Gangneung sundubu restaurant full at early lunch: Jeong Eunsuk Chodang

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu, a sundubu restaurant in Gangneung so good I went back — here's my honest review :)

If someone asked me what food comes to mind first when I think of Gangneung, I'd say sundubu (soft tofu stew)! Gangneung is so famous for Chodang sundubu that I end up eating it every time I visit. On this family trip to Gangneung, I revisited a place I genuinely think is a great restaurant. Here's an honest, taste-focused review of Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu. It was so good the last time I came that I came back again, and it was just as enjoyable and delicious this time too.

Where is Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu? Right by Heo Nanseolheon's birthplace

📍 It's located right across from the Heo Gyun and Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park. The location is right next to the birthplace site of Heo Nanseolheon in Chodang, Gangneung — a really great spot. It's also a good place to combine with sightseeing. Gangmun Beach, Arte Museum, and Anmok Beach are all within 5 minutes by car, so the location is great!

Where do you park at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu?

🅿️ You can park in the lot right beside the restaurant. When it's full, free parking is available at the Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park. The park's parking lot is right in front, and the lot beside the building is fairly spacious too. Parking here was honestly really convenient.

Opening hours and closed days

⏰ Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu's hours are Monday 08:00–16:00, closed every Tuesday, and Wednesday to Sunday 08:00–18:30. Please plan your visit around these hours. Keep the Tuesday closure in mind, and note that last order is 1 hour before closing :) We visited for an early lunch.

The interior is quite spacious. Even though it was early lunchtime, the place was nearly full — clearly a popular spot. It always feels busy and crowded whenever I come, but that's probably because it's just that good haha!

Is Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu okay with a baby?

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu is great to visit with a baby! With baby utensils and baby chairs fully available, plenty of families with babies were there. It really has a welcome-kids vibe, so families traveling with a baby can visit comfortably.

What comes with the 25,000-won Chodang Myeongpum table for 3

✔️ Chodang Myeongpum table 25,000 won × 3 people (sundubu jjigae + tofu samhap + seasoned kodari). We ordered the signature menu, the Chodang Myeongpum table. Sundubu jjigae alone is already delicious, but since we were there anyway, we wanted the boiled pork tofu samhap and the seasoned kodari too, so we ordered it this way.

So how does Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu actually taste?!

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu is Gangneung's only restaurant run by a Master Chef of Korea (No. 48), and it's been selected as one of Gangneung's specialty foods — popular enough that you can trust it. Being run by a Master Chef of Korea makes a real difference. You can taste the difference clearly once you try it — it's just different.

Even the small side dishes are delicious here! There's a saying that small details make something premium — a place that puts effort into even the little side dishes is very likely to have great main dishes too, and here the side dishes were seriously delicious, so I was very satisfied.

Tofu samhap: handmade tofu, bossam pork and gajami sikhae (fermented flounder)

Tofu samhap is a dish where you eat three things together: handmade tofu, chewy bossam (boiled pork), and gajami-sikhae (fermented flounder made with fish from the East Sea) — worth noting! Since it uses flounder from the East Sea rather than imported fish, it can't help but taste great.

Is it real that the bossam alone is this good? No gamey smell, tender texture — better than some bossam specialty restaurants, honestly. It was genuinely delicious. Even ordering just the tofu samhap on its own would be satisfying!

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu's handmade tofu is soft, nutty, and delicious. It's simply incomparable to regular supermarket tofu. You can genuinely feel the difference once you try it. The tofu alone is soft and delicious :)

Handmade tofu + bossam + skate jeotgal is love! They're good eaten separately too, but since it's served as a samhap dish, I think enjoying it as a combination is best, and trying it that way, it really was delicious together — moving, honestly. Signature menus really do earn their reputation for a reason.

Kodari gangjeong, served only with the Myeongpum table

The spicy-sweet kodari (dried pollock) gangjeong comes in a generous portion and tastes great eaten together with everything else! This kodari gangjeong, which you can only get by ordering the Chodang Myeongpum table, pairs wonderfully with the sundubu jjigae as a special treat — I'd recommend ordering the Myeongpum table for this reason.

It's spicy but not overly so, sweet but not overly so — the balance of spicy-sweet is well judged, I'd say. It was genuinely delicious. My mom really loved this dish :)

It's great on its own, but also great with rice, and even better paired with the sundubu jjigae. It goes really well with the soft, silky sundubu. The pairing with the sundubu jjigae was truly the best.

Two flavors from one pot: adding the chili seasoning to mild sundubu

At Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu, you can choose between mild sundubu or spicy sundubu jjigae. Since we wanted to enjoy both, we started with the mild sundubu and later added extra seasoning to turn it into a spicy, sharp-tasting sundubu jjigae.

The advantage of asking for the seasoning separately like this is that you can set aside a portion of the mild sundubu jjigae for the baby first, then add the spicy seasoning to the rest later. If you want to enjoy both flavors, or you're dining with a baby like us, try requesting it this way!

The sundubu jjigae, simmered once more with the spicy seasoning added, has a generous portion packed with vegetables and seafood, so it really can't taste bad! Once you try the sundubu jjigae here, you honestly won't be able to find it elsewhere — that's the trap 🥹 (which is exactly why I came back again this time!)

The spicy sundubu jjigae has soft, silky sundubu that melts in your mouth, with just the right amount of sharp, deep flavor — the most delicious sundubu I've had in Gangneung. It's made with sundubu from soybeans grown by local Gangwon farmers, which really makes it feel like Gangneung.

Worth the revisit — and I would go back again

Maybe it's because they use local Gangwon ingredients, but the flavor is clearly delicious, fresh, and deep. Eating here, you really feel that the title of Master Chef of Korea isn't given to just anyone — you can tell it's genuinely different. It was already delicious the first time, but revisiting it was just as satisfying and great!

Looking for a good Chodang sundubu restaurant in Gangneung? Definitely come to Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu! Highly recommend it! You can properly enjoy Gangwon-style Chodang sundubu made by Gangneung's only Master Chef of Korea. Beyond just the sundubu jjigae, pairing it with the tofu samhap and the delicious kodari gangjeong made it even more enjoyable. After such a filling meal, it really felt like a proper dining experience in Gangneung, and I was satisfied. This was a revisit for me, but I'd happily come back again! There's no Chodang sundubu as good as this one, really.