tasty. I wished the kimchi was spicier tho. I ordered something new beef and veggie on stoneware (bibimbap) ~($25) it was SO big. It is definitely enough for a person w large appetite let alone me w a small one. I ate abt half of it before tapping out. The stone is really hot so be careful and let it sizzle a little before mixing it. It get the rice a little crispy. They will give u a bottle of sauce for you to pour however amt you want. The sauce is spicy and sweet. I ended up pouring 1/3 of the bottle in. The combination soft tofu ~(20) was delicious per usual. You can choose ur spice level. We typically go for medium. They give you an egg to crack into the the bowel soup, do it right away and mix it in. The shrimp sometimes comes w eggs and we love to eat them. Overall, a wonderful lunch experience despite the hot weather. Will come back for more bibimbap. It is now one of my new top option to go for.

This is our favorite tofu house. The tofu is fresh and hot. My son prefers spicy and I like mild. They are really good at refilling the side dishes more than once. They taste fresh and good. Servers are friendly and they have a big parking lot.

This place holds a special place in my heart for cementing soft tofu stew into my diet. The fact that they cater to varying food restrictions is excellent, and the customer service experience is great. They do their best to accommodate folks and have great recommendations for first-timers trying to figure out what would work best for their palette. My go-to is always the mushroom soft tofu stew - the banchan is always on point, and I appreciate the fact that they serve the stew with purple rice. Such an excellent touch. The Ttokbokki is also delicious. I don't know how they make that sauce, but I don't think I've had it as good anywhere else in the area. Would definitely recommend.

I've dined in here over 15 years ago and this place has kept it's flair. Nothing has changed, and food is still tasty as before. This place brings me all sorts of memories from when I was younger. I love their Combination Tofu. Their banchan are always great compliment to go with your main dish. Love this place. So glad this place has stayed in business for over these years.

I like their seafood pancakes, bossam with oysters, cold noodles , tofu soups.... Staff are friendly and portion are big. The best Korean tofu house in town!

Such a cozy spot for tofu soup! As soon as we stepped in the restaurant, we were greeted by a staff behind the counter. We were quickly seated and ordered the fried mackerel and mild seafood tofu soup. Both were served with rice and side dishes. Their kimchi is sweet and we probably got 5/6 refills lol. We would definitely come back!

Love this spot, have been coming here for like 5 years. They always have good food. They kinda know me now too.

This is the third time I've visited, and today was a Tuesday. We stopped by around 3PM, the parking lot was empty, and it was only us in the shop. The shop is homey, and the windows are mostly frosted out. I forgot how pricey this place was, but nonetheless, the service was great and the food was yummy. We ordered our spam and kimchi pancake, and kimchi tofu soup this time. We think this place is tasty, but the price deters us from coming here often.

Been a while since I've been back here, but it's still great! Ordered the BBQ and Octopus Soft Tofu soup, and it soon might become my favorite. Generous portion of BBQ Beef and Octopus. I still love how the purple rice is standard here. The banchan is good; I especially like the kim chi, glass noodles, and soy bean sprouts. The service is always friendly and fast. And the ambiance is very casual with character: children and adult customers seem to be able to contribute drawings to the wall of this restaurant.

Clean and welcoming, food took a while since they burned the first one. Sides are great and the service is quick during lunch

Tried this place with some colleagues and they swore by it, that its their go-to place for many years (like decades! so that says a lot). I absolutely loved this restaurant. I was blown away by the Korean soups (I got curry Soft Tofu soup, my colleagues got seafood soup). The flavors were sooooo good! The side dishes were amazing too. Service was fast, went there on a weekday lunch, wasn't too crowded, which was surprising! Ambiance is low-key, cozy, no-frills. Their location is good (El Camino Real). A MUST TRY!

Honestly, there isn't much to comment on. I got exactly what I expected - hearty, warming tofu soup with a side of rice and hot tea. Coming on a friday afternoon, I was so surprised to see it bustling! I think my group of 4 got the last available table. The service was quick to seat us and provide menus. Once we ordered, almost immediately the side dishes, silverware, and hot tea were provided. I love that we had paper place mats for each of our seats as well! I only wished the pots were a little hotter. When we received the soups, we each quickly cracked an egg to each of our pots. However, you could see that the soup wasn't hot enough to fully cook the egg while we ate. My pot was plentiful, filled with a variety of seafood and tofu! I enjoyed eating it with the side of purple rice and the banchan. I loved the warming feeling of the soup on such a cold day! All the banchan had great flavors and nothing was too spicy for me. Overall, as a classic tofu house, I got exactly what I bargained for! I would definitely come again when I'm craving a good tofu soup.

Love this place! Whether you're craving soondubu or bibimbap, you can't go wrong! I've been here a couple of times now, and each time has been equally delicious and filling. Usually I get their soondubu, and the last time I was here, I got the set menu (soondubu + raw marinated crab). I've never had raw marinated crab before, and this is one of the few places in the Bay that offer it! Very interesting texture (a little gooey to the bite) but packed full of flavor! The soondubu was filling, delicious, and soothing to the soul on a cold day. Lots of tofu and meat in the soondubu! Most recently, I tried their bibimbap. My boyfriend always gets bibimbap, and I was interested in trying it myself. You can get the bibimbap with purple rice here! And as the picture shows, it's packed full of meats and toppings throughout. The stone bowl isn't as deep as other places, but it just means easier access to the yumminess on the plate. Each time I've been, there's been an assortment of banchan given! The waiters and waitresses are attentive throughout, asking to refill banchan or waters. Also a nice perk to have the option to get free hot barley tea! I can't wait until I'm back here again!

i love this place ! the staff here are super nice and kept on checking up on us and if we were enjoying the meal. i will definitely be coming back :) cold noodles - perfect for the hot weather. the soup is refreshing and they give you the mustard and vinegar on side so you can add to your own taste combo tofu soup - i got mild because i'm not great with spice but i think i would get medium next time bc the spice wasn't bad at all. the soup was really flavorful and the banchan compliment the rice alongside the soup so well

Delicious Korean. Ambiance is a bit lacking but the food comes out fresh and piping hot so worth it to have it there. Tofu soup: spicy level 6, and we found that a bit too spicy for us. I would try 5 next time. It was lacking some depth but I wasn't sure if that was because all I could taste was spice. 3/5 Beef short ribs: They were delicious and well flavored. 4/5 Seafood pancakes: best I have had in the bay! They even made them without bell peppers for me since I am allergic. 5/5 Banchan: delicious and well flavored. 4/5 Service was decent. They are fast but I could see they may be less attentive if they were busier.

The waiter was friendly to me. She always checked on me when I am shy and quiet sitting at the table alone. The set menu is tasty. It seems traditional Korean food to me. I ordered the set menu. It includes a cold marinated crab. They offered me plastic gloves to touch it.

The staff is extremely welcoming and kind! Everyone in my family got something they enjoyed. I really liked the original soup with beef. I will say however, the other non-soup dishes like the beef plate aren't nearly as good as the soups are. If you're dining with someone who doesn't enjoy soups, this might not be the best place to go. Overall a great experience, I will be returning again!

This is our go-to restaurant for Koaren comfort food for years, especially in winter! I love their tofu soup and steamed dumplings! They have very friendly staff who remember our names and our orders. The owner usually comes on Friday nights to make kids ballon figures and do some fun tricks! It's fun to watch - My kids love this place!

The service here was great! I had the fried noodle tofu soup, level 0 and my boyfriend had the original level 5, he said he could honestly go up to 7. The flavors were all there and it's pretty filling. Inside has a lot of tables, and cute drawings.

Love that this place is open so late! The soup was amazing and tasted so homey. I got mild and it was a good mild, not too spicy but just enough! It was pretty quick service getting our food and the banchan was really good! It came with japchae, kimchi, fish cake, etc.

Came here on a Monday evening and there were plenty of seats. We got the bossam, tofu soup and bulgogi (not pictured). Bossam and tofu soup were pretty good. Bulgogi was a bit overcooked to the point it was watery? I think the kimchi was also just alright.

I drive from San Ramon, through a friggin 680 freeway closure, to get this marinated crab for my wife. I ate the sides while she ate the crab. The tofu and meat soup was ok, felt like the meat lost its flavor while being in the soup. I didn't even realize the meat was there until I dug in. The sides were good, potato, jap chae and Kim chi. The star was the marinated crab. If they had just this as a menu item I would order a ton of it for my wife. I ordered level 0 spicy but it still had a kick, so not sure what is deemed spicy. The crab was creamy and the marinade rounded it out. My wife doesn't do well with spice but she ate every last piece. I'm sure we'll get it again when we are in the South Bay.

Food is consistently good; I primary get tofu dishes and no bland food here. Also, Great banchan selection. Service always pleasant.

Came to SGD Tofu house because I wanted spicy raw crab. I ordered the set meal thats comes with the spicy raw crab, rice, tofu soup and sides. We also got beef ribs. Food came out super fast. Everything was super delicious! They gave me a bib and gloves to eat the crab. The people who work here are super nice and work amazingly fast and hard. First time here and will definitely be coming back.

Came by for a nice lunch date. Servers were very kind and service was sooo fast. The food came out piping hot. My boyfriend ordered the bibimbap and I went with the raw marinated crab set menu. I LOVE raw marinated crab and theirs taste so fresh and yummy with no overwhelming flavors or fishiness. Their menu focuses more on tofu soup. I got my level 8 which was perfect for me because I love spicy foods.

Super crowded and hectic system when it comes to getting your name on the waitlist. The hostess verbally gave us a number and menu upon walking in. They then call your number to first take your order and then they will call you when your table is ready. Food comes out fairly quickly after sitting down. Service is pretty good considering how busy they get. I usually get tofu soup but today we decided to share a couple different items. Spicy pork is flavorful and a generous portion. The raw marinated crab set is a great deal - loved the flavor and texture of the crab. The steamed pork and oyster was a unique dish - although I would prefer if the cabbage wasn't ice cold. Overall this is one of the better SGD locations.

SGD Tofu House is the first tofu house in the Bay Area that has been around for 20 years. They have expanded their menu considerably. Their dishes have consistently good flavors and the service is quick.

I am removing 1 star and maybe won't go there for a while because of my experience today. First of all, food is always good, no doubt. Second, the restaurant is a little busy. I tried to add more water but nobody looked at me at all. No problem, I understand. So I helped myself. Then after we finished ordering, and waiting for our lunch, one lady walked to our table and asked me questions. I honestly couldn't understand what she said. She asked again, I still didn't get it. She was unhappy, and started yelling at me. I felt very awkward, especially because this is the first time I brought my parents in law to this restaurant. I tried to ignore my unpleasant experience, and still tipped 20%. But I am not going to a place when the waitress or owner yelled at me.

Love this spot. Their tofu soup is delicious and perfect for a cold day. The spam and cheese one is our go to order. Love their purple rice too. Their banchans are unlimited and their portion sizes are pretty large. We gone here a couple times. Their short ribs are tasty and so tender. Their gyoza and seafood pancake are good too. They also have a raw marinated crab set menu for like $28 which comes with the crab, a small tofu soup and rice. Pretty good deal!

Original beef tofu soup 4/5 - I got beef but there wasn't much meat in it. My bf got the kimchi soup with beef and his looked like it had more beef.. soup was good but a it's lacking some flavor in my opinion. I think I am used to ktown LA tofu soups. I got the medium spice level and it didn't have much of a kick so I will get hot next time. I loveeee banchan and so glad they give some here! The soybean sprouts were okay, could've had more sesame oil and sesame seeds. Everything else was tasty!