Gangneung sundubu restaurant, rainy weekday lunch: Jeong Eunsuk

A Gangneung soft tofu lunch on the way to Jeongdongjin

Before Chaltteok was born, my husband and I took our last just-the-two-of-us trip to Gangneung. Our real destination was Jeongdongjin, but since we were passing through Gangneung anyway, there was one dish we couldn't skip — Gangneung sundubu (soft tofu)!

I'm generally a fan of tofu and sundubu, so I'd wanted to have at least one proper meal of it before the trip even started. While looking up good Gangneung sundubu restaurants before heading to Jeongdongjin, I decided to stop at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu for lunch. I tend to double-check anything I eat at a tourist spot, but this time I went in wanting a proper meal that felt like a real local recommendation.

Full even on a rainy weekday: where to park at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu

The first thing I thought when we arrived at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu was, "Wow, so many people, haha." It was a weekday and raining, so I expected it to be a bit quiet, but nope — cars were packed in tightly right from the front of the restaurant. It really lived up to its reputation as a popular Gangneung sundubu spot, with quite a crowd at lunchtime. There's parking space right in front of the restaurant, but if that's full, there's a separate lot about 50m away.

Just keep in mind that aside from the spots directly in front of the restaurant, that overflow lot isn't paved — it's dirt. On a rainy day like this one, you might get some mud on your shoes or your car, so a little caution is a good idea.

The restroom isn't inside the restaurant but set up separately outside, right next to the entrance. Both the waiting room and the restroom are close to the entrance, so even with a wait, it wasn't a huge hassle.

How the Tabling waitlist and waiting room work

As you'd expect from a busy Gangneung sundubu spot, there was a Tabling kiosk set up right by the entrance. When you arrive, you enter your party size on the Tabling machine to register for a table. Don't just line up because it's crowded — hit Tabling first! After registering, you can wait inside a separate waiting room, which was nice since you don't have to stand outside in the rain or bad weather.

Next to the Tabling kiosk, there was also a little timer game to keep you entertained while waiting — the goal is to hit a red button and land exactly on 00.89 seconds. It looked really simple, so I confidently gave it a shot! Of course, I never once succeeded. I felt like I could get it with a few more tries, but I kept failing and felt my blood pressure creeping up, which didn't seem great for the baby, so I voluntarily gave up. Chaltteok, your mom held back for you. I definitely did NOT quit because I couldn't win. ^^ haha. Now I understand why it kept begging me to press gently.

Once you step inside, there's a big menu board up top so you can see what's on offer at a glance. And just as the crowded waiting room suggested, the inside of the restaurant was genuinely packed with customers.

There were plenty of tables and the space itself was fairly large, yet it was still hard to find an empty seat. When we visited, the crowd ranged from families to elderly customers, and people kept streaming in since it was mealtime. While waiting outside I thought, "Is it just unusually busy today?" but once inside I realized — nope, this place is just always this popular, haha.

What comes with the ₩25,000 Chodang Premium Table?

The menu at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu isn't sprawling or complicated — it's kept fairly simple and centered on sundubu. The signature Chodang Premium Table requires a minimum order of 2 people at ₩25,000 per person, while the Chodang Tofu Table is ₩20,000 for 2 people. À la carte options include tofu samhap and Chodang tofu hot pot. With such a short menu, there was no need to agonize over what to order even as first-timers. Since we'd come all this way, we figured we'd try the signature dish and ordered the Chodang Premium Table.

Looking around one side of the restaurant, the TV appearance history was seriously impressive — clippings from MBC, SBS, KBS, and MBN were lined up one after another. With this many appearances, not just one or two, it was clear this wasn't just some randomly hyped Gangneung sundubu spot. I'm not usually someone who assumes a place is great just because it's been on TV, but with this many features, I couldn't help getting curious.

Baby chairs, aprons and the self-serve banchan bar

Looking around the restaurant, there were quite a lot of families, and accordingly, plenty of baby chairs were on hand. Right beside them hung a generous supply of aprons for dining, free for anyone who needs one. Chaltteok is still in my belly, haha, but as a mom-to-be I now notice things like whether baby chairs are available.

On the tables, there was also a sign for an event where writing a receipt review gets you a sundubu pudding. Since this visit itself was arranged through Superb Members, we didn't also join the review event out of a sense of fairness — but plenty of nearby tables were participating, and I was quietly curious what sundubu pudding could possibly taste like. Next time I come and pay out of my own pocket, I'll have to try the pudding too, haha. A tofu restaurant serving sundubu even for dessert — now that's commitment to the concept!

If you run low on side dishes while eating, extra banchan is self-serve. You can also order extras separately — half a block of tofu, skate sikhae, boiled pork (suyuk), salad, and more — so if something catches your eye mid-meal, you can just order more.

Bring your small plate up to the kitchen counter and a staff member will check what you need and kindly refill it. Even with the restaurant this busy, it was impressive that they still handled this so attentively.

How is the tofu samhap? The soy sauce and ssamjang steal the show

The first thing to arrive was the tofu samhap — tofu, boiled pork, and spicy raw fish salad served together to eat in one bite, though each was also good on its own. The tofu was clean-tasting and nutty, and the pork was tender with no off smell; the accompanying soy sauce was especially delicious, so good that even plain tofu dipped in it tasted great. The raw fish salad added a sweet-and-sour kick that gave it real presence between the tofu and pork.

With everything laid out together, it was fun mixing and matching to our own taste. And the surprise dark horse was the ssamjang (spicy dipping paste), haha — my husband tried it and was so impressed he asked the owner, "Do you make this yourselves?" I was won over by the soy sauce, and he was hooked on the ssamjang. The main tofu and pork were delicious, but even the sauces on the side were worth reaching for.

Kimchi, pickled vegetables, seasoned greens, salad, and wrap greens were all spread across the table — mostly banchan well-suited to pairing with tofu and pork. The wrap greens in particular came in generous portions, so between bites of pork with ssamjang and the occasional pickle or kimchi, it never got repetitive. None of the side dishes were flashy on their own, but each did its job well alongside the main dishes. And as mentioned, extra banchan is self-serve, so you can easily grab more if you run out.

Is the kodari (semi-dried pollock) too spicy?

Judging by the red sauce, I expected the kodari (dried pollock) to be quite spicy, but it actually tasted like sweet-and-spicy yangnyeom chicken sauce. Rather than hitting hard with heat, it was sweet with just a mild kick, easy to eat, and the sauce clung thickly to the fish, pairing well with rice. It's a familiar flavor, but coated on fish it feels completely different. If you like yangnyeom chicken, this kodari will feel pretty familiar. Especially after eating the mild sundubu, a bite of kodari completely shifted the flavor — a nice combination.

Sundubu jjigae: red in colour, mild in taste

The sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) came loaded with soft, cloudlike tofu. If you're visiting with kids, you can also order the mild white sundubu instead. There really were a lot of families dining there, and it was nice that not just baby chairs but also menu choices were geared toward eating comfortably with children. Since the whole spread centers on mild tofu dishes, alternating between it and the sweet-spicy kodari from earlier made for a good pairing.

The sundubu jjigae looks intense with its red color, but eating it, it's much more mild and clean than spicy or heavy. The seasoning wasn't overpowering, so the tofu's natural nutty flavor came through clearly — a good option even for people who find spicy food overwhelming. Personally, it seemed like a dish I could bring my parents to eat comfortably. I think I understand a bit better now why so many families come here.

The best way to eat the boiled pork (suyuk)

The samhap really is fun to eat all together in one bite. Topping the pork with the raw fish salad and tofu brings the tangy-spicy and mild flavors together at once, and the combination itself was delicious. That said, personally, eating the pork together with the raw fish salad made the meat flavor get a little lost under the salad's seasoning. So I'd actually recommend eating the pork with just ssamjang and a slice of garlic instead! It let the clean, off-smell-free flavor of the pork come through better, and let us properly enjoy the ssamjang my husband was so impressed by.

And the tofu? Tofu really can do no wrong. It was good with the raw fish salad, good wrapped with meat, and good with just a light dip in soy sauce. Starting with the samhap and then mixing and matching to our own taste was really enjoyable.

Inside the sundubu jjigae were small shrimp and a good-sized chunk of crab, so it had more seafood in it than expected. At first, seeing the big crab piece, I actually thought, "Wait, is this a crab stew?" haha.

Maybe because of the crab and shrimp, the broth was far less intense than its red color suggested — refreshing and clean, and genuinely impressive. The soft, cloudlike tofu was plentiful too, great for big spoonfuls with the broth. Picking apart the crab meat added an extra bit of fun, so there was clearly more to dig into than a plain sundubu jjigae.

Is Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu a good family trip meal in Gangneung?

From the moment we arrived and saw how crowded it was, I figured this must be a well-known place, and after eating, I could see why so many families come here. From the tofu samhap to the sundubu jjigae and kodari, the seasoning overall was never overly intense, making for a comfortable, easy-to-eat spread. The sundubu jjigae in particular looks fiery red but tastes clean and refreshing, making it an easy one to share with parents too.

If I had to pick a personal favorite, it's the tofu, hands down. Tofu really can do no wrong — good just dipped in soy sauce, good with the pork, good wrapped in greens. The Chodang sundubu in the jjigae was also wonderfully clean and delicious.

It's busy enough to require a wait, but with a separate waiting room, baby chairs, and a mild white sundubu option for kids, it was a solid stop for a family trip. If you're traveling around Jeongdongjin or Gangneung and looking for a good Gangneung sundubu restaurant, this is a satisfying place for a hearty meal. Our last just-the-two-of-us getaway before Chaltteok arrives started off its very first meal right.