Gangneung soft tofu restaurant with a no-salt baby: Jeong Eunsuk

Ding ~ dong :-) During our Gangneung trip, we visited Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu to eat chodang sundubu (uncurdled soft tofu) with our baby! It's a place where you get a full spread of dishes centered around sundubu, and the mild but clean, savory flavor won over both the adults and the baby, who finished their whole bowl. Here's my honest review of this Gangneung sundubu restaurant, which felt totally manageable to visit with a baby.

Where is Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu, and is there baby seating?

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu is on Nanseolheon-ro in Gangneung, so it's walkable from the Heo Gyun and Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park side — a great location. We looked around the park first and then came here to eat.

Even on a weekday there was quite a wait. Just looking at the rows of chairs in the waiting room, you could tell how popular this place is... We joined an event while waiting so the time flew by. There were unusually many families with babies here, which makes sense given how mild the sundubu dishes are. The number of baby chairs was more than enough, too. The tables are also spacious, so it never felt cramped.

How we ordered the Chodang Myeongpum table for two with boiled pork

Today's order — Chodang Myeongpum table for two (with added boiled pork)

The menu at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu is built entirely around chodang sundubu. Almost everyone was ordering the table sets. The chodang sundubu hot pot comes with side dishes, so it feels like enjoying a full, generous course.

We ordered the Myeongpum table, which comes with tofu samhap and seasoned codfish gui, and added boiled pork on top. With a baby along, this amount ended up being just right. My little one has been eating like a champ these days 🤤 The chodang sundubu hot pot came in either a spicy red version or a mild white version, and since we were eating with the baby, we went with the mild one.

White chodang soft tofu hot pot: mild enough for a salt-free baby

Today's food review

First came a colorful spread of house-made banchan (side dishes). They said they make all the banchan themselves, and the kimchi was seasoned just right, so we refilled it right away. Each side dish was neatly made and well-seasoned, which raised our expectations for the main dishes.

Next came the white chodang sundubu hot pot. You could tell at a glance it wasn't heavily seasoned, which made it perfect for eating chodang sundubu in Gangneung with a baby. The portion was quite generous for two people. The chodang sundubu looked soft and cloud-like. Personally, I prefer chodang sundubu eaten plain, without seasoning, since that's when you really taste it at its best.

You might think a white broth sounds bland, right? One sip of the broth and that thought disappears completely. It's the kind of refreshing that makes you let out an involuntary sigh, with a deep, nutty, savory flavor. Since it's a seafood broth made with crab and shrimp, it was rich and full of umami.

The chodang sundubu practically melts in your mouth — if I'm being a little dramatic, it's almost like cotton candy 😋 There's nothing to chew, it just slides down, and it's so nutty and clean that you keep reaching for more. My baby doesn't usually like tofu much, but this one they ate so well and so much. Honestly, since they're still at the no-salt stage, I meant to only feed a little, but they kept asking for more, so... they ended up eating a lot.

Tofu samhap with added boiled pork: the block tofu steals the show

With the boiled pork added, the tofu samhap was even more generous. It comes with boiled pork belly that has a good fat-to-lean ratio, along with mo-dubu (block tofu) and gajami-sikhae (fermented flounder). Since samhap is usually a side dish, I honestly didn't expect much, but the ingredients were so high quality it tasted better than what you'd get at a dedicated boiled-pork restaurant.

The boiled pork itself was tender and soft, so it was perfect for feeding just the meat to the baby. Delicious pork with no gamey smell and no toughness. And the mo-dubu was the real highlight of the samhap. It's nothing like regular tofu — incredibly nutty and firm with strong texture, almost like... I wanted to buy a whole block of just that to take home. Paired with the spicy-tangy gajami-sikhae, the combination worked really well together. The sikhae was chewy with such distinctive umami that you could probably eat a whole bowl of rice with it alone.

Seasoned codari (half-dried pollock): the sharp note on a mild table

Next up was the nicely browned codfish gui. Haha, now that I'm older, I find myself craving this kind of dish. The texture itself was great — chewy outside, tender inside — and the seasoning had a subtle, lingering spiciness. Since the rest of the meal is made up of mild dishes, it can get a little monotonous halfway through, but this bit of spice gives it a nice refresh.

Verdict: a Gangneung soft tofu restaurant that works with a one-year-old

This is a memorable place because you get to enjoy a proper, generous chodang sundubu spread. It's not just plain sundubu — you get to taste a whole table of Gangneung dishes alongside it, which makes the composition and combination really good.

Above all, this was one of the few restaurants in Gangneung where we could dine comfortably with a one-year-old, so we'd love to come back with our baby again. If you're looking for a good sundubu restaurant in Gangneung, stop by Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu — you can eat comfortably even with a baby in tow! Bye for now :-)