We stopped by this place on a late Saturday morning, and boy, this place was so crowded! Tofu 101 is just like a hole in a wall kind of place, with one third of their stores selling frozen items like sticky rice in banana leaf, dumplings, and tofu. The other one third of the place sells hot food such as bao (steam buns), Asian pastries, steamed taro cakes and egg custards, and the rest of the store is just a rack next to the cashier selling Asian sauces, seasoning and the likes. We tried 2 different types of steam buns, pan fried buns and a pastry, along with hibiscus drinks with coconut jelly and wow...I'm hooked! Not only the food was good, the total price we paid for was just $13! P.S. Come with someone so one of you can start standing in a long wait line while another person can take turns going to get food! It gets way too crowded and the line keeps winding in and around the store....takes like 20 minute or something just go pay! read more

The food is just okay. Expect to wait 30 minutes on Saturday's for their to go breakfast. I feel the only reason there are lines is because there are no other breakfast options like this in the city. read more

Like everyone else, I'm a huge fan of the chinese donuts and sweet soy milk at Tofu 101. I wish they offered the donuts everyday, but alas, all good things come to those who wait. Also a big fan of the savory soy milk. It's not as spicy or as sour as other versions but it goes very well with the chinese donuts. I always grab about 4 of the pan fried pork buns as well, those are our favorites out of the bunch. Not a huge fan of the egg tarts. The crust is a bit thicker on the outside than what I prefer which throws off the ratio of egg custard to buttery crust for me. Take out only and price is super reasonable. They also have a cold section and prepared food, and ready to make items such as tofu and dumplings to cook at home. I think this place is more 4.5 than 4 stars but I can't review it that way. read more

If you are familiar with Taiwanese style breakfast, you'll most likely like this place. They have stuffs like: braised beef tendon (get!), Salted duck (yes!), Pig ears (meh, the cut is a bit too thick for my taste), pork and leek buns (pretty good), other buns (Honestly don't really remember. I was that hungry), pork and radish over rice for $3.95 (so homey, so likey), organic hot soybean milk (yummy liquid estrogen), and lots of other options to satisfy your belly. Don't let the long line on weekend faze you, it moves fast and you'll most likely be busy grabbing things off the wall anyway. The service may be crude but then again, it's a grab and go type of place. read more

Tofu 101 is only open during the day up until maybe 6 and closed on Sundays, but there's always a line out the door. I guess they serve some sort of special only on Wednesday and Saturdays so those days are even busier. I've gotten the steamed buns, Chinese donut, and soy milk here and they're always a nice snack. There's many Taiwanese goodies here, but I'm not Taiwanese so I'm not able to identify a lot of the items. Interior is tiny, but they serve tasty food for really cheap so no complains there. Tell me about your experience if you've been here or is going to after reading this review:) read more

Not extraordinary and not horrible. I like these type of hole-in-the-wall spots. Located in the Factoria area and across from a shopping plaza, I was easily able to locate this spot (also right next to a Regent Bakery and Chinese Restaurant). There are three or four freezer/refrigerators where you can buy frozen buns, pastries, tofu, tofu dessert, and smaller treats (like spicy pig ears!) I arrived later in the day, so options were sparse but there are steam warming trays with labeled steamed buns and other tasty treats you can package away. They also have soy milk in the fridges as well as boxed tea, peanuts, and other snacks available for purchase. They accept credit card, but as this appears to be a smaller operation bring cash! I took the treats up with me about 30 minutes away and they were still warm! The steamed buns travel well! read more

This is not a restaurant so don't expect to eat there! But this is THE PLACE for authentic Taiwanese breakfast! The sticky rice ball is these best as the fried dough in the center stay crispy unlike many other ones. It's also made with quality sticky rice. Shaobing either sweet or savory are mouth watering. Fresh out of oven was soooooooo good. I can't find this elsewhere. Freshly made soy milk and other drinks... Healthy treats. So many other authentic Taiwanese little tasty bites and different baos. Spoke with the owner who was super nice, down to earth and hard working man. I drive from Portland just to eat here! That's how good this place is!!! read more

As mentioned in previous reviews, if you are expecting to have a sitdown lunch you're out of luck. This is more of a grab and go kind of place. It feels like a place that exists in China, and I really want to like it, but the taste just fell short for me. The buns were not as seasoned as I had hoped, and the bread to filling ratio was off for me. It feels like everything was made to be frozen. It's a decently good place if you want a grab a few things very cheapy for a quick lunch or dinner, but it's just not good enough to bring me back. read more

Pretty good food here. Got a Fried Tofu and a BBQ Steamed Bun- both really good. Would recommend and come back again) read more

I think I'm willing to come back here for a re-eval, but it wasn't really for me. Prices are pretty inexpensive and I liked the pork buns I got, but I definitely wish I'd maybe come in earlier in the day since they don't have a lot of stuff to choose from by like 4pm.... One thing to note for first-time visitors, the soy milk here is NOT what you're expecting if you're thinking it's going to be like the Silk stuff. It's kind of sour and I wasn't expecting it, and it honestly alarmed me at first. Idk, I think it would be a good place buy cheap lunch if you're on-the-go, and if there's egg tarts, well, that's always a must :) read more

I arrived on a Saturday at 850am as it says it opens at 9am. The place wad already packed eith people and most of the baos were gone so had to wait for the next batch. I was reaching for an egg tart in the container thst they're at, and this guy reaches over my hand and took the last 2 egg tarts left. I looked at him surprised and he asked me if i wanted them but I told him to take it and I'll just wait for the next batch. After this crazy deal, i was expecting a lot out of this. If people are snatching food out of my hand, their stuff must be good. I bought their hot soy milk, Chinese donut, purple rice ball, all non pork baos, refrigerated tofu, and egg tarts. Honestly, not sure what all the hype is. Maybe my insensitivity is because I'm not Chinese and don't know these stuff too well? The only thing I thought was good was the baos. Everything else was just alright. read more

We love the organic soy bean tofu and The freshly made soy bean drink. Great Chinese donuts only available on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Came here on a Saturday morning on the recommendation of my Chinese friends for their brunch items. Was surprised to find a line stretching all the way to the door, crammed full of people inside! As others have mentioned it's a fairly small shop and not a restaurant, with a row of refridgerators holding pre-made food and take-away items on the right, and brunch items toward the back. Bought an assortment of bao, shao bing (sesame-coated layered Chinese flatbread), some spiced tofu salad (cubed and the layered sheet variety), and Portuguese egg tarts to go. The bao's fillings were OK - I wouldn't say great, because the meat I think needed more flavor or quantity, as they didn't really fill the mouth with meat juices compared to what I'm more used to. The shao bing were a little drier than I was used to, but the flavor was excellent! The spiced tofu salads were really scrumptious as a snack or a side dish, with some chili flakes and a light sauce that really hits all the savory notes, and the Portuguese egg tart had a great flavor and flaky crust, larger and a little more scrumptious than what I've typically found in dim sum restaurants. Overall I'd give this a 4-star for now, but definitely coming back to try more items! read more

Looking forward to trying some of the food from this market after reading so many raves. Unfortunately, the food is borderline inedible. Purple rice roll - my roll had an old and hard chinese donut. It was so hard that no way to bite through it. This is unacceptable to sell days old food. Sweetened soy milk - not sweet enough. I felt like I was drinking a tofu dish. Sweet pastries - not sweet and very dry, possibly yesterday food Pork bun - just ok. Bun is dense Red bean bun - not sweet Very disappointed with all the flavors but what'a worse is that they are selling old food. read more

The inside of the store isn't as appealing but they have good food at good prices. They also have soy milk and cold food dishes. My husband said his sticky rice wrap wasn't that bad, he gave it a 4star. 1 for $4.80. They speak pretty fluent English as well. read more

Was here on Saturday morning....very busy! Make sure you check your receipt for the charges! I was over charged $23! Ready!!! Yes, crazy! Lucky, i looked through the receipt at the parking lot and went back in and got my refund. Not sure it was intention or a mistakes. If your charges is large, make sure to look over your receipt. Foods are ok! read more

Had food poisoning after had their shrimp and pork dumplings and went to ER. I also found plastic string in their fried crystal noodles. Today I found plastic in Zongzi. Food safety issue! Stay away. read more

Tofu 101 - Plastic in food - Chinese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Best place in Seattle area to get classic Taiwanese food like doujiang and youtiao. They also make fantuan vegetarian if you ask for it!

Very bad attitude for customers, no smile, No greeting. Need to improve for service otherwise no one will go for breakfast. read more

I tried most of the food in Tofu 101, to name a few of my favorites: authentic Taiwanese shredded pork rice ($3.50 for a big bowl), black pepper green onions steam bun, purple stick rice roll with Chinese donut (only available on Wed and Sat), spicy pork ears, non-sweeten soy milk.... all of them make me keep coming back. And I do stock up for some items (put them in the freezer, reheat when I eat later). My kids love their brown sugar steam bun, very healthy with raisin, cranberry, sunflower seed and oatmeal in it. The only down side is parking, sometimes it could be a hassle to find parking in that plaza (busy around 11am-2pm). read more

I lived in Taiwan for many years and the food here reminds me of home. Very tasty and authentic. I'm a huge fan!

This is one of the first stops when my parents (Taiwanese) came to visit me for two months. It's a very no-frills spot, and there will be a line. Thankfully, the line is pretty fast but you may end up waiting outside of the store. Might be best to send somebody to wait in line while you pick and choose. The variety sold here is quite a lot all considering it's a small store. I've been impressed with the soy milk, buns (steamed and pan fried) and tofu. The Chinese donut wasn't crispy enough though. I haven't tried the other items such as the egg tarts, sticky rice or meatballs. My parents initially complained that the cost of the tofu was pricier than what you find in the store, but after they tasted that it was freshly made, they have gone back to buy more. Parking is pretty limited, my parents attempted to come on twice on a weekend and had to leave due to not finding parking. read more

Every food in here are amazing and also the service was good so consider you to come to this place and try it out

This is a take out only Chinese (mainly) tofu shop. Though they do provide one or two lunch options every day. They only have fresh Chinese donut and pancakes wrap on Wed and Sat mornings. Freshly made organic non gmo soy products ranging from tofu to soy milk and silky tofu dessert in the fridges for take out. A tray of various buns along one side of the store. I thought their hot soy milk ($1.75) was good but pricey for a coffee cup volume. The buns ($1.75) has good volume of filling but I thought the cabbage pork one I tried was a but bland. I do like the purple rice wrap with Chinese donut and pork shreds and cabbage ($3.75) very tasty and quite a large volume for a lunch special wrap. And the tofu skin take out ($3.75-4) is Isa bit bland but pretty good. read more

Take out only. Bummer as fried You Tian and steamed buns really best enjoyed warm. I end up eating the food in my car. You Tiao on Wed and Sat mornings only. read more

I love the buns there. They are sooooo goood make me miss my home town. And the prices are pretty reasonable!

Hmm. I went here today based on good reviews and was pretty disappointed. Granted, I didn't get a freshly made Chinese doughnut or an egg pastry which are apparently the things to get. I got three things to try and all 3 were pretty subpar. I got the rice with meat sauce and the meat on it was fatty, but the flavor was pretty ok - I liked the pickled daikon that was included. Then, I got a pork bao and it was actually BAD. The pork was in one big clump rather than in little pieces and the flavor just wasn't there. I got the purple sticky rice roll - it is HUGE - and I couldn't eat it. It has a fried donut inside and some cabbage and the donut was just weird and too crusty and dry, I so did not understand the hype around these. Ended up taking a few bites of each and tossing. The lady at the counter was super friendly though so adding a star for her. read more

I have nothing but good things to say about this place. I have around ten good reasons to avoid the Factoria area but Tofu 101 isn't one of them. Every time I visit, I have an incredible urge to put my entire face into their foods but that would be way out of line. People would be scared. I'm a big fan of their dried bean curd. It's restaurant quality without having to order an entire meal because you don't want to hog a table for yourself for bean curd. Their soy milk, a Taiwanese breakfast staple, is incredible. There is nothing like breaking your fast on a hot, summer morning with a cup of cold soy milk. It tastes like GLORIOUS LIBERTY. I recall their frozen buns go for $6.00/bag. Not shabby at all when I lived away from all of my extended family. Now that I live closer to them, I have the privilege of getting unacceptably drunk off buns, dumplings, noodles, soymilk, and all delicious rice stuff homemade and fresh. I also put that worthless snippet in there just to be a shithead. Tofu 101 is pretty awesome. It's worth dealing with all of the little subieboys letting their subwoofers speak for their peen, T-Mobile mania traffic, and have very few things to do just to visit Tofu 101. read more

Came in on a saturday morning close to opening time and there was a line but didn't have to wait very long. Very small shop for basically grab and go eating. GREAT stuff i'd specifically come back for: pre-made tofu products are GREAT: the dried marinated tofu, tofu skins were all delicious zongzi: only get their freshly made ones that are in the warmers (which are excellent). Their frozen ones are from some (i think wei chuan) manufacturer and are NOT very good. GOOD stuff that i'd buy again if I happened to be there: Frozen dumplings that i'm pretty sure they make there and then freeze (I had the pork and chives one). Please note that the skins are thicker/chewier on these--a different style that a lot of the pre-frozen manufactured dumplings. OK stuff that i'd probably pass on next time: steamed buns: these were only ok chinese donut: this was good. I thought pretty standard but i'm not a huge chinese donut fan. The lady in front of me bought like 12 though... sticky purple rice ball: i was so excited they had this available as it was a staple for me growing up but I was pretty disappointed. Too much rice--not enough good filling. Filling was basically lots of shaved dried pork and part of a chinese donut and some pickles. I am used to them having a more robust filling--definitely at least a soy sauce hard boiled egg. On the plus side it was HUGE Freshly made tofu: this was good but EXPENSIVE and after cooking it, I didn't notice an appreciable enough difference from the usual pre-packaged stuff I buy to justify the premium. read more

This place gets really packed on the weekends during breakfast time. I think the local Asian population is so desperate for Chinese breakfast that this place is the only place to go. I waited in a line that took about 8-10 min to get to the cash register. They are smart thought because as you wait in line, you can pick out the items you want. I got several bao zhi with different fillings. Each was about $1.65. It would be a good deal but the filling is very stingy. I got the mustard vegetable with pork and the pork filled baos. It was disappointing because you get a mouth full of the bao dough and not very much filling. I like their fa tuong (rice wrap). It tastes pretty good and I like that they use a different kind of sticky rice to make it. Their yo teo is pretty good. They make it fresh and it keeps coming out. Every time I come here, I spend 30+ for not that many items. I think it is on the pricier side for Chinese breakfast. read more

I had real excitement for this place. And something about this place definitely screams Asian Deli. I went there Saturday morning and there were so much people there, everyone was cutting each other, there were like 3 lines going all at the same time, and it was just so confusing. When stuff comes out fresh, people goes crazy over it. Like when I was there, they had beef bun, everyone was cutting line to try and get them fresh and hot. By the time it got to me getting my food, even though I was like 4 people away, the entire tray was gone because people behind me would push and shove just to get it. Same for their chinese donut. As soon as someone sees it come out, they will scream "here! Here! Me me!" And the Hispanic guy would go straight to them. And when I tried to ask someone questions about prices that I didn't see, they ignored me. I am giving them 3 stars because of their variety, authenticity and how fresh their food was. But other than that, I don't think I will come back ever again. read more

Much more efficient lines now. Glad staff is taking precautions agains coronavirus by reminding customers to use hand sanitizer and frequently wiping down surfaces. As always, delicious breakfast food that's inexpensive. read more

This place get 4 stars just for having awesome tofu. Buy local, right? Their tofu is a little squishier than I would like, but the fact that it's freshly made makes all the different. It doesn't have that funky plastic smell that sometimes comes with the tofu you buy in stores. The soy milk is awesome! Usually when I buy soy milk from the stores, I have to do this teeter-totter dance with sweetened and unsweetened to get it tasting just the way I like. The soy milk here is just the right amount of sweetness. It's sweet enough not to feel like you're sucking some wet tofu through a straw and not so sweet that you're gagging. They also have other drinks. The sweet fungus (yeah I know that sounds gross) is really tasty. I love that they carry Taiwanese style breakfast, but honestly I just wish the food tasted better. Most of the fillings of the bao were a little too cray cray with the white pepper. Also I think most of them are a little too overloaded with scallions. Maybe calm down on some of that. It's still pretty decent. There's enough variety that there are things without the white pepper thing. The prices are incredible, too. I bought a bunch of items to bring to a friend's place. I wasn't thinking and just sort of nabbed stuff. The total ended up being only like $14 for 2.5 containers of stuff. Wow! The service is really awesome, too. I'm not used to Asians being so helpful and cheery, but these people are clearly happy to be doing business and happy to have customers. I love that! read more

Tofu 101 is tucked in a strip mall and it's kind of hard to see from the main road. They have a lot of variety on tofu here but all of it was just mediocre. It's not really worth the drive to pick stuff up from here unless you're already in the area. The prices however are really reasonable. The thing I enjoyed the most actually was not the tofu but their soy milk and Chinese donuts, yum. I'd come back if I was around. read more

This place is a gem. I think Chinese breakfast food is the greatest food on the planet and it's the most comforting of comfort foods to me, as I grew up in Beijjng back when the streets weren't so regulated. The price is a bit high compared to what I am used to there, but very low compared to Bellevue lunches. The 猪肉包子 (pork buns) are juicy and full of pork and ginger flavor. I usually try to get one bun and some of the cold appetizers, like soy marinated tofu skins (not as bad as it sounds), tea eggs, and spicy bean curd. Wednesday is the best day, they have the purple rice rolls, meat pancakes, curry and BBQ pork pastry, Portuguese egg tarts, and a few Taiwanese-esque rice and pork dishes. SO GOOD. Don't be put off by the deli-like interior, everything is so delicious and you can't find this elsewhere. Sure, you can make buns at home but ain't nobody got time for that. read more

Love the variety of tofu. I'm a tofu lover. Price is reasonable and nice people working there.

0 STAR: Food safety. We took home 3 Zongzi (Taiwanese style bamboo leaves-wrapped sticky rice) home. They were considered yummy (although I am not a fan of peanuts in the Zongzi), until I discovered a curly gray hair inside the Zongzi!!!! It totally gross me out!!!! Arn't they suppose to wear protective gears over the hair when making food????? The food was not bad, soy milk is not overly sweet and taste like real soy milk (I hope). Shaobing-Youtiao was pretty decent (4 stars), however the bamboo-shoot-veggi-pork Bao is an ok (2 stars). Just make sure checking everything and make sure no hair sticking out from your food.......Yuck! read more

We wanted to support the local as we could. During the pandemic, the Asian stores have been suffering the most. Not only the staff at this store was rude, the food quality was the worst. They definitely didn't deserve our loyalty. read more

This is one of the places I go when feeling homesick, which is quite often. During the week, if I can get there before closing (6pm), I can pickup ready to go food from the cold case and freezers, such as noodles, dumplings, buns, sticky rice, radish cake, various single serve beverages with jelly, etc. On Saturday mornings, my son and I come here early enough to get hot breakfast items. Fresh hot soy milk is a must. There's a small buffet of several kinds of steamed buns, beef or curry pastries, toasted sesame pockets for Chinese long doughnuts, etc. But our absolute favorite thing: the warm, freshly made purple rice rolls, which are kept at the counter. I almost don't want to write about this because I don't want you to fight me for them! :) Please note that this isn't a restaurant. It's a small shop for picking up food to go, and it's run by very friendly people. read more

We absolutely adore this place!! It's the best place to go on a Saturday morning for breakfast/brunch. (They offer all the awesome hot foods on Saturdays.) They have a ton of super authentic Chinese hot food items - Chinese doughnuts (only on saturdays, I think), pork buns, bao zi, zhong-zi, pan fried veggie buns, flaky sesame bread, green onion pancakes, etc. We've tried just about everything there and it's hard to pick a favorite! In the cold/freezer section, they have dumplings, zhong-zi, various forms of tofu (firm, fried, etc), tofu pudding (dou fu nao), egg rolls, etc. A LOT of goodies. There's a lot of flaky pastries too - red bean and taro desserts. One of my favorite things is their authentic soy milk - they make it fresh in the back daily. it comes in a ton of different flavors: plain, sweetened, green tea, vanilla, and more. I can't even describe the flavor.. it's just so FRESH tasting. Not at all like the kind you get boxed up in at Safeway. The green tea flavor is the best! The owner is super nice! She'll patiently describe all the pastries to you, if you have any questions. There's no place to sit down, so it's not a restaurant or anything. It's just a small bakery-type place, where you go and pick the stuff you want buffet style. I like that there's a large window to their back kitchen area, so you can see them making everything fresh. You must try this place - you won't be disappointed!!!! read more