Cho Dang Tofu Restaurant
31829 Gateway Center Blvd S, Federal Way, WA, 98003
Cho Dang Tofu Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Federal Way for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Federal Way for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Federal Way for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
31829 Gateway Center Blvd S
Federal Way, WA, 98003 - Phone (253) 839-2459
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :10:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Steve F.
Damn good soon doo boo. Had the kimchee soon boo which was awesome. Got an order of kalbi for the kids which was good too. Banchan was great, two thumbs up. I think they even sell the banchan if you want to take it home. The only thing that sucks is we were staying in Seattle and it took frickin 45 mins to get to this place. I heard that there's other locations which hopefully are closer to Seattle. Good thing the food was good because the kids were cranky.
(5)S. J.
I've been going here for years, and it's still my favorite Korean restaurant of all time. They are CLEAN and consistent! I always get the mixed seafood soon dubu. Flavors are top-notch, the rice is always perfectly cooked so that I can scoop out the rice and poor in hot water to noo reung ji. The pickled cucumber side dish and the squid side dish are my favorite. Delicious, clean, and affordable. P.S. I stick to the soon dubu and stay away from their bbq meat dishes and other entrees. Their bbq meat tends to be too sweet, and the other dishes, I could do without. But not the soon dubu. Stick to their specialty!
(5)M. Odette D.
I love this place! The service is always warm and friendly. The food is consistently delicious. I love the kimchee tofu soup and all the banchan, especially the cucumber kimchee, the bean sprouts and the fried fish.The kalbi is hot and sizzling and so is the rice. Most of all, I love that my tea cup is always filled to the brim. Highly recommended.
(5)Noriko A.
The best Korean in Federal Way. Their soup is far better and more flavorful than other places in FW and their side dishes are all so delicious! The fried fish is a nice addition to the meal. The rice is also cooked fresh to order. My boyfriend never liked Korean food until we went to this place. He is now completely addicted to the food, he even loves the marinated spicy squid dish comes with the meal This is my favorite comfort food!
(5)Jeff L.
Located in Paldo Wodl in Federal Way. Panchans were of course refillable upon request. Food was one of the better ones in Federal Way(and this is saying quite a bit). Service was good when I went and food came in a timely manner. The selection(or lack thereof) kept this place from getting the 5th star. It was very limited in the menu selection but did have all the standard fare.
(4)Ann M.
The fact that my own mother will come here and eat when she doesn't feel like cooking says a lot. This place is WAY better than Ho Soon Yi. The rice comes in a stone pot!
(3)S B.
This place is the BOMB!!! Really good Kimchee / Radish side dishes. The Tofu soup is delicious. Service is great!
(5)KK B.
great soon doo boo. we finally found our go-to place for a hot tofu soup and a kalbi combo. service is decent and the place is clean and pretty nice considering it's located inside of paldo world (which is quite ghetto). my only complaint was the soup not coming with an egg, but i recently found out that you have to ask for it. so, if you prefer having an egg in your soup, remember to ask.
(4)fedmama m.
food is excellent. the service is pretty good. they need help clearing the tables. like so many korean restaurants in federal way, this korean restaurant could also use some help in the cleanliness department.
(4)John C.
*Location has moved away from the grocery store. This place is good. I got Kalbi and Seafood Soon Tofu Soup. Probably one of the best specialty Korean Restaurants in Federal Way. It's also pretty cheap. As other people mentioned the ban chan is so so, but the soup is good somewhat creamy. I would go again.
(4)Amy P.
We were on a road trip down I-5 and pulled off in Federal Way for dinner, expecting the usual boring shopping center options, but then we spotted this little place. We split the dumpling tofu soup and bbq rib eye combination dinner. Everything, including the tasty selection of sides, was wonderful. Server was friendly and attentive. Too bad we live so far away, or we would become regulars!
(5)Cindy S.
Called to reserve a 10 seater for my fathers birthday. When we got to the location, no tables were set up for us. We waited which was fine, and when we put the baby chair at the end of the table, we were yelled at by one of the employees. My father didn't want to eat there anymore but we still decided to stay because everyone was already there. Food was mediocre. Service was meh. Decor was nice and clean.
(3)Julee I.
I love this place I wish I can have some right now I'm in Idaho that is nothing here Asian food at all I wish I can have some Korean food
(5)Abi B.
Cho Dang (Jang Soo) is one of my favorite places to eat. The servers are friendly and consistent and the food is delicious! My husband is from Korea and he really enjoys their food as well. My favorite dish to get is the dolsot bibimbap. It comes in a ceramic bowl that is sizzling hot, with rice, different kinds of veggies, meat, and an egg yolk on top and the bowl keeps the food nice and warm. It's so good! Plus, they have some of my favorite banchan (complimentary side dishes), their cucumber kimchi is one of my favorites. You can also purchase some of their side dishes to keep at home :) The decor is very nice, and the restaurant is maintained well (plus they recently moved to this location from their old one inside of New World Market). Overall, I really enjoy this place. They also have another location at Great Wall Shopping Mall that I visit often lol.
(5)Nancy L.
This place isn't bad. Their banchan is quite delicious and comes with a fried fish. If you order their BBQ set menu, it comes with stone pot rice, your choice of soup or bibimbap and the meat. More than enough food for one person. The only reason I came here was because it was close to the hotel we were staying at and we were craving something Asian and hearty to warm us in this cold and rainy Seattle weather. Overall, not bad. Friendly staff, nice family-owned restaurant. Good food.
(3)S K.
Not trying to sound ignorant but if the word "tofu" is in the restaurant's name....shouldn't there be more tofu based dishes in the menu!?!? (There is even a whole page dedicated to tofu and the benefits of eating tofu, etc in the menu). I understand that as a person who doesn't eat pork or beef or shellfish, going to a Korean restaurant is pretty pointless but I was expecting to be able to order at least rice and vegetables or tofu from the menu. Nope. Not only does this place not have any vegetarian options, you can't even order chicken-they absolutely do not serve it. I asked. I've been to Korean bbq places where I can at least order bibimbap with chicken, I wasn't able to do so at this establishment. I could only order a noodle salad which was what looked like cold buckwheat noodles with a sesame oil dressing on top of raw cabbage and iceberg lettuce. I LOVE noodles (of any kind) but this dish was not pleasant and I could barely consume it. Too overpowered by sesame oil and the lettuce was brown and semi wilted. It would be nice to have a warm noodle dish on the menu. My husband got the fish roe soup and he said it was pretty good. It came with a side of rice in what looked like a stone pot. I have to say though that the restaurant is clean and the staff is nice. If you are a meat eater, this is a great place for you. Good for large groups and families!
(2)Brooklynn C.
I love Cho Dang, this location especially. Service is always great, especially the young man who waits the tables has a friendly face and greets customers on way in and sends off with the same kindness. He always asks if my kids needs forks vs chopsticks and checks on us frequently. My go to when in Federal Way!
(5)Jennifer Y.
Left feeling skimped. This is my second time at this restaurant. The first time I went, it was still located in the supermarket. I remember not being particularly impressed the first time, so when I figured out it move to a new and bigger location, I figured I should give it a second try. The new location is much bigger, clean, and has the same decor. I ordered the dumpling soon dobu, extra spicy, my bf ordered the dol sot bibimbop. My soon dobu came out first, piping hot, as soon as the waitress sets it down she runs off. Didn't even ask me or even give me time to ask for an egg to go with it (disappointment #1) Normally, soondobu restaurants would come out with an egg ready in case you wanted one. By the time she came back, my soon dobu cooled down and honestly not hot enough for an egg. The extra spicy was really not that spicy at all (disappointment #2). My dumpling soon dobu only came with two dumplings (disappointment #3). The rice came out in a stone pot and normally the waitress would scoop the rice out of it into a bowl and puts hot tea into the stone pot. The hot tea, rice in stone pot mixture (like a porridge) is eaten at the end as a palate cleanser. But our waitress did not offered this after she set it down and ran off before I could even ask. By the time she returned to check on us, it would be too late for me to request for this as the stone pot will not be piping hot anymore(disappointment #4).The dol sot bibimbop had plenty of veggies, one egg, and a FEW CRUMBLES of meat. (disappointment #5). There was so little meat in it, it was laughable. I left feeling skimped of an egg, meat, and service. I have the feeling that she didn't provide us the full service because we were not Korean and figure we won't know any better...
(2)Wen W.
I love Korean food! I would actually choose it over Japanese Sushi, for I love the little dishes Korean restaurants provide for you. Plus, it is unlimited refilling as well. It was a nice hang out day for me and my friend, so we decided to head out for some Korean food. We totally picked out this restaurant out of randomness, and we later came to the place finding out there was a "Grand Opening" sign. The inside of the restaurant is ok. There is nothing really that spectacular for me to wow, except for they have a huge exhibit of different (tea or wine) cups on the wall. Let's jump to the food: the menus are simple! One page has tofu soup selections, and the other page has combination meals selections + selections of Korean BBQ. The very last page is basically Chef's Special i.e. Bibimbap. My friend ordered (hot) beef Bibimbap. We have always enjoyed hot Bibimbap over cold Bibimbap. I decided to order a combo: seafood tofu soup and Korean BBQ (beef ribs). The meat was excellent. Eating it a lot could get to you though, for the taste began to get sweeter for your palate. To us, the tofu soup was bland. There was nothing special about it. Bibimbap didn't have lots of meat in it. Oh, one of the little dishes is a fried fish. You can absolutely eat the whole fish since the cook fries the fish completely done... Please careful.... If your throat can't handle such thing or you are just paranoid, please don't make a nightmare for yourself.... But the fish is really good! Still, the experience was good for us, and I would definitely come back.
(4)linda-lou n.
Best tofu soup I've ever had. Tofu is thick, more like a stew than a broth. So much flavor - & the spicy pork is to die for!! I was also pleasantly surprised by how nice and happy the workers were. It's not typical for Korean restaurants to be so.. Nice, lol! I mean this with love since I am always eating Korean, but their chipper attitudes just filled the air. Definitely my fav place to get soup or Korean from now on (well, with a limited menu). Amazing!
(5)Jennifer S.
The Korean food was great. Great banchan (side dishes) and great service. We had the Korean ribs (kalbee) and spam ramen medley. I recommend soft tofu soup over this as that was the item most ordered. Great place to get your Korean fix.
(4)Anna N.
My boyfriend and I were looking to try out a new Korean place in Federal Way that wasn't a buffet, and Yelp eventually led us here. The ban chan (side dishes) did not really impress me. The fish was tasty, but other than that I wasn't a big fan of anything else. A lot of it was pickled veggies. I still think Korean Tofu House in the U-District has the absolute best side dishes. Theirs include small green onion fried pancakes and tofu. Although we were off to a rocky start, I gotta say the entrees here are solid. You really cannot go wrong with the seafood mix tofu soup and the short ribs. The seafood mix tofu soup was a creamier consistency than other places I've been to. The soup was more creamy, and less transparent. I loved it! It was super flavorful without being salty or too spicy. The short ribs were boooomb. They were meaty, juicy, thick, and fall off the bone delectable. Maaaaaan... I'm drooling just thinking about it. Even though I live in Seattle, I will definitely be coming back!!! The main entrees are delicious enough for me to overlook the uninspired ban chan and the long drive from home.
(4)Suki H.
My mom and I have gone here fairly often at its old location. Today was our first time coming to the new one. It was very spacious with more tables and chairs. Definitely great for groups! The staff was friendly and attentive. The food was delicious as always. Definitely worth a visit if you like soup for a good price!
(5)Kathleen C.
I have yet to find a better Korean tofu place that's better than Korean Tofu House in Udistrict. I meant to choose a place I haven't been to, but with how confusing the names are for these restaurants, I ended up here again. My second time in this Fed Way location called Cho Dang. There's another location in Kent that I've been to and it's called Jang So. Even though the names are different, they are the same restaurant just different locations. I wouldn't come all the way here just for this. I guess if you were around the area then sure, this place is ok. Not much to say. It's ok. Not bad or anything just not spectacular. The dumpling tofu soup is pretty good. I normally get seafood tofu soup, but I shared and my friend wanted to get the dumpling one (3 dumplings). We got the bulgogi and tofu soup combo for $19. Luckily, she's a spicy food whimp and doesn't eat much rice either like me! Perfect sharing partner! If you go with heavy rice eaters, you may need to order more as it only comes with one bowl. Not expensive. Too bad they don't have seafood pancake here though.
(3)Edith L.
I love this place! Their bibimbap is amazing although I would like a little more meat in it. Their tofu/bulgogi combo is really worth the price. I like their dumpling tofu soup the best. Their side dishes are okay. I like fish cakes and that unfortunately is not one of their side dishes here. But other than that, great price and good food.
(4)Elizabeth L.
Simple but tasty Korean restaurant tucked inside Paldo supermarket. Had a craving for Korean after an all-day hike and this hit the spot. Excellent seafood tofu soondubu (soup) - flavorful. Good kalbi and dolsot bibimbap. Pleasant, nice staff.
(4)David L.
I live in the Tricities and I get a bad craving for some good Korean food. This is when I drive to Seattle to stop by Cho Dang for soon dubu. You also have to order yet nal shik bulgogi. This puts my cravings to rest for a month. It is just that good!! They also have good cucumber kim chi. My boys also love the fish that comes with everyone's meal. They usually do not like fish but they can't get enough of the fish. By the way, H mart is close by for some Korean food shopping after dinner.
(5)Melanie L.
Cho Dang good. Ha! And it really is. Soon dubu is scrumptious. I love how they pour the hot tea into your rice bowl so you have a nice little porridge at the end of the meal.
(5)Tracy A.
I had the Bi Bim Bop, not stone pot style, it was OK. But I think the stone pot would have been a better choice. They are very generous with the side dishes of various Kim Chee and veggies. I even got a fried fish. Service is attentive and quick.
(4)Regina D.
Hidden inside of a grocery, this restaurant is decorated like a countryside mom'n'pop restaurant. The food came out quickly, steaming hot, and mouth-wateringly seasoned and hot in temperature, and totally adjustable in spice level. (you're talking to a 2-star ... don't judge my intolerance to spice!). EPIC FIND! With side dishes that are refillable and hot tea, the experience is complete. The service was speedy and friendly. The prices were reasonabel too. Great for groups, friends that want to chat away, and any real casual vibe. I mean, afterall, you CAN go grocery shopping too. Order the pork tofu soup and make sure to get a side of kalbi too! ... drool!
(4)Jeffrey Z.
I didn't really like the side dishes or the kimchi - and I ALWAYS like kimchi. We got the BBQ pork and tofu soup combo. The soup was good. The pork was also good but tasted over marinated and too sweet.
(3)Tina Y.
I love this place! I've eaten here multiple of times. If you want some authentic Korean tofu soup(also known as soondooboo), you must check out Cho Dang. It's located inside what is now E-Mart, a Korean grocery store in Federal Way across Wendy's and the Commons Mall. It's a pretty casual restaurant, not too big but not too small. Comfortable enough to come in your yoga pants and sweats. Nothing but some comfort food for us Koreans. (and all you wonderful non-Koreans too!!!) There are many variety of tofu soups you can choose from, as well as decide how spicy you want the soup to be. The choice ranges from beef, kimchee, intestines, mandoo, seafood, fish roe, and etc. Spiciness ranges from normal, mild, hot, and fire. I decided to try the fish roe soondooboo with level 3 (hot) spiciness. They first give you what's called "ban chans" which are small side dishes that you eat with rice. Cho Dang seem to have pretty consistent variety of ban chans, considering that they are the same ones every time I come here. It includes cabbage salad, kimchee, potato salad, marinated raw squid, cucumber kimchee, a salty fried fish (per person), and many more. The soup comes boiling in a stew pot and they also give you rice in another stew pot. The rice here is seriously the best! They seem to put it on the stove as soon as the order gets put in, so you know it's hot, fresh and steamy. You're supposed to scoop all the rice up, leaving a little bit left on the pot, and then what they do is they pour hot water over it. This will help create what's called "noo roong gi" in korean which is equivalent to "burnt rice soup." It doesn't sound too appetizing, but eat it later with some kimchee and it's to die for. Back to the soup. IT'S SPICY, HOT, DELICIOUS, FLAVORFUL GOODNESS. It has a real gochujang flavor to it. It honestly should be considered more of a stew rather than soup. Expect to also break into sweat. This stew is hot and bubbling when you first get it. Love coming here during the rainy days, it's simply comforting and nothing else can beat it. (says the Korean in me.)
(4)Ken L.
Cho Dang is the sister Korean restaurant to the Jang Soo Tofu in Kent. I have been to both and they are both very similar. Cho Dang is the bigger restaurant located inside of Paldo Supermarket. You can never go wrong with Combo A @ $18, your choice of soft tofu soup with BBQ Kalbi ribs. This combo is just right for two people. The kalbi ribs have the perfect marinade in a half portion on a smaller sized sizzling onions plate. The ban chan dishes (side items) give the perfect amount of veggies with a mini fried fish side dish. What I like most here is that they will continuously refill your kimchi or other ban chan items if you need more. There is never the feeling that you're being rushed.
(4)Denise L.
Located in a Korean market, Cho Dang is a hidden gem. It hits every right spot on a cold, rainy day. I love the little fried fish they give you, though I wish they gave you more banchan (the small side dishes). The tofu pots are super flavorful even for babies like me who can barely handle spice and normally get a 1 or even no star pot.
(4)Kat R.
This restaurant is our favorite Korean place in the Seattle area. I love their kimchi tofu soup and my mom likes their bulgogi. We order the combo and it was more than enough for my mom and me. Two days after we visited the first time, we came back with my husband who is a pretty good eater. So we ordered the larger sized bulgogi, kimchi tofu soup, and an extra rice. It was more than enough! We were all very full. I'm not sure what it's called, but the rice made in a stone pot is excellent. When the last if the rice gets stuck to the side of the bowl, ask them to pour tea and eat it to help digestion! The best thing about this place is the women who work there. We love them! They are super friendly and great with my daughter. My daughter hugs them she likes so much!
(5)Brandon K.
I love this place. Great restaurant for authentic korean soups and stews. Prices aren't all that bad either and you get all the side dishes and rice included with every meal. For the most part, the ahjumas serving the food are very friendly and quickly bring out refills of drinks and food.
(5)shindarera ..
My family members can be very picky eaters and rarely go out to eat Korean. Trust me on this one, if my family drives down 45 minutes to eat here 3 times a month, and just for that reason alone, the food here is good. My husband & I usually get the Kalbi + Clam Soondooboo combo & share. We just add on an extra hot stone rice. I give it 4 stars because as with most Asian restaurants, customer service SUCKS. They are always short-staffed. We usually go around 5pm on a Sunday to avoid the lines & crowd.
(4)John A.
Pretty authentic place. The food is pretty tasty, but what makes this site unique is the service. There are a number of appetizers (like Kimchi) that you are served with your order, and they will continue to bring you more for free until you are finished eating. Pretty neat restaurant!
(4)Jazeleene G.
I've never really had korean soup before, just as a side at the kbbq places I've been to. I ordered the mixed beef / seafood soup. It was really good. I loved the tofu. I was surprised that it came with a bunch of sides AND rice! I thought for $9 I was just getting the soup, but NO you get a bunch of stuff on the sides, mainly kim chee veggies, which I'm not a fan of... BUT there were these spicy bean sprouts that I enjoyed, as well as this salad.
(4)Karissa S.
I love the location in kent but it is consistently crowded there. this is now my go to for soon dubu even tho its a bit further from home. it is a larger location with better service and no wait time for seating. the food is great, I love the pickled daikon banchan!
(5)Magnetic R.
Food was good. The server barely spoke English but understood whay I wanted. She was very attentive. Next time I am down here I know where to get my Tofu soup fix. You won't see the sign because it is in the New World Market. Reminds me of 99 Ranch market with little shops inside.
(3)Flora C.
Food is good but location is bad. This mall is so out of maintain and looked so scary. There are so many options in FW. I hope the owner will consider to relocate unless the mall is going to do some major upgrade.
(4)Shirley K.
This place has really good tofu soup! It's located inside of New World Market (Old Paldo). It's perfect for a cold day! The service is okay but I never really expect much from Korean restaurants. My brother got the mixed soon tofu, my mom got the seafood, and I got the beef. They mixed up our orders so I ended up with the seafood, my mom got the mixed and my brother got the beef. We all didn't realize until we tried it and saw what was inside. We switched with each other to get what we ordered and I actually liked the seafood one better. Lol so next time I'll probably get the seafood one!
(4)Angie L.
**This restaurant is inside of what used to be the Paldo grocery store. It's now E-Mart, not Paldo. Chodang is still at the same exact location, just a change of name of the store it's located inside. My boyfriend and I just finished eating lunch here and my tummy is satisfied and happy. He ordered the beef soon doo boo soup and I ordered the pork. Everything was phenomenal, as always. I grew up eating this stuff and it's just as good as, if not better than what my mom used to make (sorry, mom). And get this... The crazy part is, service is exceptional here! You normally cannot find attentive/good service in an Asian restaurant, let alone a Korean one... But the waitresses here are all friendly and always on top of refills for your drinks and banchans (side dishes). If you have not yet already, give this place a try!
(5)Ryan M.
Fresh yummy Tofu Soup...spice level was perfect with "SPICY" good short ribs and veges. If you are having trouble choosing a soup the dumpling one is a wonderful choice.
(4)Gigi L.
I'm loving the soondubu. I especially love that I can choose the level of spiciness. The only reason I'm giving it a 4-star rather than 5-star is the lack of service provided. I had to ask for water 3 times. I also had to ask for extra utensils twice--the extra utensil and bowl was needed since I had my kids with me. Other than that, the food was delicious! I will definitely return.
(4)Henry H.
This place is next to my regular comic shop so decided to stop by. Pretty picky with my Korean food, but it was delicious. Highly recommend.
(5)Martin L.
While we were a bit skeptical when we learned that this restaurant is located inside e Mart, we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. We ordered the short rib / tofu soup combo and a side order of bul goh ghi for the three of us. Perfect amount of food and very reasonably priced for dinner. Everything was delicious and service was very good! Looking forward to our next trip.
(5)Whitney B.
Let me preface this by saying that this is one of two restaurants that gets my mom's stamp of approval in the entire west coast. My mom was a chef for 15 years--partly to feed her desire toward totalitarianism and partly because she likes to feed people--and here's the thing about chefs, they always think they can remake whatever they eat at a restaurant. And here's the thing about that, they are convinced that they can make it better, too. So in the off-chance that my mom grew tired of cooking, I would consider it my lucky day because she would always take me here. Cho Dang in Federal Way remains as one of my favorite restaurants ever and the only thing my mom and I have in common is our love for their dolsot bibimbap here. So far, she has a 99.9% guarantee rate to nitpick and deconstruct an entrée every time we eat out at a restaurant. And somehow I'm the one sitting here with a Yelp account. However, she has never once complained about the food here. I am not sure how to explain why their bibimbap here is different and better than others. After all, it is just mixed vegetables with beef over rice. The portion size is perfect wherein you're not stuffing your face yet you're leaving satisfied. I never had any issues finishing it. They also nailed it with the proportion of ingredients and also choice of ingredients that blend so harmoniously together. The beef is tender and marinated extremely well paired with the vegetables that are seasoned but not to the point that it's overwhelming. My mom and I never once needed extra hot sauce over it or any other condiments. It was perfect the way it was. I recall that they had black mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber, beef, and of course a raw egg yolk in a hot stone pot that keeps cooking it the whole time you're eating it. Even toward the end of your meal, if you eat it too fast it'll like torch your mouth. That's the best part, though, is when you get that crispy layer of rice at the very end. It's a no-frills, simple and delicious preparation. Their sides and kimchi are so good. I love every single one because they are so well made. They offer most of the usual sides and it comes out fresh every time. The women working there are quick to refill it for you. In fact, they are quick to refill your tea, as well. This is just a bonus on top of their amazing food. However, they always seem to be a little under-manned during lunch rushes and the food takes forever to arrive. I would have never guessed an awesome Korean restaurant to be in a grocery store. The unsuspecting restaurants are most likely the ones to offer the best food. I know their soups are more popular but do not overlook the dolsot bibimbap. What's their secret? I'll never know. Must be some special brand of MSG laced with post-coitus dopamine. Their food will make your day that much better because I honestly have never disliked anything I have ordered here.
(5)Edna C.
We stopped by Cho dang on our way home to Portland. It was 4pm and it was pretty busy. One server hustling around and a few tables had dirty dishes. Apparently the bus boy was on a break. Well, it took the server forever to acknowledge us and finally to get seated and served. It really wasn't her fault as it was obvious they were understaffed. The food is decent--had better soon dubu at other establishments.
(3)Andrea L.
I love me some tofu soup. :) Must tries: bacon, hot dog, spam. Yes, you heard me right. It was as amazing as it sounds. Cho Dang is in the same restaurant family as Jang Soo. We tried both places during our trip to Seattle. Both were awesome, but I have to say I preferred the soup at Jang Soo just a bit more. :) Love the wall decor (wall of cubbies with little bowls in them). Can't wait to eat here again on my next trip to Seattle!
(5)Rona L.
Many traditional restaurants in South Korea specialize in one dish -- they make variations of it and perfect it, and that's it. You decide on a place to eat AFTER you've already decided what you want to eat. Cho Dang keeps with the tradition and specializes in tofu soup (soon doobu) and although they do serve other dishes, you go there for the soup. I must say, they do tofu soup really well. They have a few variations of soon doobu, each with really good flavor, and you get to pick your spice level. I had the combination soup (with pork, shrimp, and clams) and my mom had the fish roe soup -- both really really good and comforting on such a cold day. The rice comes out in a cast iron bowl, you scoop the soft rice into a plain bowl and submerge the crusted rice (stuck to the cast iron bowl) with hot tea water and let it break down so that you can enjoy it at the end of your meal. The variety of their banchan (side dishes) isn't great but they have the staples. They also get extra points for serving each tofu soup with a nicely fried fish. Mhmm... If you're looking to eat something else, go to another restaurant. Come here for the tofu soup. (*)Note: It's inside the Paldo grocery store...in case you have trouble finding it
(5)Crave N.
Tofu soup is ALWAYS consistent, they never dissappoint!!! Love the tea they serve. Ban chan is always consistent as well. My fave is the "cole slaw-like" side dish. The spicey pork is a fave also!!
(5)Todd T.
Pretty amazing amount of food for under $10! I had the nak-dol bibimbap and it was quite a unique combo of octopus, kimchi, and herbs in a stone bowl. Toasting to perfect crunchiness and texture really enhanced the sweet and salty flavors of the octopus, and the small cuts made it easier to down (some places have really chewy octopus that can be tough). I could do spicier, and the service brought soup a bit late and didn't refill our tea, but it was a pleasant surprise at how great the side dishes and overall meal was.
(4)Eric H.
I don't really like Soon Dubu, to be honest.. but the kalbi and ban chan are ON POINT. It's pretty inexpensive for some quality eating. I moved to Vancouver, WA after living in Tacoma my entire life. I never liked Cho Dang when I lived in Tacoma.. but now that I live in Vancouver (where there are NO korean restaurants) I find myself dreaming about the next trip to Tacoma so I can make a stop to Cho Dang.
(5)Kristen J.
The tofu soup was really delicious, my favorite dish among what we ordered. The banchan and bibimbap were good, although the bulgogi was a little disappointing. Come for the tofu soup. You won't be sorry!
(4)Nick P.
Great soup and plenty of free sides. Value is very good, large portions authentic cuisine. My favorite soon tofu spot!
(5)Yuka H.
Best tofu soup around here! This is the first place where I went for son dofu so other places disappoint me so much. You can actually choose the spiciness of the dish from like 5 levels? And they serve the rice in the hot bowl as well! Those are really delicious white rice to accompany the soup. They also got solid bulgogi as well as other soup based dishes. They also have nice side dishes, starting with the small fried fish, which I love. And that cucumber and bean spout things. The interior is pretty nice too. They recently moved out of the Paldo and it's closer to the cheap movie theater and now it's a bit more bright. I think the complimentary fish that comes with combo got smaller and smaller recently and the last time, it was over fried for my taste. The service can be bad sometimes. Maybe I'm being too picky about servers not smiling but at least don't make us feel unappreciated by using negative tones too.
(4)Janice S.
I love the soon du bu here. I like this location better than the Lakewood one. The soup here tastes better as has more flavor. I normally would get the combo with the tofu soup and pork bulgolgi. Service is great and I love the fried fish that comes with your meal.
(5)Tim C.
I ordered the spicy pork / seafood tofu soup combo, and was not disappointed. The sides were solid - pretty standard stuff, like kimchi, pickled radishes, bean sprouts, fried fish, etc. The spicy pork was super yummy. You just have to take a look and a whiff, and guaranteed you'll start salivating. The tofu soup was also delicious. I like my tofu soft, and they made theirs perfectly. Good flavors, and perfect for a cold, wet day. I also liked the decor, especially the bowls on the wall. The service, however, was so-so. The prices are a little steep, but if you split a combo between two people, you'll get your money's worth and your tummy will be happy.
(4)Chonz V.
We were looking for a place to eat Korean food and found this place through the yelp reviews. I have to say that this place has really awesome tofu soup and barbeque. We're from Hawaii and we know what good Korean food is. My husband loved their side dishes which came with fried fish and he loved it!! Now we don't have to drive all the way down to Lakewood to eat good Korean food it's just minutes away from our house. Love it! (And the price is reasonable too)
(5)Monica D.
Best soon doo boo or nak dohl in Federal Way area. The foods always boiling hot and you can always ask for an egg with your soon doo boo but you have to ask when you order, it doesn't automatically come with your meal. You can choose from white broth non spicy to super spicy. The 2 pepper symbol is usually a decent level to eat at without burning your tongue off. Hopefully this place stays since people might not know what e Matt is, but it's basically the same Korean super market. Get combo if you ate feeling extra hungry or what to share with someone and any of the meats won't disappoint! Be careful when you eat hot tofu, you can burn your tongue. Not fun.
(4)Scott H.
I have gone to this place twice and something never change. The first time was grand opening and the food taste bad but service was alright even though there are many customers. But today our family decided to try again the service was terrible food taste unacceptable. The ingredients they put on the tofu soup was very small amount of meat and rest is tofu and charge $8.99 each. It is ripped off. If you want tofu go to the one in tacoma but never in federal way, also if uou want decent meal NEVER GO THERE because you won't get a decent meal or services
(1)Rob F.
Very good soondobu, bibimbap, and budaejigae. The soup for the soondobu had nice flavor to go along with a good level of spice. The bibimbap comes in a few different varieties (regular, dol sot, and crunchy). The budaejigae soup really captured the flavors of the ingredients (hot dog, spam, kimchi, cheese, etc) and you can taste a hint of each in every sip, making it nice and complex but blended. Fair prices, good service too.
(4)Margaret B.
Love the authenticity of the food, their service and their prices. First time we came here we were surprised at how good the food was along with their reasonable prices. They gave a lot of side options. The kimchi variations (squid, cabbage, cucumber, and daikon) were tasty. Now every time we are in the area, we make a stop to visit here.
(5)Hanna K.
the best soft tofu stew in federal way. clean establishment with very hard working and prompt korean ladies. the price is unbeatable with all the sides that you get. my favorite is the intestine or pork soft tofu stew. ask for an egg and get it spicy! yum!
(5)Chi N.
CHUNKY SOON DUBU, PERFECT MIX OF BANCHAN! Seafood + beef soon dubu is super good! I'm kind of a soon dubu fanatic and I've been trying a few different places in Washington and I might have finally found my favorite in this state!! The combination soon dubu has a butt-ton of small clams and shrimp, mixed in perfect blend of seafood and beef spicy broth with a lot of tofu. Its so perfect with white rice which to my surprise, also came in a stone pot! They also offer perfect combination of banchan, small side dishes that comes free with every meal. This is seriously one of the best parts about Korean food, you don't even have to choose an appetizer, they choose them for you and serve them to you for free!! Anyway, I thought the napa kimchi and daikon kimchi were especially good, they weren't overly fermented and was not too spicy. We also got fried fish, which was also tasty. I'm definitely coming back, I can't stop craving soon dubu when its freezing outside!!
(5)Jack D.
Restaurant is located inside PalDo World (Korean Grocery Store), place was clean and noticed the chef washed his hands often. The food was excellent, it was my first time here, but will definitely come back. We tried Kimchee, Short ribs, and Soondubu seafood. Kimchee was very good, I liked that it was not over fermented, the Short ribs were unusually tender, and an epic Soondubu. Overall it was not a lot of food as in some other Korean restaurants but we were Very satisfied, as is usual they brought about 8 side dishes and fried fish for each of us. Prices are reasonable though not cheap, about $15 p.p. w/o drinks. Corn tea was included.
(4)Marissa T.
This is a great Korean restaurant! Love their tofu soup. Their side dishes, including the fish, are awesome as well.
(5)Vivi R.
I'll give it 3 stars for now. The waitresses here are such a bitch. I love their foods though.
(3)Nam N.
i can't pronounce 95% of the items on the menu (the other 5% are the beverages) and i don't know what 80% of the menu IS! but i 100% know that this place is delicious! when you order one meal - it comes with (what feels like) a dozen other side items to eat as well. a korean smorgasbord indeed! the soups come out piping hot (optional egg can be cracked and cooked in front of your own eyes). delicious flavors and is easily my 2nd choice to Pho when feeling sick!
(5)Rich G.
Best Korean restaurant I tried so far. I've been looking for a place where I can get a bowl of my fave Bibimbap. I also tried their seafood tofu soup and it's just as awesome.
(5)Chi N.
Basic good Korean food. Strongly recommend upgrading to the clay pot rice rather than regular
(4)Arthur K.
I ordered the mixed tofu soup. It had great flavor and I was really enjoyed by my friends who I took with me who never had soft tofu soup before. Definitely a gem in Federal Way.
(4)Jones L.
Food was really really salty... Service was terrible ... Two words stay away!!! They have 2 other spots (kent and Tacoma) but for some reason it is really bad in the feddy way location
(1)Sophia L.
One of my favorite Tofu houses! I usually go to their sister restaurant, Jang Soo, and I would say the tofu soup is exactly the same. Both are equally as delicious! Although the side dishes are different. I ordered the Seafood tofu soup and I had it made to be super spicy! It was very filling and spicy! The service was actually really good!
(4)Roger B.
Oh man I'm stuffed. I'm not a big fan of the salady/cole slaw like stuff but the rest is bomb. Got the beef tofu soup this time around. The tofu in the soup is yummy and creamy like a custard. Light years better than the stuff you get in a store. The dishes were quickly refilled when emptied. If you want the full experience, empty your rice in the empty bowl then pour tea into the the rice crock for a simple crispy rice soup. Great value. Wonderful food.
(5)John Y.
Worst service ever! They "lost" my order & was "laughing" about it. Their food is ok but service sucks.
(1)Wina B.
After reading so many good reviews of this place, I finally went there with hubby and a couple of friends. I was super excited, expecting real good food. Turns out, the food was just OK to be honest, nothing really stood out for me. We had daeji bulgogi (which was good), beef bulgogi (meh, kind of on the bland side, the meat was dry, and flavorless), bibimbap (again, disappointing although the stone bowl made it better), and seafood soondubu (it was OK). The fried fish came as a nice little surprise, and one thing I absolutely love about this place is the rice that came in little stone bowls. Overall the food was okay and it is more on the pricey side (total bill comes up to $55.80 not including tips). Don't think I'll be coming back.
(2)Jenny K.
This restaurant seems to be the sister restaurant to Jang Soon Tofu Soup Restaurant inside the Great Wall in Kent. The good news is the tofu soup tastes much better here! The side dishes were the same, the packaging was the same and the menu was the same but the taste was noticeably different. I'm so glad I drove the extra 40 minutes roundtrip to get takeout from here than at Jang Soon Tofu Restaurant.
(3)Mandy S.
the tofu soup is is delicious!! lots of seafood and the kimchee here is fresh. I loved every dish!
(5)Kelly H.
My go-to place in federal way. This place knows how to hit the spot with the Korean tofu soup, sides and bi bim bop in the stone pot. I always leave this place feeling full, happy, and warm. If you haven't been here it is definitely worth checking out.
(4)Diana C.
Whenever I go to the Korean bath house with my mom or friends, we always stop here for a meal! Service is pretty quick, food is delicious and the prices are right! Can't wait to go back!
(5)Nancy C.
*** NUMBER 300 *** Found this place on Yelp, so fittinginly it is my 300th review. Took the little one here Wednesday afternoon - got there just before the lunch rush. Nice clean place. We were the only non-Koreans but our server was very nice (and especially made points with the little one). We had some of their corn tea (excellent - but never got a refill). Ordered the tofu/mushroom soup and BBQ short ribs combo ($16.95). There were 6 banchans (some good, some not to my personal liking) but the whole fried fish was a huge hit with the little one (and everyone at the nearby tables watching her devour it!). The soup was excellent but the ribs were meh (not very many and to tough to even eat). So $20 for soup was to pricey for me. But we will definitely be back to have just soup for lunch ($8.95) on a cold, northwest afternnon (and I'm sure I'll then add a star!)
(3)Matt S.
Since Mirak has sort of fallen from grace, I've been exploring different Korean options in this area whenever I drive along I-5 and am hungry. Cho Dang is the first place I've tried in the past few months that I know I'll be returning to soon, without question, I had fantastic service and food. I had really wonderful service at Cho Dang and it was really refreshing because I'm used to getting pretty crappy service at most Korean restaurants. The food was equally delicious, right away the banchan struck me as a step up from the usual quality. The ingredients seemed fresher (perhaps because they are located inside a grocery store? :)). I had been outside in the rain all day and went with kimchi jjigae, my favorite dish when dining alone and a good way to compare restaurants since I order it so often, and it was really good - they made it especially spicy, per my request, and I was in nose dripping, eyes watering heaven :) YUM! I typically eat at eastside Korean places a couple times a week - Seoul Hot Pot mostly and Blue Ginger when we want K-BBQ, there aren't many other good options... Federal Way is like K-mecca to me for tasty food in this area it seems and I've found a new favorite place to go - Cho Dang :)
(5)Lily B.
Every time my mom is in town, this is the spot she wants to eat at! We usually make 2-3 visits here during the week that she stays. That's dedication! We always get the seafood soft tofu soup, and the kalbi or bulgogi. They never disappoint. They have minimal sides, but the sides are so delicious that it doesn't matter. And!! They serve my favorite fried fish as a side!!!! They also serve the rice dolsot style - in a hot stone bowl. Yum yum yum!
(5)Mike T.
Very clean, good service, and great meal. They even brought out rice and soup for our 5 yr old son without us even asking! Thought the tofu soup was well seasoned and not salty like a lot of other places. We'll definitely eat here again!
(4)Sharon C.
My dad loves this place so we come here at least once or twice a month. I always come in here starving and leave extremely full! It's the best place to go to on a cold day. There are different types of soondooboo but my all time favorite is the seafood one!
(3)Linda T.
This place is yummy compared to other to fu places in LOs Angeles. Place is inside the intl market, so don't be confused with the big sign outside. Delicious!
(4)Ashley T.
Love, love Korean food and wanted to see if the reviews were accurate. Well, after the first bite into the pickled cucumber, I knew they were. It was love at first bite. Forewarning, this is a relatively small menu and you're not at a fancy, schmancy restaurant with 10 plus banchans. But you know what, what they do offer was top notch. The kimchi was fresh and tasty w/out being overly salty, same as all other items. The fried fish was a bonus! Can we say "YUM" all at once? Now, to the entree, the tofu soup. Hubby got fish roe and I got the beef tofu. I wanted very simple soup so I got it non-spicy. Yes, shocking but I loved it. I could taste the pure beef broth and it was divine. Strong and hearty beef flavor. The best! Will definitely be back if in southside.
(5)James L.
I came at 8:40 and asked if I could eat here and some older lady said no even though was a packed restaurant ... I come in every week and this how they treat loyal customers....I'm Korean and she said this and they treat white people way worse...
(1)Tommy K.
They have a decent selection of foods here but really why would you order anything other than the soon-tofu (spicy tofu pot). That's like going to a steak house and ordering chicken. Sure, the chicken may not be bad but unless you've got some meat allergy, that's just dumb.
(5)Adam B.
Whenever we're in town we make sure to stop by Cho-dang's. And honestly, nothing is better than a steaming bowl of tofu soup on a rainy Northwest day. My wife and I always get the Mandu Soon Dubu. Which is basically tofu soup with three potstickers thrown into the broth. It's awesome! We order it extra spicy but beware it actually is pretty spicy! The banchan is okay. The restaurant is clean. It gets somewhat full around lunch time but overall service has been really good and the food comes out quick and piping hot. Cho Dang won't dissapoint!
(4)Lisa P.
This place never disappoints if you are looking for a hot filling meal. I love eating here during the cold seasons. Their spicy tofu soup warms you up. In addition, the side dishes come with modest portions, but you can ask for more if you desire (although I do feel sorry for the dish washer). I always come back here if I'm indecisive about what I want to eat or when I want to introduce a friend to a new Korean dining experience other than Korean BBQ. The staff are very friendly and if you are bored, you can marvel at their wall of small bowls. I know I did when I first arrived. :P
(4)Jon D.
Under the guidance of an authentically Korean friend, I took a small group out to hopefully have an authentically Korean meal from perhaps an unexpected place. The place closed at 9, and we arrived at 8:30, but we were graciously seated at a table, while two other families dined nearby. The price of a tofu soup is about $10, and tofu soup and a grilled meat dish is $16-18 (which I don't quite understand). The folks at our group, rather appropriately, all ordered variations on tofu soup. I personally got the kimchee beef tofu soup. You do have to ask for the egg. The banchan that came out were some of the usual suspects, including a whole fried fish, which was quite hot, nice and tasty. Overall, the food was very good. They serve the rice in a hot stone pot, which is also a nice touch. Service was friendly and courteous (which is a whole lot better than I usually expect from Korean restaurants). Enjoyable time.
(4)Heidi E.
very very good! I love that they do not oversalt the food! I had the tofu with beef and would have liked to add some mushrooms but even though there are mushrooms on the menu the server said "no way" makes no sense to me but whatever for the price, value and quality of the soup and side dishes I felt completely satisfied with my wonderful lunch
(4)Hannah L.
went there for dinner last night. didn't realize it's in the shopping mall so had a hard time finding it, as there were no signs outside. but once in, service was fast, food was good. only thing was they didn't bring eggs for the stew which was strange. i asked the waitress for eggs and she asked "how many do you want?" um, three? since we had three stews? but food was good and overall service was fast and polite.
(4)lux l.
Came to try this place because Stone restaurant advertised as its' affiliates. It's somewhat hidden inside the Paldo world market. I went around the blocks a few times then had to stop to call in the restaurant to ask where they were located. Staff was welcoming and nice. Took the time to let us decide, although the menu wasn't long. Not as much banchan as Stone. I thought the dolsot bibimbap was expensive. Portion was a bit small compared to other places. Note: Paldo market was not open on Saturday when I went.
(3)Kurt K.
Finally a good Korean place WITH good service! Thanks fellow Yelpers for the recommendation. Also very cheap compared with other restaurants. Odd place within Paldo World, but make the trek inside. It will be worth it.
(4)Sandra Y.
Best place for soon doo boo in the Seattle area. And your meal comes with a small fish in all it's fried and salty glory. Delish.
(5)Cindy N.
I usually go to this other tofu house but it was closed for renovations so I decided to Yelp another tofu house to go eat at (since I'm traveling from West Seattle and did not want to leave the area without getting my fix of Korean bbq.) At first, I thought I was at the wrong location when my gps brought me to the front of a super market but reluctantly, I parked and went inside to check anyways. Turns out the restaurant is located inside PalDo World. My friend and I came inside and got seated down really quickly. We ordered a combo meal (bulgogi and mixed tofu soup) along with stone pot rice. The food came out pretty good. The waitress were really nice and they continuously checked on us to see if we needed more side dishes.
(4)Scorpio P.
This is a very clean and well appointed restuarant. Based on how helpful and meticulous all of the staff was, one would think that they were all owners. Very nice. We had lunch and were very pleased.
(4)D W.
I was looking for a Korean restaurant near the SeaTac airport, and found this one from a local paper's website. Decided to try it, and they were able to accommodate a to-go order at 8:45pm (the closing time listed was 9pm). This restaurant is in the Pal-Do World grocery store just to the right as you enter. I ordered the Korean beef and tofu soup (vegetarian) combo. It was delicious--especially good, since I was starving. The portions of the soup are generous, and you can feel it hot, hot, hot, too. They including the trimmings in my to-go order which was surprising. It has a casual atmosphere, family dining, hole-in-the-grocery-store-wall. Great place for friends or family. They serve warm Barley tea, and it was comforting, especially coming out of the rain.
(4)