Cho Dang Tofu

Ambience - 3.5 starsFood - 2 starsCost - $$$Service - 3.5 starsThe food was okay but not worth the price. I like spicy food but the food I ordered was too bland. I ordered their seafood noodle knife soup (2 stars) , pork bulgogi bibimpbap (3 stars) , chicken bulgogi and vegetable japchae. Just based on food and cost it is a 2 star. But the service and ambience deserves a star upgrade. Although I do see a lot of Asian folks dining here so may be it is just a new flavor of the Korean food I have become used to.

Cho Dang Tofu is a chain of Korean tofu restaurants that is similar to BCD. I have been to a BCD maybe twice long time ago, so I won't compare. They are kind of fast-food Korean with a simplified menu, but also seems to have everything I want. The interior is clean-lines and minimalist. The service was swift and no-fuss. Full disclosure that prior to coming here, I already read up that the combo meals are spendy, and their prices are higher than Lynnwood and Federal Way. Honestly, not a surprise for a Bellevue address. I knew what I was walking into, so I won't ding them for cost. Nakdol Bibimbap, $19.99 - 4 StarsMenu: Crispy Rice served with Diced Kimchee and Spicy Marinated Octopus in a Hot Stone BowlThis is the dish that will bring me back. It is a thing of beauty. The seasoning is potent and impeccable. The presentation is beautiful. The crispy rice is amongst the best I have ever seen. Separate photo provided.Dolsot Bibimbap, $19.99 - 4 StarsMenu: Crispy Rice served with Sauteed Vegetables, Beef, and Egg in a Hot Stone BowlThis is the standard version that most places offer. Theirs meet expectations. Theirs cost $2 to $4 more than further places.Banchan - minimalist with two standouts - saba fried fish and the daikon soup. Both are favs that are rarely served. Bravo!

My go-to spot if I'm in the mood for tofu stew on the east side! The side dishes are refillable and so yummy (my favorite is the mashed potato, definitely because of the mayo lol). I also LOVE the fried fish it comes with, but sometimes it's not as crispy as I'd want it to be.

If you need a quick fix of Korean food in Bellevue, this is a decent option with a limited menu. However, you're paying for the convenience of the location, not necessarily the quality of the food. The restaurant was mostly empty when we arrived and didn't get much busier (which wasn't a good sign). I ordered the dolsot bibimbap and my friend ordered a soondubu and both were ok, but not the best we've had. Service was attentive, and a cart would come around to refresh the banchan or refill your tea, which was convenient. I probably won't return here, but it was worth a try!

Cho Dang Tofu has been recommended by several of my family friends and so my family and I decided to give it a try one weeknight. Even on a weeknight though, the restaurant was PACKED with people, most who were of Korean ethnicity (which is always a good sign when trying a new Korean restaurant).Thankfully, they were able to seat us within about 15 minutes after arriving. Their menu is extremely extensive, but they do have many tofu soup (soondubu) varieties, which is what they're known for. They also have galbi (Korean short ribs), daegi (spicy Korean BBQ pork) and bulgogi (grilled marinated beef) as well as acorn noodles and different bibimbaps (rice dishes). My family ordered the BULGOGI and OYSTER TOFU SOUP (mild) combo, the DOLSOT BIBIMBAP, and the HAEMUL PAJEON (seafood pancake).You get one banchan (with unlimited refills) per dish. The banchan included kimchi, sesame sprouts, cucumber kimchi, fish cake, and fish cake. They also served a fried fish that was very bony (almost like a mackerel but without the excessive fishy taste) and a small scoop of potato salad (which was my least favorite as it wasn't sweetened).Even though it was super busy, we got our food within 15 minutes and all at once. The BULGOGI and DOLSOT BIBIMBAP were still sizzling loudly and the OYSTER TOFU SOUP was bubbling hot when they were served.THE BULGOGI was alright. It honestly needed to be marinated longer as it lacked the deep caramelized soysauce mix sugar flavor, but the meat was hot and tender.The DOLSOT BIBIMBAP was very good. It had all the usual vegetables including spinach, carrots, sprouts, mushroom, and zucchini. The rice was also super crispy in the stone pot and the egg melted perfectly into the dish. The waitress even poured in some hot tea to get the final bits of rice that were stuck to the dish. With a side of gochujang sauce drizzled on top, it was perfection.The OYSTER TOFU SOUP was excellent, and probably the best of all the dishes. It had large pieces of oyster and lots of tofu. The mild really wasn't spicy at all (you never know with Korean dishes), and so we would probably try at least a medium next time- the spice ranged from "no spice" to "extra spicy"). Even though it wasn't spicy, it was bursting with seafood flavor. No wonder their tofu soup is their signature dish!The HAEMUL PAJEON was also just okay. I've definitely had fluffier and crispier pancakes in the past. Regardless, the pancake had a decent amount of seafood and green onion. The dipping sauce was good too.Service was fantastic. Even with the dinner rush, the servers came by to refill our banchan and water multiple times. They were also super friendly and accommodating.The restaurant is clean, just crowded. But the tables were spaced far enough away from each other so it wasn't claustrophobic. Overall, 4/5 for food, 5/5 for service, 4/5 for atmosphere

Clean atmosphere & friendly staff. Located right next to mud bay in Bellevue area.We normally get to go from here after we stop at Mud Bay, but in our most recent visit we dined in and got the Dolsot Bibimbap, Budae Jjigae, Mixed Tofu Soup!The banchan was delicious, they give you a little fried fish which wasn't too salty, but watch out for tiny bones! My favorite is the Korean bean spouts & cucumbers! Unlimited banchan with dining in which is nice! In the past we have gotten the combos, pretty decent value if you're sharing. I like their Kalbi & Bulgogi combos (A & B on the menu).Overall, super yummy, authentic, decently priced and greet service.

I am a big time kimchi tofu soup/jiggae stew. Decided to come here to try as recommended by friends for lunch.First glance at the menu, a pretty good selection of items, such as soups, sides bibimbap etc you would expect from a korean place. I went with the combo that has a hot plate meat and a tofu soup of your choice. Got the Kalbi which is caramelized well, tasted decent but nothing pops. The tofu soup I got was the mixed tofu soup which has some seafood in it. You get to customize how spicy do you like it but I got mild just to try it. Wow, the soup literally tasted bland, majority of them is tofu and probably a total of leas than 5 items of seafood (tiny shrimps and some clams). That's it and $40 pre tax......The service is decent as we got seated pretty fast as it was just before the lunch peak hours. The restaurant is nice and clean inside but definitely a little cold. The server came by to fill up our ban chan twice but the serving is very small with each refill..Overall, a very mid experience for a relatively expensive menu. There are better spots elsewhere imo..

Great place for soondubu on the eastside!! This place is perfect on a rainy day, there is plenty of parking and the restaurant has a very clean ambiance. The workers are quite friendly as well.The soup itself is pretty good, but I wish it was spicier. My friend's soup, which she got extra spicy, was barely spicy at all. The banchan is delicious, and the workers regularly come by and give you refills of them. The best part of the meal is at the end; when you finish the rice and only have the crunchy rice left stuck to the bowl, ask a worker to fill it up with barley tea and you can loosen the crunchy rice and eat it as a snack or with the leftover soup! Overall, a very satisfying meal experience, but a little pricy.

This place is awesome! Cho-dang has perfected soft tofu soup. You have unlimited ban-chan (side dishes), see photos below. Ate seafood spicy soup, kalbi & hot stone bi bim bap. Spicy seafood todu had plenty of seafood & you can customize the spice level. Kalbi portion was huge & meat tender which is served on an iron plate. Stone bibimbap has plenty of vegetables & can also customize the spice level. Sauces are delicious & loved the fish (croaker) as an appetizer. Rice with tofu soupComes in a hot clay stone where you scoop the rice in a bowl& can make 누릉지 sticky burn rice soup on the stone dish. You won't be disappointed with their food. Servers are friendly & very attentive. There's plenty of parking spaces in the strip mall. Ambience is clean, welcoming & busy during meal hours. Bring your patience & expect to wait for your table. I highly recommend Cho-Dang tofu restaurant in Bellevue. Hope you get to visit & dine there soon. Bon appetite!

Cho Dang Tofu has been on my list to try for quite some time, and I'm glad to check this place off! There really isn't a good list of Korean restaurants on Eastside that have affordable prices for they quality of food, but I think Cho Dang Tofu is definitely one of the better options on Eastside. We paid Cho Dang a visit on a Friday around 7pm and had no wait time to get seated.Cho Dang Tofu is located in the shopping plaza of a nearby Safeway, making parking accessible to the restaurant. During busy times of the restaurant, you may have to park in the shopping lot and walk over. The ambiance of the restaurant is sit down - the restaurant does do takeout orders, but the restaurant itself is cozy and has a decent amount of indoor seating options.I got the Nakdol Bibimbap, which came with some delicious banchan. The banchan consisted of a small fried fish, a wintermelon (? could also be radish) soup bowl, and small dishes of kimchi and fish cake. These dishes were delicious - the fish was fried to a pleasing crispiness, the soup had a comforting and subtle flavor, and the kimchi served as an excellent palate cleanser. As a plus, you can also ask your server for more of the kimchi/fish cake banchan too! For the Nakdol bibimbap, I would say that Cho Dang Tofu is generous when it comes to portioning - this was a hefty bowl of rice and octopus. As a heads up, as good as the flavor was, texture and taste does start to get a bit monotonous after eating half of the bowl. But there is a strong spice flavor and plenty of crispy rice, which is great.The Nakdol Bibimbap by itself is $20, which I think is a pretty solid price given the service and amount of food received. I personally think that in terms of Korean food on Eastside, Cho Dang is one of the more affordable options. I would definitely like to revisit in the future to try their other options (4.5 stars)