Sauce-free white sundubu hot pot for one in Gangneung: Jeong Eunsuk

What is Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu? A master chef's restaurant in Chodang Sundubu Village

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu, famous as the real deal in Chodang Sundubu Village! This is the restaurant of Jeong Eunsuk, Gangwon's only nationally certified master chef (No. 48), and it uses local Gangneung ingredients throughout. The tofu and sundubu are made from soybeans grown by Gangwon farmers, and the sikhae (fermented fish) is made with fresh skate caught in the East Sea — it's also well known as a Gyeongpo-dae area spot.

Arriving at 11am on a weekday: how long is the wait and where do you park?

I was on a solo Gangneung trip specifically to eat sundubu, and I wanted to avoid the famous places with long waits — but I couldn't give up sundubu, so I came at 11am to dodge the lunch rush. Turns out waiting had already started by then — a genuinely popular place! If waiting stresses you out, I'd recommend doing an opening run or using Table's remote queueing.

The parking lot is an open lot, so parking is easy, and the tables inside are spaced generously for a comfortable meal. There's a separate waiting area, and they run a photo review event where you get sundubu pudding.

What to order as a solo diner: the Chodang Tofu Table

There's a sundubu hot pot menu sized for solo diners, but I'd heard the tofu samhap was excellent, so I ordered the Chodang Tofu Table instead!

What side dishes come with the set?

The basic sides included seaweed salad, mung bean jelly salad, vegetable salad, fresh kimchi, sautéed cauliflower, and leafy greens for wraps. A neatly arranged spread, like a casual hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) place! Most of the banchan were clean-tasting and well-seasoned. My personal favorite was the mung bean jelly salad.

Along with the sides, the main dishes were set out quickly too. You can choose how you want the sundubu hot pot when ordering — I went with the basic white sundubu, sauce excluded!

How does the tofu samhap taste? Tofu, boiled pork and flatfish sikhae in one bite

While waiting for the sundubu hot pot to come to a boil, I tried the boiled pork first. The tofu itself is so nutty and clean-tasting that it's delicious on its own — just a dip in soy sauce and it's great — but the pork was also excellent, tender and juicy with no gamey smell at all. And even though I'm personally not a fan of skate sikhae, the combo of tofu, boiled pork, and skate sikhae together was absolutely delicious.

White sundubu hot pot vs the red seasoned version

And now, the sundubu hot pot I drove two hours to meet — it didn't disappoint, this is the real deal! Most tables around me had the red spicy version with sauce mixed in, but here I'd recommend the white sundubu hot pot without hesitation. It's an explosion of pure, nutty soybean flavor.

With crab and shrimp added in, the broth has real seafood umami, plus scallions and mushrooms for balance with the vegetable stock — but the best part is the seasoning, perfectly balanced, neither bland nor too strong! The soft, silky texture of the sundubu is a work of art too — normally sundubu firms up the longer it boils, but here, the longer it simmers, the more flavor comes out into the broth while the tofu itself stays soft with just the right amount of springy bite. So good it's almost unfair!

Final verdict on Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu

Recommended by someone who traveled to Gangneung solo just to eat sundubu — this is a genuinely great Chodang sundubu restaurant! If you're visiting Chodang Sundubu Village, the white sundubu spread at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu comes highly, highly recommended. Would I come back? 140% yes.