Per word of mouth, there’s supposedly 1 uncontested BEST Korean tofu place in Los Angeles … Beverly Soon Tofu. Anthony Bourdain, from the CNN show Parts Unknown, also visited this place with Chef Roy Choy and described this place as “tongue-searing, ass-burning tofu soup that will make you forget every bad thing you ever thought about tofu.”
My personal favorite is Lee’s Tofu down in Gardena, so I thought I’d check this place out and compare.
This is restaurant #2 for my 2014 LA food expedition.
Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog. This was always lauded as the best soon tofu restaurant in Los Angeles. I think part of its recognition came from a visit from Anthony Bourdain. I definitely do not think this is as good as some other places I’ve been, but unfortunately the restaurant is permanently closed as of this writing.
Ambiance
The place is very small, and parking may be challenging during prime time. There was about a 45 minute wait around 7 PM on a Friday night for a party of 2. Like the typical Korean BBQ place, this place wasn’t particularly well vented until they prop open the front door, but it certainly smelled great.
They initially start off with some deliciously cold rice water that you pour yourself into their steel empty bowls. It’s kind of funny how we were sitting there waiting for them to give us glasses until the server pointed out that the Korean way was to drink from the bowls.
Food
They served 6 side dishes (banchan). My Korean is pretty bad, but the side dishes from clockwise starting at the top left are: kimchi, sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, pickled radish cubes, pickled cucumbers, and pickled daikon. The kimchi was quite delicious. I didn’t care for the sweet potatoes, but the rest of the pickled vegetables were all pretty good.
I ordered the kimchi soon tofu with galbi. The galbi was pretty good. I like how they had the edges charred and how the meat was tender and marinated well. It was definitely miles better than BCD Tofu.
The kimchi soon tofu was actually pretty good. I ordered the medium and it’s slightly spicier than the medium at BCD Tofu. The flavor of the broth is much bolder with more flavor. The tofu was also more firm. I definitely prefer this over BCD’s any day, if my patience was thick.
Final Verdict
Price-wise, it was pretty expensive for what they give you, so it can’t beat BCD in regards to value. I definitely prefer the soon tofu and side dishes at Beverly Soon Tofu over BCD. However, I don’t think I’d be willing to wait this long to have here. My tolerance for lesser Korean food is more tolerable compared to other cuisines. I still prefer Lee’s Tofu in Gardena for Korean tofu though.
Revisions
- Nov 6, 2022 - Migrated post from other blog.
- Jan 18, 2014 - Initial revision.