As an avid lover of soondubu, Kaju has easily become one of my favorite restaurants in Irvine. There's something about the piping hot tofu soup that warms my soul. We came here on a weeknight and the place was packed. I got a dumpling tofu soup and loved every spoonful. To top it off, the banchan was fantastic. I am obsessed with the kimchi and the dried anchovies banchan. I happily will be a repeat customer of Kaju. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - DUMPLING Tofu Soup - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

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I especially enjoy their rich, flavorful soon tofu stews and well-prepared meats. My go-to order is the oyster soon tofu with a white broth (no spice). Since the banchan -- the complimentary Korean side dishes -- already provide spice and variety, there's no need to overpower the stew itself. The white broth lets you fully appreciate the natural briny sweetness of the oysters along with the depth of their house broth. Their spicy pork is also delicious: tender, well seasoned, and balanced with mild sweetness, spice, and savory flavor. Service is fast, and the ambiance is bright. The restaurant has comforting home-cooking vibes, so expect a lively noise level -- like family members chatting energetically around the dinner table. They also partner with Grubhub, and tonight I ordered takeout through GH. As a Korean American, I recommend this authentic Korean restaurant. Enjoy! read more

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The food was too good that i finished it before I remembered to take a picture. The sides were all very good. The kimchi was not too sour like some places. I got the bugolgi dish with a galbi soup. The bugolgi was not too sweet like most Korean restaurants. So definitely a thumbs up for me. I'll be coming back! Inside was nice and casual. Pretty clean. Service was quick. read more

good food and nice restaurant overall. i got the galbi soft tofu soup and it was really good, not too salty. the rice was made well, chewy and soft. all the side dishes paired well with the soup and the waiters refill it for you. the seafood pancake was also yummy. read more

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Great service, great food, great price! Everything was great, literally! I will definitely come back, with family, even without! I believe they have multiple locations but this one is spacious & clean. My husband & I were so satisfied that we even had the leftovers the following day and everything was still good! read more

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Lots of free plaza parking. Meant to go to another eatery but the wait was over an hour so opted for this place instead. The wait was less than 10 minutes. There's a tablet outside where you can put your name, phone number and party size to get in line. You'll get a text and call when your table is ready. There's a serving robot that brings dishes to your table which is cool. What I found interesting about this place is the lady that walks around with a cart to refill your banchan dishes instead of taking the dishes to the back to refill. This system is way more efficient, faster and more convenient. There's a tablet on each table to self place your order but it's very finicky and takes a while in order to answer all the questions. Easier if you just have your order taken by a human. We ordered the soondubu combo with bulgogi meat $29.99 for dinner which is a pretty good price. The beef rib bone soup was very good especially when hot. There's clear noodles inside which I love. The meat falls off the bone. Highly recommend if you're feeling like a nice hot bowl of soup. The seafood noodle soup was ok only. Good if you like seafood. There's some small shrimps, clams Etc inside. I wouldn't order it again. The variety of banchans were good. Burnt rice came in a metal bowl which is different since I'm used to it being served from a stone pot. Overall great meal, glad we drove here to try this place out even though it was unplanned. Would definitely come back! read more

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We came for lunch on Thursday afternoon. After adding ourselves to the wait list, we were seated just a few minutes later. The server kindly asked if it was okay to be placed at a large table. I said that was fine (more room for the banchan dishes!). The 2 of us split the Bulgogi a la carte and each ordered a Soft Tofu soup. I chose the seafood, which included clams, oysters, and shrimp. The soup came with an egg to scramble and mix in. We got a nice selection of cucumber kimchi, napa kimchi, bean sprouts, fish cake, and possibly shredded bean curd. It was fun to have the robot deliver the dish of bulgogi! Hot water added to the rice stone pot was a good way to end our meal and aid digestion. The shopping center parking lot is usually pretty full, but we found a space not too far away. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Assorted banchan - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Surprised I haven't written a review for Kaju yet! Definitely better than BCD in my opinion - better sides and flavor for sure. Parking can be a challenge on Friday and Saturday nights, but not too bad on weeknights. Waitlist on Yelp prior to arrival to cut down on your wait time! Typically I order a "Kaju special" combo, which comes with choice of tofu stew, stone rice, ban chan, and choice of meat (between pork, chicken, bulgogj, and kalbi). Sides are refillable, but they have a new policy now where you cannot take it to go - so eat as much as you can IN the restaurant. Service is prompt and no nonsense. Recently they've also installed these electronic tablets at every table to order from - making it even easier to order. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

Kaju Tofu offers solid Korean fare in a casual, modern setting with booth seating and digital ordering kiosks. The dolsot bibimbap arrived sizzling in a stone bowl with a crispy egg and perfectly charred rice on the bottom. The soft tofu soup was vibrant, spicy, and piping hot. Generous banchan selections including kimchi and seasoned vegetables rounded out the meal. Service is efficient and no-frills. Kaju Tofu delivers authentic Korean comfort food at reasonable prices. Great spot for hearty soondubu and bibimbap cravings. read more

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This is a popular Korean restaurant with various soups and rice dishes that you can customize. There is a touch pad to order at the table and you choose all of the ingredients and spice level. There are also a variety of complimentary appetizers that are refilled. The food was an extremely hot temperature, which I really appreciate because although it took a few minutes to cool down enough to eat, I much prefer it to just being warm. Especially for soup, I really want it hot. It was really good and I got the "spicy" level but I was fine. I could go up a notch next time. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Vegetable tofu soup with brown rice and spicy level. - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

- Experience (7.5/10) We came on a Friday afternoon and the parking lot was full, but I guess that was to be expected on New Year's weekend. Had to make some rounds before finally settling on a spot. Once we entered the restaruant, we were guided to the Yelp waitlist of which we were third or fourth. We wanted to make a lap around the area, but we barely turned one corner before we got the notification that our table was ready! The menu was designed fairly well and had everything succinctly printed out on a placemat. The prices are printed extremely small! Had to squint. Also it seemed that the menu on the screen had more "secret" options than those presented to us, as well as the prices in a more readable font. Once submitting our order on the screen (we both got a lunch special combo), our bonchon came out immediately as well as our eggs and rice which we requested. And when I say immediately, I mean within a couple seconds of pressing submit! However, once our food came out, we were not helped, checked on, or offered refills of water. Only once to refill our fish cake which we still had half a portion left. It seems that service is by request only. It also seems like they have a one-box policy for taking out left overs as we were not able to request more bonchon to go. - Ambiance (8/10) Simplistic decor, nothing overbearing to distract from the food or from the company. Typical business of a Korean restaurant in Irvine, with the extra added chaos of robotic servers wheeling around. - Food (8/10) The bonchon was delicious, especially the myeolchi bokkeum, which you don't see in many Korean restaurants in my experience. Usually kimchi can be too sweet, but this was perfect with the added bonus of tableside hand-cutting. The potato salad, bean sprouts, and cucumbers were not memorable. I ordered the kimchi beef soft tofu soup, spice level: spicy. As someone who wouldn't say they have an exceptionally strong spice tolerance, I found it to be mild, almost too palatable. I wanted, and expected, a little challenge, but it didn't deliver. In the end, the taste was great though. While the lunch combo did cost $25, I was easily able to get two meals out of it. Would recommend. 4 out of 5 stars. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Spicy Kimchi Beef Tofu Stew - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

Checked out the Irvine location of Kaju and it was so yummy! Ordered my favorite gopchang soft tofu as always with the galbi. Everything came out piping hot and fresh. The side dishes and galbi are great as usual, but just a little too sweet for my liking. I definitely think the Garden Grove location is a bit better especially for the soups since they are more beefy and flavorful there (it feels like they cook the broth with more bones at the GG location). Kaju overall is a great spot for soft tofu soup and the Irvine location does not have as long of a wait! read more

A great spot for tofu soup and other Korean dishes. This location has a Yelp waitlist available and the line can get very long. The parking lot for this place can get very crowded and it can be difficult to find parking that's close by. This location has all indoor seating. Every table has a small screen that you can order from. Many of the dishes have options to make them more customizable. The service is very minimal as some dishes are also brought out on their cat robot cart. The food comes out very quickly after it's ordered. Everything has very good flavor and my favorite is the oyster tofu soup. They give a generous amount of oysters and the soup is one of the most flavorful out of the options on the menu. Everything is very fresh and it makes for a very satisfying meal. read more

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I was in the area and wanting soondubu especially since it was a cold evening (cold by SoCal standards). Located in a plaza there was plenty of parking and it was early enough where there was no wait. Ordering was quickly done on the table iPad and the food came out surprising fast. I'd also like to commend the good amount of banchan as well as quick refills. I definitely got what I wanted and more with the assorted tofu soup with seafood and rice cake dumpling soup. Surprisingly I liked the dumpling soup the best, very pleasant broth flavor and had just the right amount of items in the soup. If I'm in the area again, I would definitely return! read more

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Kaju at Heritage Plaza delivers a consistently good experience every time I visit. The food quality has been reliable across all of my visits. My favorite order is the Kalbi combo with Intestine Tofu Soup. The side dishes are always tasty and freshly prepared, and the rice is consistently cooked perfectly which makes the whole meal come together nicely. The seating is usually quick unless you arrive between 7 and 9 on weekends when the wait times can pick up. The service is pretty decent overall. They recently transitioned to ordering directly from the table through a kiosk, which is a nice improvement. I do wish payment could be completed on the device as well, but it is understandable. Parking is the biggest hurdle here. Heritage Plaza is notoriously difficult no matter what time you arrive, so it helps to plan ahead or be prepared to circle for a bit. read more

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Whenever I'm in town I come here. Hi tech service (a robot). The cucumber Kim Chi is to kill for. Love it.

I love Kaju Soft Tofu -- it's always my go-to spot when I'm craving a warm, comforting bowl of soup. But lately I'm not sure what's going on. On Saturday I ordered takeout for the seaweed tofu soup, and there was no seaweed at all. This isn't the first time, either -- every time I order it lately, there's never any seaweed in the soup. I'm not sure if they're under new management or if something changed in the kitchen, but I've definitely noticed a difference. Other than that, I absolutely love this place. It's just a shame because this used to be my favorite soup on the menu. I really hope they bring it back to how it used to be! read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

Yeap... been here several times and there's a reason for that. Food is fantastic! Lunch combos are usually the best to get a little of everything. Just be mindful that the sides can also fill you up so don't over order. One of my favorite experience of this meal is cracking the egg into the boiling sea food soup. It's just delicious with the way the egg cooks. Their kimchi and cucumber is also a favorite side. I tend to empty these sides quick. Kalbi is tender and juicy with every bite. Wash that down with full body son tofu soup and it's just magic. FYI, peak hours like lunch or dinner can get hectic and noisy. I would recommend you place your name on the waitlist early. Also, as there is a large parking lot in this center, there are also other popular establishments as well. This mean parking is going to be tricky during peak hours of lunch and dinner. Carpool if you can. Delicious food and great experience. Can't wait to visit next time! read more

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I came here for lunch, and unfortunately, the service was really disappointing. I ordered through the tablet, but my banchan was brought to the table next to me by mistake. When the server realized it, she literally grabbed the egg dish from that lady's table to give it to me. The poor lady was shocked and tried to hold on to her food--I was just as stunned and felt super awkward. I had joined the waitlist on Yelp before coming in. Once seated, I noticed that all the servers looked stressed and overwhelmed, handling way too many tables. They seemed exhausted, rarely smiled, and were hard to find when needed. That said, the tofu soup with galbi was extremely tasty, which saved the experience a bit--hence the three stars instead of fewer. Honestly, with the long line of people waiting to dine in, the owner really needs to hire more staff. Cutting corners on service quality takes away from what could otherwise be a great dining experience. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

I went during the day and not during the busy hours so not sure how the crowd usually is for dinner. But it's much bigger than the OG GG location. I also like that each table here has a tablet so you can either order through there or with a lady. Service is so nice at Kaju, both here and at GG. I like food here and it's pretty consistent with what I'm used to with Kaju. Very clean also and plenty of parking! read more

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Came here with my family after the dodgers game about a month ago. 3/4 people ordered soondubu jiggae while my mom ordered bibimbap. The portion size was typical of most places, and I liked that my jiggae wasn't too salty. However, I distinctly remember feeling uncomfortably pressured to leave due to other customers waiting to be seated. So that's where I would knock my points off. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Met up with friends visiting from Seattle, and we were one of the first couples to arrive. The staff was accommodating and set us up with a large table that fit six adults and two strollers comfortably. Kaju reminds me a lot of BCD. My husband ordered the octopus tofu soup, while I went with the combo tofu soup and galbi. The hostess was friendly at first, but when we asked our server for another set of banchan (since we were three couples and thought it would make sense to have one set per couple), she became upset and scolded the server in front of us, which felt uncomfortable. The ambiance is your typical Korean tofu house- casual and straightforward. Both the galbi and soups were flavorful and satisfying, but the negative interaction with the hostess left a lasting impression we didn't expect. read more

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Kaju Soft Tofu is my go to quick K-BBQ option. Monday thru Friday they have great lunch specials and I usually get "C", soft tofu soup, galbi, and and a bottomless assortment of banchan. For my soup I choose beef dumpling tofu soup (spicy). Service is fast and efficient and they refill the banchan on a steady basis. I love that I am usually one of the few non-Koreans in there. It gives me confidence the food is more authentic than not. read more

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Kaju Tofu is a great spot to meet up with friends for a relaxed dinner. The service really stood out. Our servers were attentive and made sure we never ran out of side dishes, which made the whole experience feel welcoming and well taken care of. I ordered the beef tofu bowl and thought it was very good. I went with very spicy, though it did not quite hit the level of heat I was expecting. If you are familiar with BCD Tofu House, that is a solid comparison in terms of style and comfort. The atmosphere is casual and perfect for catching up over a warm, satisfying meal. Definitely a place I would come back to, especially for the service and shared dining experience. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Pro tip! Join waitlist on Yelp before heading over. We waited about 10 minutes for a table for 2 on a Saturday night at 6pm. At first we were given a very small table but we asked if we could get a second table and they were happy to make it happen. You order on a tablet. The hot food took a VERY long time to come out but the side dishes and rice came out quickly. I ordered the mushroom tofu soup add galbi for $2.50 medium spicy and it was delicious. I probably could have gone a little spicier. I also had some of my friend's galbi since she ordered the tofu soup and galbi combo. read more

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This might be my new go-to spot when I'm craving Korean food! I fancied some hot soup for my throat and ordered the tofu soup. We also got the galbi which was delicious. My kids loved the noodles. Ordering is via a mini screen on the table. And some of our food came out on a cat robot which was very entertaining for the kids! Parking can get crazy and there are long wait lines at peak hours. read more

Servers are slow then during check out, they hold the tip machine in front of you and closely look if you give a tip or not. The lowest pre-set amount is also 18% with the highest being 25%. Are you kidding me? read more

Service was okay, you order everything thru a tablet located on the table. Was super busy on a Saturday night which could be the reason why our waiter took forever or forgot about us. The food was decent and the place itself was clean and maintained. I do highly recommend adding yourself to the Yelp waitlist if you know you're planning on going there to eat. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

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I wanted chicken soup and chicken cutlets and found the other kaju soft tofu location in Irvine but my hubby think this one is the authentic one? Is the other one copy cat or 2nd Irvine branch. Came at 530pm Friday to beat the rush. No wait Food: 5 out of 5 awesome ! Banchan selection is one of the best around Omg. Get the grilled flatfish. Pic attached. So crispy. Yummmmm! Menu: (for non pork or beef ppl) I really like the options here. There's 2 kinds of fish. Flatfish and mackerel. Chicken soup. This is Why I pick this restaurant out of the other Korean restaurants Wish there's chicken cutlet though. Why is it always just pork cutlet in Korean restaurants Speed: Banchan came 3 min after we ordered yay Ambiance Family oriented, clean, soft wood color, air conditioning is strong. Yay! read more

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Before coming back down to Orange County, one of the things that I knew I had to eat was some tasty Korean food. After not getting any the last time I was down here, it was a must this go around! The only problem? The fact we were specifically craving soon doobu and the inevitably long lines at BCD. So, after perusing our alternatives in my trusty Yelp app, we opted to check out the equally well regarded Kaju! As we stepped inside the restaurant, we were actually pretty stoked to see nary a wait for a table ahead of us. What's more, it's awesome how spacious this place is, as there's more than enough seating to handle groups both large and small. What's more, the menu is pretty enticing. Despite how their selection of options is somewhat typical (over a dozen varieties of soft tofu soup, the staple BBQ meats, and a mix of other Korean soups, noodle soups, and plates), the photos of everything they have looked pretty solid. So good, in fact, that I was super tempted to get more even though we weren't super hungry. -- HAEMUL PAJEON - Korean Style Assorted Seafood Pancake Ehh...not bad, but nothing special either. On the one hand, the portion was pretty generous and there was a lot of green onions and seafood in this. On the other, parts of the center were slightly burnt yet not very firm or crunchy either. -- BANCHAN AND FISH Major points not only for offering Corvina/Croaker, but also because it was so tasty! As for the banchan, all of them were great, but the kimchi and fishcakes were particularly awesome. Honestly, the latter was one of the best I've had ANYWHERE. -- KAJU SPECIAL COMBO #C - GALBI Honestly, this could've been perfect. The cuts of galbi were super thick and meaty and I really liked the marinade. Given that, it was such a bummer how oddly pale every piece was - a bit more browning/char on this would've added so much more flavor. -- KAJU SPECIAL COMBO #C - SMALL SOFT TOFU (Seafood) This looked rather standard, but I thought it was pretty good. The soup had a nice body to it, there were big chunks of tofu, and I liked how this had a fair amount of shrimp, oyster, and clam in it. Plus, this had just the right amount of kick to it (ordered it "spicy"). Much like with the food, service here was mostly fine, except for an awkward exchange regarding their policy about taking any leftover banchan. As we packed what we had left with the rest of our food, a worker rushed over to tell us customers aren't allowed to take them home. I assume it's because a lot of folks ask for seconds just to box it up, so I can understand the intent. However, we never asked for more - that same worker offered to refill them halfway into our meal. So, in our case, why offer instead of just waiting until if/when we asked and then let us know? If nothing else, we wouldn't have had to get scolded for taking something they were going to toss anyways. That weird incident aside, it's not hard to see why Kaju Soft Tofu is a convenient, go-to spot in the area. Their menu is comparable to BCD's (to some degree), but without the long lines and with a lot more parking. However, as delicious as the fish cake banchan and corvina were, that one worker and the tone behind their "I'll make an exception...this time" comment left a bad taste in our mouths. THREE AND A HALF STARS rounded down. read more

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This was amazing! Beef tofu and bulgogi and it hit the spot. Service was great. Def will be back.

I ordered beef and tofu. The beef was very fatty, maybe I just don't know how to order! It was really good read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Feeling Korean food - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

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When I come here with my daughter, we usually get our usual favorite, which is soft tofu soup and kalbi combo. The portion is good enough for the two of us and usually there won't be any leftovers to deal with. However, tonight we decided to go out of our usual favorites and ordered hot stone beef bulgogi bibimbap and kalbitang. Both dishes have great portions and are delicious. Beef bulgogi bibimbap is very simple, beef bulgogi and some veggies. My daughter enjoyed it and even took the leftovers to school the next day.The kalbi tang came with 3 big beef ribs and the broth was very tasty. The dipping sauce is a little lacking and I prefer Tang 190 or Seoul Haus's dipping sauce over the Kaju's. But tastewise, I really like the deep flavor of Kaju's kalbitang and the generous 3 big beef ribs. If you want something different than the usual soft tofu, definitely try the hot stone and soup dishes. Service was awesome. Water was served as soon as we sat down. It was very easy to use the iPad to order food. Once the order was placed, the side dishes would be rolling in quickly. The main dishes would be followed as well. Please note these special dishes took a little bit to prepare compared to the soft tofu but it's a nice variety to try besides the usual soft tofu. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Beef Bulgogi Bibimbap 불고기돌솥 - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

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One of my absolute favorite Korean soft tofu places in the OC. The service is quick and prompt. They have a great selection of Banchan and change it up from time to time. Prices are super reasonable. I always order fried shrimp (I love the coconut flavor and not greasy at all & always hot!), kimchi tofu soup with pork at very spicy spicy level with galbi ribs and of course soju & beer. read more

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Dine-in is better than takeout. The takeout spice level was more diluted than their dine-in and Kaju (Walnut) takeout. Inconsistency in soup colors even though it's all the same spice level. Takeout tofu soup was noticeably heavy with green onion, which threw off the balance. Takeout doesn't include the egg. The fried dumplings were average and probably the one item I could've passed on. read more

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Food was great! We ate there today and there were 13 of us. Service was fast. We'll be coming back

Craving tofu soup after running some errands in the area. All the aunties worker were super welcoming I was dining in alone and choosing the bulgogi + tofu soup combo which comes with the famous stone pot rice. The food came quick. Unfortunately this time the beef bulgogi was way too sweet. I couldn't enjoy. It was tasted sweet even though I was eating it with rice. The highlight of my dining was the anchovies side dish. The way they made it was phenomenal, I even asked the refill only on that dish. While the Tofu Soup was great as usual, this time I ordered spicy. read more

Kaju Soft Tofu Restaurant - Side Dishes - Korean Near Me - Irvine, California

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We came here as a party of three and got seated quickly with no wait. We ordered two tofu soup combos with Galbi and bulgogi, which was plenty of food and great portions. The side dishes were tasty and diverse. Overall, it's a bustling casual tofu soup house that has a lively vibe. read more

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Didn't realize this was also related to garden grove location (which I think is better) Tofu soup is pretty comparable! Galbi was okay here though. Good spot to come in a pinch if you're craving soondubu. I think I would still prefer this place over BCD. they do not give you fish here though. read more

Meeting our friend for dinner around Irvine. She told us this place is new and petty good. Parking: plenty of free shared retail parking We ordered mostly: Different type of soon tofu Kalbi meat Bulgogi meat Free banchan Food is pretty good. The restaurant is clean and nice. read more

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