Chodang-dong soft tofu restaurant with a baby, no spice: Jeong Eunsuk

Whenever you travel to Gangneung, you end up eating sundubu (soft tofu stew) — it's basically a rule haha. This time we were looking for a place we could eat with our baby, and ended up at Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu.

Where is Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu, and where do you park?

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu is in Chodang-dong, Gangneung, near the Heo Gyun and Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park.

The restaurant has its own parking lot, which was convenient for us since we drive with the baby. If the lot is full, you can use the free parking at the Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park about a 3-minute walk away.

Inside the restaurant: baby chairs and table burners

Overall the place had a clean, comfortable atmosphere. Every table has a burner in the middle, so we could keep the sundubu jjigae simmering as we ate.

Most importantly for us — we came with a baby — a baby chair was ready, so we could eat comfortably.

As you'd expect from a well-known sundubu restaurant, there were signs all over the place of past TV appearances. Seeing the photos and write-ups made it clear this is a spot that's had loyal customers for a long time, and my trust level went way up before I'd even eaten haha.

What comes with the Chodang Myeongpum table?

The Chodang Myeongpum table can be ordered for 2 or more people, and comes as a set of sundubu jjigae + tofu samhap (boiled pork with tofu) + seasoned braised pollock, all at once.

If you want to try several tofu dishes plus boiled pork and pollock rather than just plain sundubu, the Myeongpum table is a good call. Since we'd made it all the way to Gangneung, we figured we might as well try a bit of everything, so we ordered the Myeongpum table.

Tofu samhap and seasoned braised pollock, dish by dish

First, the tofu samhap! Tofu and boiled pork come out together, and the mild tofu paired with the pork was a great match, as expected. Sundubu alone can feel a bit plain, so having boiled pork in between bites made the meal more filling.

And then the seasoned braised pollock, which only comes with the Myeongpum table! A whole plate of pollock piled with seasoning arrives.

The sundubu is mild while the pollock has a strong seasoned flavor, so the two together made a great combination. If you feel plain sundubu alone would be a bit lacking, I'd recommend ordering the Chodang Myeongpum table.

Eating with a baby: order white sundubu with the sauce on the side

At Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu, you can choose between red and white sundubu when ordering the jjigae. We obviously went with white sundubu since we were eating with our baby! It's not spicy, so it was easy to feed alongside the baby's rice.

That doesn't mean it's too plain for adults, though. They give you the sauce separately, so you can scoop out the baby's portion of sundubu first, then have the adults add sauce to taste and eat it nice and spicy.

When you're forced to order everything mild because of the baby, mom and dad sometimes feel a little shortchanged haha, but here everyone can eat to their own taste, so we didn't even need to order a separate baby menu — it worked well for eating together.

Is Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu worth it with a baby?

If you're looking for a sundubu restaurant in Gangneung that's good to visit with a baby, I'd recommend Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu.

Especially if you're going with a young baby like we did, I'd recommend ordering the white sundubu, scooping out the baby's portion first, and then having the adults add the sauce. If you're searching for baby-friendly restaurants in Gangneung or the best sundubu restaurant in Chodang, give Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu a try!