Super great place - tasty soup and dishes, awesome side dishes and I liked the barley tea. Had a great time here and would love to come back one day. Thanks!
Teri Yeh
excellent flavor and portions. I really enjoyed their side dishes so much I asked for thirds (and got the stink eye lmao).they're a little busy, with like 2-3 servers for 15-20 tables.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Xuan-Truc Nguyen
My favorite soondubu place! Korean restaurants don't usually have much vegan banchan but Surawon always has plenty of options, usually at least 4 out of the 6 or so banchan are vegan. My favorites are the firm tofu and seaweed. The mushroom, seaweed, and veggie soondubu, as well as the japchae, bibimbap, and pajeon can all be made vegan, and everything is excellent. Service is quick and friendly!Vegetarian options: Plenty of clearly labeled vegan options on the menu
Amazing meal. Great gluten free options and labeling of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Castillo
The service was great, and the food was even better. From the outside, it's not easily noticeable that it's a restaurant. But once inside, the staff are terse but very welcoming. The tables and chairs don't have much flair. It felt like a cafeteria. Every table is close to each other, so it's an intimate dining experience. If you can get past that, the food makes you forget about the sterile like environment. Your taste buds just transport you to another place, a place where bellies are fulfilled and smiles on faces are everywhere.Parking: The parking is behind the restaurant
This was absolutely delicious! So far this has been the best vegetarian Sundubu I had. The broth was flavorful and well spiced and salted! The purple rice and glass noodles were also delicious! Definitely recommend.Ordered the black soybean tofu--and I'd say it really isn't too different from white tofu (even the color) lol. It was fun though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
tengen uzui
Ummai!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Johana Moya
We had a wonderful experience here. Staff was great very attentive made sure we tried and enjoyed everything. The kimchi was amazing. Got the hotstone bibimbap very flavorful with fresh veggies. I really enjoyed it. My friend got the galbi with beef tofu soup great flavor. The staff really made us feel welcomed will definitely return. Worth the drive from pomona. The have parking in the back if it's not too busy.
Still 5 stars, stonepot bibimbap had delicious crispy rice but overcooked vegetables; some things like hwangjae galbi tang were sold out; but the deung galbitang is still one of the very best dishes to be had in the planet, which wows old hands and new initiates alike.
Johnny W.
Summary:Delicious, cozy Korean eats.Details:Surawon wasn't actually even on the list of places I had looked up for this most recent trip to SoCal, but was recommended by a friend we had just gotten lunch with earlier in the day. And after our chilly evening trip up to Griffith, it certainly sounded like a heartier option than the other places in K-Town I previously had in mind.As one would from the name, soondubu makes up almost half their menu, with an option for regular tofu, or tofu made from black soy beans. The rest of their menu is comprised of a lot of the usual suspects, but the tofu soup is definitely where it's at.Accessibility:Spacious restaurant with plenty of accessible options. There's also on-site parking with at least one handicap spot, and though limited, it's not nearly as bad as other plazas in K-Town.
Luke L.
Surawon Tofu House is a very popular Korean restaurant specializing in black soybean tofu soup and the restaurant was listed in LA Time's 101 Best Restaurants in 2021 to 2023 (three-year in a row).[Parking]: The restaurant has a small and free private lot and the lot was already packed at 6 PM on Saturday. [Amenities & Service]: I put on my name on the waiting list at 6 PM and I was able to get a table in 5 minutes. The meal also came with complimentary banchan (side dishes) and iced barley tea (really good didn't taste diluted). My table had a call bell on the wall and the staff responded promptly whenever I pressed the bell. I got my food in 5 minutes after placing an order.[Menu]: The menu had three languages - English, Korean, and Chinese. This place serves 11 different soontofu combo with some really unique selection such as raw soy crab, spicy raw crab, yellow corvina, dried pollack, mackerel, seafood & leek pancake, and stir fried glass noodle. For soontofu, customers can choose either regular or black soybean (add $0.50 as a part of soontofu combo). In addition, customers can choose white or purple rice if they order soontofu combo. Vegetarian broth is available and please specify upon request. A la carte stone pot bibimbap and galbitang are also available (no soontofu combo).***Complimentary banchan (side dishes - green bean jelly, kimchi, pickle daikon, cucumber, bean sprout, etc): They were some of the best side dishes I have ever had in a long long long time. Daikon and kimchi had right spiciness level & not to mention one of the most amazing tasting fish cake period.#14 BBQ Pork + Black Soybean Soontofu (#1 Beef Soontofu With Mild Spicy + Purple Rice - $27.99): Mild spicy here had a good kick and honestly felt more like medium spicy in other soontofu restaurants. Smokey BBQ pork also had right spiciness.***Personally this is hands-down one of the best soontofu restaurants in Los Angeles/Orange County. I am definitely coming back here to try other options.
Alex Wang
It brings tears to my eyes as I write this review on the eve of my move out of LA. I’ve probably eaten here over 50 times in the last 10 years and can confidently say this is a top 3 favorite restaurant in SoCal for me. Surawon is not your fancy “pinkies up” type of place. It is the home to the most delicious, authentic and welcoming Korean food that only a Korean mom and grandma with decades of excellence, love, and care can produce.The star is the thick-cut Galbi - smoky, sweet, savory, and incredibly juicy from what can only be premium, highly marbled beef. The other star is the large offering of banchan - each executed perfectly and with a different flavor profile that can balance any meal. Of course the brand is centered on the soondubu, which blends a rich and flavorful broth with generous portion of fresh tofu.The service is truly 5/5. It didn’t matter if the restaurant was full or empty, the ajummas always served you with a smile and made sure your banchans were replenished.After so many meals here, I can go on for a very long time about the great memories I’ve had at Surawon. But I’ll stop and let whoever is reading this make their own memories and hope that when I come back in a few years, this wonderful place is still around, unchanged.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Tofu Soup, Banchan, Beef Short Rib
p furst
These ladies work very hard to service patrons. Food here is amazing. Kimchi pancake is great as is the tofu soup! All the veggie sides are an A+
Super great place - tasty soup and dishes, awesome side dishes and I liked the barley tea. Had a great time here and would love to come back one day. Thanks!
excellent flavor and portions. I really enjoyed their side dishes so much I asked for thirds (and got the stink eye lmao).they're a little busy, with like 2-3 servers for 15-20 tables.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
My favorite soondubu place! Korean restaurants don't usually have much vegan banchan but Surawon always has plenty of options, usually at least 4 out of the 6 or so banchan are vegan. My favorites are the firm tofu and seaweed. The mushroom, seaweed, and veggie soondubu, as well as the japchae, bibimbap, and pajeon can all be made vegan, and everything is excellent. Service is quick and friendly!Vegetarian options: Plenty of clearly labeled vegan options on the menu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Banchan, Japchae, Pancake, Tofu Stew, Dolsot Bibimbap
Unassuming location and incredible food. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pancake, Tofu Stew, Dolsot Bibimbap
Amazing meal. Great gluten free options and labeling of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service was great, and the food was even better. From the outside, it's not easily noticeable that it's a restaurant. But once inside, the staff are terse but very welcoming. The tables and chairs don't have much flair. It felt like a cafeteria. Every table is close to each other, so it's an intimate dining experience. If you can get past that, the food makes you forget about the sterile like environment. Your taste buds just transport you to another place, a place where bellies are fulfilled and smiles on faces are everywhere.Parking: The parking is behind the restaurant
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Soft Tofu, Pancake, Dolsot Bibimbap
This was absolutely delicious! So far this has been the best vegetarian Sundubu I had. The broth was flavorful and well spiced and salted! The purple rice and glass noodles were also delicious! Definitely recommend.Ordered the black soybean tofu--and I'd say it really isn't too different from white tofu (even the color) lol. It was fun though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ummai!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a wonderful experience here. Staff was great very attentive made sure we tried and enjoyed everything. The kimchi was amazing. Got the hotstone bibimbap very flavorful with fresh veggies. I really enjoyed it. My friend got the galbi with beef tofu soup great flavor. The staff really made us feel welcomed will definitely return. Worth the drive from pomona. The have parking in the back if it's not too busy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Galbi Jjim, Beef, Dolsot Bibimbap
Absolutely delicious; always packed; vegetarian friendly; and the Soon Tofu is amazing!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Pancake, Seafood Tofu Soup, Pancake
Restaurantji Recommends
Still 5 stars, stonepot bibimbap had delicious crispy rice but overcooked vegetables; some things like hwangjae galbi tang were sold out; but the deung galbitang is still one of the very best dishes to be had in the planet, which wows old hands and new initiates alike.
Summary:Delicious, cozy Korean eats.Details:Surawon wasn't actually even on the list of places I had looked up for this most recent trip to SoCal, but was recommended by a friend we had just gotten lunch with earlier in the day. And after our chilly evening trip up to Griffith, it certainly sounded like a heartier option than the other places in K-Town I previously had in mind.As one would from the name, soondubu makes up almost half their menu, with an option for regular tofu, or tofu made from black soy beans. The rest of their menu is comprised of a lot of the usual suspects, but the tofu soup is definitely where it's at.Accessibility:Spacious restaurant with plenty of accessible options. There's also on-site parking with at least one handicap spot, and though limited, it's not nearly as bad as other plazas in K-Town.
Surawon Tofu House is a very popular Korean restaurant specializing in black soybean tofu soup and the restaurant was listed in LA Time's 101 Best Restaurants in 2021 to 2023 (three-year in a row).[Parking]: The restaurant has a small and free private lot and the lot was already packed at 6 PM on Saturday. [Amenities & Service]: I put on my name on the waiting list at 6 PM and I was able to get a table in 5 minutes. The meal also came with complimentary banchan (side dishes) and iced barley tea (really good didn't taste diluted). My table had a call bell on the wall and the staff responded promptly whenever I pressed the bell. I got my food in 5 minutes after placing an order.[Menu]: The menu had three languages - English, Korean, and Chinese. This place serves 11 different soontofu combo with some really unique selection such as raw soy crab, spicy raw crab, yellow corvina, dried pollack, mackerel, seafood & leek pancake, and stir fried glass noodle. For soontofu, customers can choose either regular or black soybean (add $0.50 as a part of soontofu combo). In addition, customers can choose white or purple rice if they order soontofu combo. Vegetarian broth is available and please specify upon request. A la carte stone pot bibimbap and galbitang are also available (no soontofu combo).***Complimentary banchan (side dishes - green bean jelly, kimchi, pickle daikon, cucumber, bean sprout, etc): They were some of the best side dishes I have ever had in a long long long time. Daikon and kimchi had right spiciness level & not to mention one of the most amazing tasting fish cake period.#14 BBQ Pork + Black Soybean Soontofu (#1 Beef Soontofu With Mild Spicy + Purple Rice - $27.99): Mild spicy here had a good kick and honestly felt more like medium spicy in other soontofu restaurants. Smokey BBQ pork also had right spiciness.***Personally this is hands-down one of the best soontofu restaurants in Los Angeles/Orange County. I am definitely coming back here to try other options.
It brings tears to my eyes as I write this review on the eve of my move out of LA. I’ve probably eaten here over 50 times in the last 10 years and can confidently say this is a top 3 favorite restaurant in SoCal for me. Surawon is not your fancy “pinkies up” type of place. It is the home to the most delicious, authentic and welcoming Korean food that only a Korean mom and grandma with decades of excellence, love, and care can produce.The star is the thick-cut Galbi - smoky, sweet, savory, and incredibly juicy from what can only be premium, highly marbled beef. The other star is the large offering of banchan - each executed perfectly and with a different flavor profile that can balance any meal. Of course the brand is centered on the soondubu, which blends a rich and flavorful broth with generous portion of fresh tofu.The service is truly 5/5. It didn’t matter if the restaurant was full or empty, the ajummas always served you with a smile and made sure your banchans were replenished.After so many meals here, I can go on for a very long time about the great memories I’ve had at Surawon. But I’ll stop and let whoever is reading this make their own memories and hope that when I come back in a few years, this wonderful place is still around, unchanged.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Tofu Soup, Banchan, Beef Short Rib
These ladies work very hard to service patrons. Food here is amazing. Kimchi pancake is great as is the tofu soup! All the veggie sides are an A+
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5