Gangneung tofu restaurant, 8am breakfast with parents: Jeong Eunsuk

Today I'm introducing Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu (정은숙초당순두부), a great spot near Gangmun Beach! Gangneung has plenty of famous foods, but the first thing that comes to my mind is sundubu (soft tofu)! This is a truly Gangneung soft tofu place, made with the skill of master cook Jeong Eunsuk. Okay, let's start my honest review!

Location, hours and parking at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu is at 200 Nanseolheon-ro, Gangneung, Gangwon, and it's open Monday to Sunday, 08:00–18:30. It closes at 16:00 on Mondays, is closed every Tuesday, and has baby chairs.

• Address: 200 Nanseolheon-ro, Gangneung, Gangwon
• Hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–18:30
• Closes at 16:00 on Mondays
• Closed every Tuesday
• Baby chairs available

It isn't inside Chodang Sundubu Street itself but a little further out, and I actually liked that because the roads leading in aren't complicated. And the reason I call it a Gangmun Beach pick is that it's only 5 minutes by car, so it's close to the tourist spots and easy to stop by on a Gangneung trip.

You can park in front of the restaurant or in the big open lot to its left! On weekends it seems to fill up too. In that case, just use the free Heo Nanseolheon parking lot to the right of the restaurant!

An early-opening tofu restaurant in Gangneung: what's the interior like?

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu opens at 8am, which is perfect for travelers who stay a night in Gangneung and want an early breakfast the next day. It's not a huge restaurant, but it's clean and has quite a lot of tables! What makes it so good for travelers is that it's a sundubu place that opens early in Gangneung! Since it opens from 8am, it's just right if you've stayed over and want breakfast early.

There are baby chairs too, so it's perfect for families with babies, haha.

A master cook's Korean food: what's on the menu?

The owner, Jeong Eunsuk, is the 48th Korean Master Chef (대한민국 조리명인)! Seeing a plaque like this makes you more excited, right?! It was our first meal of the Gangneung trip, so I was even more excited, haha.

The menu is simple and focused. The Premium Table (명품밥상) and the Tofu Table (두부밥상) are set menus, so you can enjoy the tofu samhap or kodari together! Everything in the sets can also be ordered separately!

Chodang Premium Table for 3 plus extra pork: what comes out?

The Chodang Premium Table is made up of a soft tofu hot pot, seasoned grilled kodari and tofu samhap. The food came out fast, in less than 5 minutes after ordering, which I loved.

The set is generous too: there are as many as 6 side dishes by default! They're healthy Korean sides like braised lotus root and salad.

Tofu samhap with extra boiled pork

And the tofu samhap (three-way combo) with extra boiled pork! Mild, tender pork that tasted freshly steamed and piping hot, tofu that melts like pudding in your mouth, and pollack hoe (seasoned raw pollack) alongside. You can't help thinking there's a reason it's called samhap!

Seasoned grilled kodari, easy for kids too

The seasoned grilled kodari (semi-dried pollack) isn't salty or spicy; it's slightly sweet with a gangjeong (sweet crispy glazed chicken) feel, so kids could eat it well too. It's moist without any harsh flavor, and with just this you could finish a bowl of rice in no time, haha.

And can a sundubu restaurant's boiled pork really be this good? My parents and I enjoyed it so much. It comes with plenty of ssam (wrap) vegetables, and when we wrapped it up one by one with the pollack hoe, it vanished in the blink of an eye.

Soft tofu hot pot with half a crab per person

Now the main event, the soft tofu hot pot!! Once it starts bubbling, stir in the seasoning paste (dadaegi) inside. It isn't very spicy, but the pleasantly sharp, refreshing broth makes you say "Ahh~" without thinking.

The silky tofu just slides down your throat, and there are 3 half-crabs, each one huge. They gave one per person, and they're not just for the broth; there was a lot of meat, so I sucked out every bit. It's packed with all kinds of mushrooms and vegetables, so it felt like a healthy breakfast table.

How was Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu as breakfast with my parents?

The set at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu, a Gangmun Beach favorite, was really generous, and every dish felt made with care. None of the food, sides included, was salty or harsh, so even my parents, who love home cooking, enjoyed it a lot. Since it opens early in Gangneung, everyone, have a warm soft tofu hot pot before you go, haha.