They don't serve complementary water. They have bottled water available. Not sure you had to pay for it. They don't offer second round of banchan(sidedish) refill either. However I would still go back for their homemade tofu and makgeolli. Ordered Chodang best combo #1($65.95). Spicy soft tofu stew, bulgogi, tofuyaki... they were all delicious. Panfried croaker fish to come with combo was really good. This combo was good enough to feed 4 people if you order extra stone pot rice. Freshly cooked stonepot rice is another bonus. They pour water in a stonepot after they serve you rice. Koreans enjoy brown crusted rice soaked in water with their meals. read more

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I've been coming to Cho Dang for over 10 years. I don't live close by anymore, so my visits have been a lot less frequent, but I don't think I've gone a year without visiting them at least once, even during the pandemic. I've never tried a single entree other than their soon tofu stews. I've had their toasted mandu, as well as their various tofu appetizers, but I've never had their bento boxes or bibimbaps. That's how good their tofu stews are - I've just never been compelled to try anything else. Your order typically comes with typical Korean side dishes - kimchi, bean sprouts, some tofu, fish tofu, etc. Your meal also typically comes with a small fried fish - I'm not sure what kind of fish this is, but I've seen it served at other Korean restaurants as well. I'm also not sure if this is served with entrees other than the tofu stews. That said, the fish tends to be on the salty side, but can be a nice appetizer for the stew ahead. I've tried all the variations of the tofu stew that Cho Dang offers (e.g., beef, pork, dumpling, seafood, mixed, etc.). My go-to is the beef stew, for simplicity, but the others are good as well depending on your taste and preference. I've always found the stew flavourful, especially if you try not to shy away from the spice level, but I've definitely experienced times when it felt watered down - it's unfortunate that it's not perfectly consistent. The tofu stew comes with rice cooked in a stone bowl. The rice in the stone bowl is scooped into a separate bowl for you, and the stone bowl is then filled with hot water to create kind of a roasted rice tea (sungnyung). You can choose to drink this, or not - I find that it's nice for a few sips but ultimately it's just rice water. I've grown accustomed to scraping the bits of rice off the bowl to eat with the rest of my tofu stew. The restaurant itself is your quintessential hole in the wall. It's very nondescript, and the space isn't very big. Even in the best of times, they could seat maybe 6 tables at a time. They wouldn't be able to handle any more tables anyways - the place is run by a husband and wife pair, without any other help. As other reviews have noted, the service can be hit or miss. Over the years, the owner that manages the front of house has acted increasingly curmudgeonly. However, if you look past that, you'll see that she's simply trying to keep things moving along and to be efficient. That said, while I'm a bit intimidated by her, I still keep coming back. read more

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2.3/5 This is review on soontofu jjigae and fried croaker take out. It's rare to see house made chodang soontofu place in toronto so I was pretty excited about this place. The place was close without any announcement so I had make 3 attempt to finally try their house made chodang soontofu jjigae. Chodang soontofu jjigae was 2.1/5. It was nice to try fresh chodang soontofu in toronto but extreme lack of seafood(frozen) in my soontofu jjigae was bit annoying. Many chodang soontofu are usually don't get a chance to form large pieces so I wasn't mad about how unformed my soontofu was. However, due to firming solution(salt+vinegar), my jjigae had little too much vinegary flavor. I'm not a huge fan of this as it interrupt overall flavor of jjigae little too much. So I was bit disappointed with this dish. If I go back again, I might try stronger flavour like beef ver. and see if that help balancing out firming solution flavour. Fried croaker was 2/5. Very thin small croaker. It was very good to pair with soontofu jjigae but it was way too small to the point that there wasn't much to enjoy. I recommend you to order one per person. Take out came with three banchans(side dishes). I didn't try them but according from my friend, they were quite good. Overall, it was nice nostalgic chodang tofu experience. Wish the food was done in little more quality but I understand that everyone is struggling with supply and inflation issue so I will give them few more tries to give them more accurate review in a future. read more

Doesn't look very nice from street view, but this is hidden gem for soon tofu. my family has been coming here for years and they love the soon tofu. I decided to order the bento box this time around and it was on par to the soon tofu. The fried fish appetizers and the the dishes with kimchi are always delicious, however beware the staff can get grumpy if you ask for seconds! I recommend ordering the fried or fresh tofu- this is delicious and you won't be disappointed !! food is very authentic and wait can be long sometimes especially for dinner read more

Cho Dang Soon Tofu - Bulgogi Bento box - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

So my rant is just about the take out for this restaurant. So they obviously listed that they do take out on their window, but when I called, they lady hung up on me after tell me "no take out over phone". Came to the restaurant to order, they have menus for people to take away for take out order . Had to wait about 20 mins to pick it up. I asked for less spicy and pretty much got just tofu broth with seafood. No, I kid you not, the broth tasted like tofu water without salt.... Never coming back again... this is total bullshit! read more

Cho Dang Soon Tofu - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It was just a couple of years ago that I was introduced to Korean tofu soup, and I'm not sure if there's anywhere in the GTA that does the dish as well as Cho Dang Soon Tofu. We arrived around lunchtime on a weekend and the place was surprisingly uncrowded. (It's been far busier on other visits.) I knew walking in that I wanted to order one of their Soon Tofu Bowls, so I decided to go with their namesake: the Chodang (with beef). We were first presented with the various accompaniments one expects from a Korean joint, with the kimchi certainly an obvious standout. (It was flavorful without being pungent, and pleasantly spicy.) The soup arrived shortly after, and, as expected, it was still bubbling in its stone bowl. We also received purple rice to go with the meal, so I poured a little soup atop that and initially ate it that way. (It was a good 15 minutes or so before the soup had cooled down enough to be edible.) Anyway, the soup is quite tasty. It's packed with silky pieces of tofu and (somewhat questionable) pieces of beef, and though it's not the most flavorful dish you'll ever eat, there's an undercurrent of deliciousness that grows on you as you eat it. (The spice factor doesn't hurt, either.) The surly waitress notwithstanding, Cho Dang Soon Tofu is definitely a must for fans of Korean tofu soup. read more

Over the past five or six years I have been here over a dozen times and still love coming back. Especially on a cold day, this wonderful Korean gem of a place will warm you to the core! This place is not fancy and as the sign on the fridge says. They make food to be good quality and are willing to sacrifice taste. However I think it tastes great every time. Today we had two salmon soon tofu bowls and the toasted dumplings. Everything is so fresh and made with great ingredients. You can actually taste the goodness in every bite. They actually make their own fresh tofu here from organic non-gmo soy beans and it is amazing. For those who are new to Korean fare, the meal starts with a fried fish which is just perfectly cooked. You get one each. You can order some appetizers like the toasted dumplings (think Korean perogies, or gyoza). They are cooked crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Careful, as they do come very hot. You can also get them boiled only, but toasted is better. And you usually get sprouts kimchi, tofu and other little bowls for extra flavours. The soon tofu bowls are hot and have tofu in them. Surprise! Ours had salmon which is more expensive but, so tasty. The soup can be mild, medium or spicy and I would always recommend the medium or spicy as you get another bowl of hot water with rice and can always add some water if yours is too spicy. You also get an egg that you crack into your soup and it cooks in the bubbling broth. Other varieties include pork, mushroom, kimchi, seafood and other soon tofu bowls. You also get purple rice with the bowl. I like to throw it into the soup, some people like it on the side. And if you are wondering, it is a combination of white and another rice that gives it the magical colour. Warm, delicious, hearty and definitely filling. You will not be disappointed. On a funny note. One lady and I believe her husband in the back do it all. So service may be a little slow and she does have an interesting attitude but I like it. Some may be put off by it. So just a little warning. In a quirky way I think it adds to the experience! read more

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I've heard a lot of people recommend this spot for soon tofu in the west end so I thought I'd give it a shot as it's a lot closer to me than heading to k-town! What attracted me to this spot was that they make their own tofu so it seemed fresh. I didn't call in advance and walked in. The restaurant was open for dining but there were no tables filled (unsure if they turn people away or due to the pandemic). I stood by the cash for a bit and no one noticed me there. I believe they were busy trying to fulfill UberEats orders. Finally one of the owners noticed me and quickly came out to take my order. I did notice other reviews mention the lukewarm personality of the owners. I thought the lady was okay. Language was a barrier but she understood what I wanted. I ordered a mixed soon tofu and she mentioned it would be 20 mins. Was a bit shocked but I figure they were busy. I went out to sit in my car and luckily she came out 15 mins or less with my order. Overall I thought the dish tasted okay, it was slightly bland but it wasn't to bad. I still think I will give it another shot another day and try something different. A lot of people recommend ordering other tofu dishes so I'll perhaps try that next. read more

I love Korean food - gamjatang, bibimbap, pancakes, dumplings, rice wine - but I had no idea what soon tofu was. But after reading all the great reviews here, we decided to go for it! And I must say - where have you been all my life soon tofu?! I had the dumpling soon tofu which came with purple rice and fried fish and it was so so so very good. They also give you an egg which you need to break and stir into the steaming hot bowl so you get a poached egg and creamy, think sauce. Nom nom nom. I still don't exactly know what soon tofu is - soup, tofu, rice, whatever - all I know is that it is a bowl of yumminess and deliciousness that I still dream about days after I had it. Maybe I should go again tomorrow... PS: I would have given 5 stars if not for the slightly slow service the night we were there. But hey, it was well worth the wait! read more

Cho Dang Soon Tofu - Dumpling soon tofu - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The thing to order here is any of their soontofu. Bibimbap is decent too, but my real enjoyment is in their stews! Personally, I'm not really big on katsu/schnitzel meals, so I don't order them. However, I do notice that their Eastern European clientele tend to order these dishes. Again, I like slightly more balanced meals, so I skip this section of the menu! Yesterday, I ordered Spicy Chicken Bento. And although I loved the other elements that came with the bento, particularly their tofuyaki/yam makis (side salad is also very fresh), I wasn't totally in love with their Spicy Chicken. Note: It actually is spicy and there's lots of it! A good 2-3 servings for me, so I took the rest as a takeout. What I'm not fond of in their Spicy/Teriyaki Chicken is the cut of chicken that they use. I think it's dark meat which also includes the skin, some fat/gristle. So going forward, I think I'll stick to one of their homey stews and if I'm really, really hungry, an app of their tofuyaki! read more

Cho Dang Soon Tofu - Chicken Teriyaki Bento - $8.99 - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Great place for delicious silky soon tofu soup and rice meals! I really like to and always start with the yaki tofu. Then I usually go for the seafood or oyster soontofu. Taste delicious and very cozy place. Recommended! read more

Cho Dang Soon Tofu - Side dishes! - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I promised to take my Mother for Korean food in Etobicoke on a Monday. Cho Dang Soon Tofu is one of the few Etobicoke Korean venues that is open on a Monday, and it won our business by default. The reviews for the Cho Dang's service have been lukewarm at best, and, at worst, describe the service as downright hostile! Cho Dang is a true family-run place, with the husband doing all the cooking and his wife as the sole server, receptionist and basically everyone other than the cook. Some of the reviews made "The Lady", as I will call her, sound terrifying. I told my mother this, and she just said, "Remember what it's like to be in a new country. We should eat there and have patience." I know Mother can roll with the punches, even if the service isn't so great .... and I was actually rather curious check it out. I looked up their menu prior to visiting and discovered that they serve Kongbijijjigae (tofu dregs stew), which is one of my favorites, and not that easy to find. When we got there, we were met by the formidable Lady herself, and she seated us rather curtly, referring to me as "sir" when she answered a question that I had about the menu. Apparently, they weren't offering Kongbijijjigae that night, but she recommended the Tofu stew instead. My mother observed that The Lady was quite friendly and smiley with Korean people, and Mother concluded, "It's just a language barrier. She's really a friendly person." Well, my mother was all sunshine and unicorns after that, joking around with The Lady, who quickly and visibly warmed to us. My mother accidentally spilled some water, and she and The Lady joked about how it was "The Mother, not The Daughter." So we ended up having a positive experience at Cho Dang. One word of advice: when you order, grab a take-out menu and circle the things that you want. Do your research before you come, because The Lady does not easily answer questions in English. Think of it as an authentically Korean experience. As for the food (which is, for me, the important part) was very good. The Soon Tofu stew is fantastic and the tofu itself is house made and very fresh. Both my mother and I enjoyed it's fresh flavor, so we ordered it fried as well as plain with sauce. My son ordered spicy chicken, which we brought home for him. He rated it as "Ok, but Chaban's is better." For Soon Tofu and Stews, I would rate ChoDang very highly. The service, as we found out, can be OK if you give The Lady a chance and a few kind words. My Mother and I will be visiting again to satisfy our tofu cravings. read more

My family and I have been coming here for years. ChoDang soon tofu consistently delivers delicious food made with quality ingredients in a clean and cozy setting. Not to mention the prices are very reasonable. The made in-house tofu is second to none! As vegetarians, it is challenging to find Korean restaurants with so many options on the menu. The Tofu Yaki, Veggie Dumplings and Kimchi Or Mushroom Soon Tofu bowls are just some of the standout dishes. So so good! read more

Just decided to stop by this place on my lunch break and was immensely disappointed. The miso soup I got at first was horrible. It tasted like dish water. I've never tasted a worse miso soup. I ordered a bulgogi bento box that came with bulgogi, rice, salad, yam roll and tofu costing 20$ after tax. Which is crazy because everything in it was okay at best. The tofu tasted a bit funky and the bulgogi was chewy and dry. The salad, yam roll and rice were okay but in all honestly how could anyone mess those things up. I do not recommend this place to anyone. What a shame. read more

Chodang is a little restaurant that doesn't seat many and it's usually pretty busy (unless you go on a weeknight) because it's gaining popularity everyday. They are known for making their own tofu in the back of the restaurant. They sell the tofu seperately as well. Their menu is simple enough to read since it's in Korean and English. They don't have a lot of variety but most people that go there eat the Soontofu (tofu stew). The portions are for one person and it's definitely enough but if you're hungry enough, you can try the boiled or toasted dumplings! As with all Korean meals, it comes with side dishes that include fried fish, cold tofu, bean sprouts, kimchi and sometimes tofuyaki if the restaurant is not busy. I ordered the pork soontofu and Monica ordered the oyster soontofu. Each bowl of soontofu comes with a raw egg that you can break into the stew to make it thicker if you want. You can choose how spicy you want the stew to be. She prepares the rice into a separate bowl and then pours hot tea into the stone pot to loosen the rice. You eat the soaked rice at the end and it's good for digestion. The price including tax and tip is around $10 for each bowl of soontofu and it keeps you very full and is a great source of protein. It's definitely a place worth checking out as it's the BEST soontofu in Toronto. We go every couple of months with famiyl and friends. read more

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I've been here four times and have ordered the Soon Tofu Bowl with beef every time. I'm sure the other things they serve are great, but somehow I can't order anything else... It comes to the table piping hot and NEVER cools down. On a cold day, it's the best way to warm up. On a warm day, you end up a touch overheated... But always satisfied! So good. Can't wait for winter! read more

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My friend and I were craving soon tofu soup so we came here as she lives just down the street from the restaurant. I was a bit wary because of the mixed reviews and my friend did warn me before going in that service can be a little bit of hit or miss. So I went into it with lowered expectations, which is maybe why I came out pretty satisfied. As soon as we went in, the lady (who seemed to be the only employee there) greeted us from behind the counter and directed us to our table. The menus are posted on the walls and she came by pretty quickly to ask us for our orders. Luckily, I always order the same thing at soon tofu places and we ordered - a seafood soon tofu soup for my friend and dumpling soon tofu for me. She also brought out three side dishes - kimchi, pickled radish, and soy bean sprouts. In addition, she brought out some small deep fried fish that was so good that I wish I could have had more. The soup came with the typical things you get at other soon tofu places - a raw egg to crack into your soup as well as a hot pot of rice that the lady scooped out into a bowl and poured hot water into the hot pot. I, personally, don't like the toasty rice in the hot pot after the water is poured so I wish she had scooped more of the rice into my bowl. However, portion-wise it was more than enough and super filling. Taste-wise I really like this tofu place. They say they make their tofu in house and I guess it did have a different texture than other restaurants (though I don't know if I would have noticed if I didn't read the sign). The thing I really liked about their soup, however, was that it didn't taste overly salty and didn't leave that residue on my tongue that I get from other restaurants. I also didn't get the typical food coma that I usually get when I eat at other restaurants with a lot of MSG in their soon tofu. Also, for my dumpling soon tofu they used the small round water dumplings that, in my opinion, are much tastier than the half moon dumplings other places use. Overall, the place is super modest and probably doesn't have as friendly, clean, or fast service as other places. However, it's also not bad and was relatively clean. I didn't feel the service was slow, and the food was definitely worth the $25 for the two soups after tax and tip. Add in the fried fish and it was more than worth it. I would definitely come back here especially when I visit my friend. read more

This is my favourite restaurant for soon tofu. Their tofu so soft and delicious, and there's always a generous portion of it in the soup. They also offer a great variety of soon tofu, ranging from mushrooms to seafood to dumplings. If you are especially hungry, I highly recommend the tofuyaki, deep fried tofu smothered in sweet soy sauce, black and white sesame seeds and green onion. Eat it while it's crispy and piping hot! Great food aside, the service is seriously lacking (and this has been repeatedly noted here). If you come during peak lunch hour, be ready to be frustrated while waiting for upwards of an hour. There's only one old lady working the front of the restaurant, and it's way too much for her to handle. Between taking orders, delivering the food, cleaning up tables and taking money, service slows down tremendously. Even when tables are vacated, it takes her at least 15 minutes to clear them before a new group can sit down. When you finally get to order, everything else speeds up. Food comes quickly and it's obvious that the slow turnover is not the kitchen's fault. The main caveat is only come here if you have the patience. read more

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Quaint mom and pop shop. Service is not exciting but efficient. Side order of one small fish, was very nicely fried with a light crisp outer shell. Tofu was silkie smooth and tasted homemade. Would come again if I were in the neighborhood but wouldn't necessarily cross town for. read more

Cho Dang Soon Tofu - Chicken katsu- very saucy - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Authentic Korean food (owned by Koreans for what I observed) specializing in variations of tofu soups and bento boxes. Place is indeed bare-bones but has a cozy ambience. The soups are spicy and hearty and served boiling to accompany the raw eggs and purple rice. The traditional side dishes includes a small fried fish which is I think unique. The kimchi tofu soup I ordered was once unbearably salty that I could not continue eating. I would return however for other dishes. Otherwise, general favourable reviews for each time I've visited. read more

Cho Dang Soon Tofu - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I haven't been here in a while but everything was still the same. Even the price! 7.99 for soon dofu made of home made tofu with a tasty fried fish, still 4/5 just don't expect too much conversation with the lady owner /server unless ur a senior Korean lol read more

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I didn't have the same experience as traveller T. I went with a toddler (2.5 yrs) and the lady was very friendly with him, playing with him (even though she could not speak much English). They aren't very fast since it seems like she is the only one working the tables, she barely has time to visit you so we definitely didn't feel any of the pressure that traveller T felt. Food-wise it is okay. The Soon Tofu which should be the crowning glory considering the crazy rave Toronto Life review was just okay. I found the soup itself to not have much flavor, although I'm sure the tofu itself is very fresh. I like the Soon Tofu place at Bloor/Christie better. The selection of banchan is quite interesting and good. The toasted dumplings are probably the best dish here. read more

Worst Korean restaurant ever in my life as bad service and horrible taste!!! I wish I can give zero star instead of 1 start! Its so hard to be a bad restaurant because most of restaurant have a good service with bad taste or amazing taste with bad service. It can't be together Bad taste+Bad service!!! I'm wondering how they can keep their business like that. But I'm going to write my first restaurant review after I tasted of hell and experienced of hell in this restaurant . Go there if you are a horrible cooker like I am. Then you will be so proud of yourself as a Master chef and found your new talent from cooking. This restaurant has these... 1. Bad service with no greeting & bad attitude 2. Washroom was really mess and dirty 3. Playing Radio + Korean Drama at the same time is too annoying !!! I cant even have a conversation. 4. Food is horrible. First I'm a Korean and I know what is original Sundubu taste from Korea. (tofu soup) Their raw uncooked Tofu taste better than cooked tofu soup!!! Their soup tastes like they put so much butter inside of soup. no pepper no garlic no onion no fish soup base no vegetables at all.. Its like they just put tofu with small beef ground meat with orange color on it. And all he banchan (small dishes) was so salty include Kimchi. I know Korean food is quite salty and Koreans love Salton food. But it was way to salty and too much sauce for chicken katsu. Almost like chicken katsu sauce soup... chicken katsu tastes like a old chicken and smelled so bad even with the sauce. They dont know about food business at all. First I asked waitress about food and i told her the soup doesnt taste anything it tastes like butter +water + tofu +beef. So I asked the waitress about soup and asked if she can give me some pepper powder so I can put some and she said " No. Our food doesnt have any MSG. Thats why it tastes like something is missing or not taste right. Yes.. you are giving me healthy soup but you gave me 1kg of salt for kimchi. Thank you for worrying about my health and try to cover up nicely your cooking skill. Nobody want to spend money for buttery water soup for Korean food. She told me its healthier without MSG but!!!!! She said a lot of her client asked her same questions like i asked. ??????? Yes for sure a lot of Korean asked her what the fu** is this soup. Don't try to say to me this is healthy food I'm health enough to eat junk food or whatever what I want. All the food was so super salty except the soup It was lunch time but nobody was there.. Now I know why. Never go there again. read more

I honestly don't know where all these good reviews are coming from. Been here twice and I had the same experience both times. - Super slow service that borders on rude: we arrived and waited for a clean table. There was only one woman serving four tables, cashing someone out and she was bringing out the food. After a rather longish wait for her to clear off one table (probably 15 minutes) she removed the old plates. No wipe down of the table. I would have wiped it down but there were no napkins and the other tables were all dirty as well. We sat and waited some more. Eventually we got place mats and cutlery. No menu. Eventually we got menus. To put this into perspective, it is a fairly small establishment. There's maybe 7-8 tables only, to wait almost 25 mins to get a menu when the restaurant is half empty is poor service/too long of a wait time/signs of inadequate staffing. She came to take our order. On the menu it says indicate level of spice. I said extra spicy and my friend said mild, she shook her head and just walked away. We were confused. Did she hear us? Did she understand what we ordered? Why did she shake her head? We gave her the benefit of doubt, and would wait to see. Food comes out. Our orders are wrong: my food is mild, my friend's food is spicy. So I asked the server for hot sauce, and the lady says "no" and motions her hand like she's telling us to go away and walks away. Unsure if she just didn't understand, we switched dishes bc it would be easier than dealing w the worst server ever. Soon after we asked for more water and one sprout appetizer and she did it again, saying "NO" more clearly, same hand gesture. Clearly she understood what we were asking. WTF. The restaurant is empty except us at this point. Not sure how she functions as a server and are flabbergasted at why ppl eat here. If it makes you feel better, there's a water cooler that you can get your own water from at the front if the restaurant. - Mediocre food. The apps are flavourless. The fried fish is a nice touch but aggressively salty, we didn't eat ours. Our dishes weren't good. The seafood Soon tofu was minimal (one small shrimp, one mussel) and the dumplings are disintegrated in my friend's dish. We had the toasted dumplings and they were greasy, with huge air pockets after the meat. Half way into our dishes, she brings out our rice which is supposed to be served with the dish. At this point, we aren't surprised and just want to get this meal over with. I love Korean food and this was hardly up to standard. Korean food is substantially better in, quite literally, almost every way in other restaurants throughout the Annex and North York. I think the positive reviews may be coming from the fact that there are few Korean establishments in the area giving this place a bit of a monopoly. The food just is not good here. No way is this place worthy of a trip just to dine here. Restaurant- outdated. In the middle of a strip mall type this. The kitchen, where they make the tofu, is absolutely filthy. I don't see how it could be sanitary. Especially considering their apparent lack of human resources in serving and in the kitchen. I saw one person in the back preparing the food. The bathrooms are tiny and it was rather dirty in there as well. Overall, poor experience in food and especially service. I always try to eat at small establishments a few times before posting any review, and each experience was regretful. Very disappointed given all the good reviews and don't see where these reviews could come from. read more

Banchan - Chodang's star is always the deep fried tofu. Quickly dipped in the oil, the outer layer is crispy and tasty, while the inside still has a great texture. Made fresh for every customer, the sweet sauce enhances the dish and it never comes out soggy. Deep fried tofu topped with sweet teriyaki sauce, green onions & sesame seeds - Fresh, chilled, firm tofu & soy sauce - wonderful texture & flavour Chodang's deep fried and firm tofu are always great at showcasing how delicious their freshly made tofu is. If you like it, they sell it separately and sometimes soy milk too. I've taken home a jug of it in the past - no preservatives, silky smooth, and delicious. You need to drink it fast since they only use natural ingredients! Mushroom SoonTofu is consistently my favourite, it is hearty with several different types of mushrooms and silken (soon) tofu. The mushrooms soak up all of that wonderful flavour. You can choose mild, medium, or maximum spice. As a huge fan of the heat, I always ask for the max. Just crack your egg right in the bowl and enjoy it poached! I've tried almost all of their bowls. My least favourite is their kimchi bowl, and my second favourite is the traditional Chodang SoonDubu bowl. While I enjoyed their seafood and mixed (which is beef & seafood) versions, call me picky but the lazy foodie in me doesn't like plucking the head off of the prawns, even though that's how it's supposed to be served. The seafood is quite good though, with mussels, squid, and prawns. Yum. Worth a try. I have yet to try their dumpling bowl, their dumplings are quite tasty so I don't see how you could go wrong there. Their soy bigi bowl is also tasty but the trek to Etobicoke is always for the soondubu. It's basically a bowl of ground soybeans, nice and thick. Great option for those who don't want to have the silken tofu soup, but like the taste of soy. I have had better biji-jang though. Every bowl (kimchi in this case) comes with a stone pot filled with rice. The nice, purple-ish colour is from the wild rice. The bottom layer of rice is quite crunchy from the hot stone bowl so water (or in some other restaurants, tea) is poured into the bowl after most of the rice has been scooped out. At the end of your meal, you can just scrape up the loosened rice at the bottom and enjoy it, and drink some of the water too. Or drink it with your meal. Personally, I like mixing my soup with my rice and eating it together - then finishing off with the ricey-water but to each their own. All of their products are freshly made with wonderful texture & flavour, and they use all natural ingredients - on a daily basis! Their silken tofu, firm tofu, and soy milk are all worth taking home if you like soy products. The owners are so sweet and happy, I love the service. The soup base is flavourful, and the side dishes are always tasty. Great for dinner now, even better in the winter when you want a soup to escape from the cold. Kachi I found Kachi's soondubu soup on the oily and watery side. The broth was lacking a deep, rich, flavour and their tofu wasn't as tasty. They're known for their pork bone soup anyways (which I don't think is that great either, to be honest). I've been to Buk Chang Dong several times for SoonTofu as well. It's a solid bowl, and far more convenient for me since I live downtown. They have good side dishes and I've tried just about every soontofu on their menu. I always order the combination bowl, the first item on the menu. Yum! It helps curb my cravings when I can't get down to Chodang. Wonjo also makes a solid bowl. The quality of the broth and the amount of meat given are similar to Chodang, but I personally prefer Chodang's silken tofu. What can I say? The freshness and texture can't be beat and I love, love, love the owners. While not horrible, Wonjo's interior could use a little retouching when compared to Chodang. However, Wonjo's consistently receives rave reviews, so it may just boil down to personal preference (as it often does!). Wonjo is a good deal for a wider variety of soups at a decent price. I've tried their Korean beef stew (Gomtang) and Korean ginseng soup (Samgyetang), all tasty for less than $10. As for Chodang, I will admit I've never ventured past the left side of the menu - I'm so addicted to the soup that the idea of ordering katsu, teriyaki, or tempura seems like a waste of a trip. I've tried their table cooked stew called "Chodang's Best" which, shamefully, I don't really remember (which to me means that I didn't like it more than the soontofu). At $7.08 this meal is a great deal Again, everyone has different tastes and look for different things when it comes to soontofu soup. There are so many ways to tweak it (just look up some recipes, and you'll see what I mean). Not everyone is obsessive as I am when it comes to hunting for the best bowl of things like soondubu soup read more

Terrible service - There's an old lady who does everything...serving food and cashing out..etc (not sure if she's the owner but she really did freak me out...moody and grumpy. Mediocre Food - Tasteless, nothing good....that fried fish...was yuck!!!! If you want to taste good soon tofu - go to Buk Chang Dong! Dirty inside - depressing atmosphere so outdated and dark!...seriously...something is so weird about this restaurant. Honestly I don't know why this place has such great reviews....probably from non-Korean people who doesn't even know anything about korean food or their family members or friends. read more

My bro and I arrived at 8:15 pm (they were scheduled to close at 9pm), I smiled and said hi and asked for a table for 3 (my partner was on his way), and the woman who works there scowled at me. Ok. We sat at the table she pointed to anyway; I thought maybe she's having a bad day. She's been moody before. She approached our table about 3 minutes later to take our orders. I answered saying that we're waiting for the third person and we'll order when he arrives. Then she asked, "when?". I said, "He's on his way. We live 2 minutes from here." She asked, again, even louder, "when?". "WHEN?" I couldn't believe it. Does arriving at an empty restaurant 45 minutes before it closes allow one to treat its patrons like shit? My partner literally arrived right after the third time she asked "when?". My bro and I ordered, my partner quickly ordered before he even had the chance to take his seat since she was still at our table. A few minutes after she'd taken our order, a party of three people of Korean descent entered the restaurant. She greeted them with smiles and laughter. Wow. Her mood completely changed. Fake. Fake. Fake. It was at that moment my bro, partner and I decided to leave the restaurant; we promised ourselves never to return again. I know that my review won't affect the business since a fair number of people of Korean descent live in the area. So they'll remain open for business. I had to share my experience since I'm hopeful that we're not the only ones she's treated like shit - because we're not bad people and in solidarity. But, seriously, wow. She was unapologetically rude and disrespectful. I can honestly say that I've never been treated with such blatant disrespect at a restaurant in my entire life. Let me end the review with this: it's worth the drive (and wait) to Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu. They have better Soon Tofu and I believed this since the very first time I tried Cho Dang's. I stand by it. I only went to Cho Dang since I live in the area. You will get Better service and food at Buk Chang Dong. After the shitty service at Cho Dang we ended up at Gohyang, where they had great service and food! read more

Honestly... What do people see in this place? Restaurants like these make me wish yelp had a 0 star rating. I came here on the rave reviews that other Yelp users gave it and I was extremely disappointed. I don't have many good things to say about this place. The food was average and does NOT make up for the horrible excuse for customer service that we received. So here's a list... 1) upon entrance, hardly a greeting or an effort to seat us 2) for the appetizers the portions were less that usual 3) we asked for more kimchi appetizer and the lady rudely waves her finger and said "no". 4) we asked for more napkins and she directed us to take it from the other table 5) we asked for more tea/water and she pointed at the water cooler suggesting that we get up and get it ourselves 6) we asked for the bill and she walked past us pretending not to hear 7) while paying, I used debit and was trying to put my PIN number in and she took the machine mid entry of my pin, as if I were going to steal it Honestly, I've been to restaurants where service is bad but this takes the cherry. I honestly cannot believe how someone can run their establishment like so. Boasting that they use freshest ingredients each day, and bragging with articles on the walls of how their food was featured in toronto life. I started to question, is it just me?! Or is everyone else just crazy to think this place is even remotely good... And using researching I noticed that most of these highly rated reviews were prior to 2014. So my guess is the owner changed and the new one has a mission to drive the business into the ground. Normally I wouldn't be upset about the list that I presented. But if you're going to list yourself as a restaurant, then you should provide the basic services all restaurants have. I wouldn't be as upset if the single lady who was working here was swamped with a bunch of customers. But she literally had maybe 3 tables at the time and most of the time was just twiddling her thumbs. Truly disappointed and I will NEVER be coming here again. read more

Nice place to try out. They give a lot if tofu in their soup. I prefer their bento boxes though. Their side dishes were pretty awesome, which includes the usual Kim chi, bean sprout, radish, but also deep fried fish read more

Cho Dang Soon Tofu - Korean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Fresh soft silky tofu! We came in hungry on a whim and ordered the dumpling and mixed soontobu and was filled to the brim by the time we left. The meal started with the typical banchan side dishes with fried fish which was absolutely unexpected but so delicious! The soontobu had perfect soft tofu and spice level for me who doesn't usually take spicy well! The meal came with healthy mixed purple rice in a stone pot which the lady scooped out into a side bowl and added hot water to the bottom scorched rice for a nice cooling 'congee' at the end of the meal. Serve your own water from the water dispenser by the cashier. We left with two squares of fresh tofu, $3 each. They claim their tofu is made from local-grown soybeans and non-GMO. Bonus! read more

One of my favourite mom-and-pop shops. I went there last night to satisfy my soon tofu craving and wasn't disappointed. The tofu is always so fresh and the dumplings are a must-try. The prices are unbelievably good for what you get. I recommend getting the chodang soon tofu if you're a real fan of traditional korean food. The chicken katsu is also well done and the servings are large. With regards to the service, I absolutely adore the little Korean woman. Service may get a little slow if it's rammed, but she does her best to get around to everyone. read more

I read such good reviews of this place, that I decided to try it out. It was definitely interesting!! Ordered the home-made tofu and the bimimbap. Now, I am no tofu expert, but I did notice that the tofu was soft and creamy. There was little to no taste to it though. The side dishes were a nice treat, especially the whole fried fish. The bimimbap was okay. I did notice a sign that they do not use MSG, so I figure this place cooks "healthy", hence, the lack of saltiness in the food. After the meal, they pour water into your rice bowl. I was not sure if I was supposed to drink the water and was checking the other patrons to see what I was supposed to do with this rice bowl recently filled with water. I was in shock, amazed, thrilled, curious all at the same time, just like when I was a fob and did not understand why they brought me a side of water with lemon after a meal at Swiss Chalet! Lol. I then, of course, had to google the whole situation and figured out that the water softens the hardened rice on the side so I can eat it? I also read that the bowls they used do not need dishwashing? Hmmmm. Anyway, definitely an experience to dine here! read more

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Chodang has good soon tofu but I find that the broth can be inconsistent. Some days a medium is medium and some days it's crazy spicy. I took a friend here because it's close to my home. She's Korean and asked for her soon tofu really spicy in Korean. Well it didn't come out spicy so my friend asked if it could be changed. The lady wo runs the front end flat out said no it could not be changed in a rude way. I find that the lady who runs the front end can be rude at times. My favorite dish is the deep fried tofu. Their soon tofu is always fresh. Overall, the value for the meal is great for the amount of food you get for under $10. They serve a lot of ban chan (side dishes). Also since they had the write up in Toronto Life, it has gotten a lot busier. They really need to hire some help because at times when I go in there, I find that the lady cannot keep up. So there are tables full of dirty dishes that need clearing, people waiting by the door, and she's running around serving customers. Some days the food takes forever to come out too. read more

This is my favourite Korean place in Toronto. I'm a vegetarian and I loved the homemade soon tofu. The vegetarian meal for 2 is a great deal. You get a lot of different dishes that are all delicious. read more

I come here with my boyfriend at least once a month. The food is excellent and comes very hot and fresh. The owner/server does a pretty good job at serving the food on time even though she is the only server there. There was that one time when we came there and it was loaded with people, we had to wait for 20 minutes. But everyone was happy when they got seated because it was worth the wait. Very good bang for your buck read more

Everything that is important to me in a restaurant, I found here (today). First off, a quiet, serene and peaceful restaurant. Ahhh. Clientele, quiet. Music, classical, subdued and barely audible. Service - fantastic. Very attentive Adjuma who magically arrived with the ttukbegae of bubbling, rich, delicious goodness. I had the kimchi soondufu (extra gochu) and Spouse had the hwae-mool (fish/seafood). It was exquisite to die for incredible. Not overly salty and MSG-laden. Just solid, down to earth, natural, home made good food. Tubu is made on the premises at the restaurant. It does not get any fresher than that, folks! Fluffy dolsot pap (stone pot steamed rice) and sufficient panchan. Really good dining experience. We happened to be in that part of the city for other reasons and stopped in -- and I am so glad we did. Definitely a place to go back to. It is always nice to have a pleasurable dining experience where the food is excellent and the noise level not in your face and obnoxious. read more

I LOVE soon tofu so I just had to try this place close to work. It's small with less than 7 tables. Don't come for the decor come for the tofu!! We ordered seafood soon tofu, toasted dumplings and the bulgogi bento box. Got a free side of their fresh tofu. The sides included a generous mound of bean sprouts, a grilled fish and radish kimchi. The dumplings looked like they were made on site. Light and crispy skin with a meat filling and a garlicky dip. The soon tofu came super hot and sizzling bubbly goodness and the accompanying rice with crispy rice crust soup yum!! The fried tofu that came with the bulgogi and as a side dish is to die for! Light crispy batter surrounding a soft pillow of creamy tofu that melts in your mouth.... Bulgogi was a huge portion of beef and a horrible side of cooked salmon sushi. Stick to the tofu!! read more

This is my favourite restaurant in Toronto. I live in Etobicoke and have been going there for since they first opened! The tofu is made fresh daily and all the dishes are consistently fresh and delicious! Everything is homemade and cooked with love! I highly recommend every item on the menu! read more

The best soon tofu in Toronto! Homemade on the premises and extremely soft. The Banchan (the free starters before your meal) includes a fried small mackerel now which other restaurant can say that? Along with the other usual suspects. The chestnut rice is on point and the soup is always full bodied and chock-full of ingredients. While the restaurant itself is small it is full of surprises like they make their own wine! read more

Found this little place while driving around for dinner. We were a little cautious at first but then observed that almost everyone in the restaurant were Koreans, a sure sign that the food is authentic and good. Sure enough, it did not disappoint as the side dishes came out and were delicious, the tofu soup was everything I was expecting, and the fried fish was delicious as well, an added bonus that is typical in tofu houses but have been absent in a lot of the Toronto tofu houses. Service was a bit slow as there was only one server, but she was polite and the food was delicious. Would definitely go back again after finding this gem. read more