Surawon Tofu House

Surawon Tofu House is truly the competitor of BCD. I've always gone to BCD as my go-to spot for some hot stone tofu soups but this place has maybe replaced it in my charts. The marinated crab is so unique, flavorful, and spicy. I've tried Burnin Shell but the taste and texture of the crab here is memorable. The soup was also so delicious. The soft tofu, meat, and spice level were perfect. This might be my new tofu house go to spot.

As someone who's lived in arguably the top two places for Korean food in America, I've had my fair share of good soondubu, and Surawon tops that list. It's not as spicy as BCD is but the spice, savoriness, and umaminess are so well-balanced. The bottomless banchan is absolutely the star of the show -- kimchi was sweet without any strong taste of fish sauce, and the fish cake is perfectly chewy and sweet. The galbi is pretty good but I haven't had that at as many places so I don't really feel that good commenting about it. It was a little harder to chew than I was anticipating. I would love to come back to try their raw marinated crab and other dishes! There is a parking lot I think but street parking is so easy in this area that honestly it's not worth the effort to squeeze into a small space.

If you're looking for good, classic Korean food, specifically soontofu, this place will do the trick. Casual restaurant with a simple homey interior and fast service. We ordered the Stone pot bibimbap, Bulgogi, and Assorted soontofu. Everything came out steaming hot. Each dish was classically well made and seasoned well. I wouldn't say anything was mind blowingly delicious but together the dishes created a satisfying meal. Would come back if I'm looking for a good comfort meal.

Truly my favorite Korean comfort food I've tried in LA. This place is a hole in the wall that I literally walked past because I didn't see it the first time. They even have a parking lot out back (limited but better than nothing given koreatown's parking situation). I absolutely love their seafood pancake. It's delicate and the sauce gives it the nice umami flavor that balances the seafood taste. I strongly recommend the galbitong. It's an extremely light soup with clear glass noodles and bone/meat. The broth really embodies the essence of the meat and great to open the palette. However, as someone who likes bolder flavors, I wouldn't recommend this be your main course unless your sick. If you're here with other people, I would recommend splitting this dish and having each person try a bit. The main course that we got was a combination meal of galbi and tofu soup. The galbi was thick and juicy on a bed of onions that absorbed all the leftover flavors. The soup was exactly as I expected; bold soup, delicate tofu, and just enough spice to keep it interesting. We got a medium spiciness, which was perfect for me but a little spicy for my significant other. Strongly recommend coming here for a comfort meal, especially because it's a little out of the way of the main strip of koreatown.

Food was solid, had the fish egg tofu and some galbi. The side dishes were kind of basic but reliable. And the menu is very interesting, with black soy bean tofu and the fish egg option, both of which I've never seen before. But the black soy bean tofu was out! Gotta try it next time .

Great food and great service. I ordered the tofu with black version combo with beef bulgogi. Don't expect the tofu to be black though because it's actually like a paste mixed in the tofu. The tofu had a slight flavor to it but not too noticeable since I am not a tofu connosieur. It was good to try. The banchan pancake was crispy and it was great. I would actually prefer the the pancake like that. Plenty of banchan. There is a very small parking lot but if it is full, there may be street parking. It started getting crowded after 1pm on a sunday. For Korean comfort food, I recommend.

Surawon, the apple of my eye, don't change, i need you to be there for me to satisfy my korean food cravings.

I absolutely love soon tofu, and so I'm always excited to try any restaurant that specializes in soon tofu. I'd ordered Surawon several times via delivery apps, but I finally had a chance to dine here in person a couple times recently. I've always ordered the soon tofu combo, which comes with your choice of a soon tofu soup and an entree. The soon tofu soup is on the thicker and heartier side, which I absolutely love. I've always gone with the Original Beef, Spicy and it has always hit the spot...absolutely delish. For the entree part of the combo, I've tried both the galbi and the bbq pork belly. Both of them were pretty good, but I slightly prefer the galbi. The galbi seems a little thicker than most places, and the marinade is a little unique. I would describe the marinade as a having a jjangjangmyeon-ish aftertaste...definitely unique. I love when a restaurant puts some care into the banchan spread and quality, which they absolutely do here. All the banchan were delicious and well-made. Also, in case you're in the mood for a drink, they do sell soju and beer here. The service was quick, attentive and friendly every time I've dined here...A++ Overall, Surawon is another great option for some great soon tofu in Koreatown/near DTLA. It's definitely on my rotation of soon tofu restaurants now. There's a parking lot in the back if you drive here.

Okay I'm writing this because I'm excited ass HELLS. This soon tofu spot has RAW MARINATED CRABS!!! That's epic and is a damn first for me! Will update as the food comes lol

When in LA and you crave for soy marinated crab and tofu soup? This is the spot. There is free parking behind the restaurant so you don't have to worry about looking for street parking. We were immediately welcomed and seated as soon as we walked in. The restaurant is older but it is clean and well maintained. Staff periodically came to check on us. The soy marinated crab was the star of our meal-well, for me at least. But everyone else enjoyed their orders. My kids enjoyed the hwangjae galbi tang. So good that both kids kept asking for more than usual. My husband ordered galbi combo and I ordered the soy marinated crab combo. We finished everything and even asked for more banchan! We will have to come back here again the next time we're in LA. This has been the best soy marinated crab I've had yet!