Sundubu Jjigae In Seoul: Where To Eat This Korean Tofu Stew
My first few years in Korea I had a friend who LOVED sundubu jjigae (์๋๋ถ์ฐ๊ฐ) with a passion. It became her comfort food and she ordered it at meal after meal when we were finished working. While she had jumped on the soft tofu stew with a passion, it took me years to appreciate it as much as she did.
Sundubu jjigae, a popular comfort stew made with soft tofu, is now one of my favorites too and I’ve realized that a lot of foreigners that first see it assume it to be a lot spicier than it is and thus are put off of diving into it head first. I’ve been craving it for months now and you should too.
Have you tried Korean sundubu jjigae yet?
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What is sundubu jjigae?
Sundubu jjigae (์๋๋ถ์ฐ๊ฐ) is a traditional Korean stew that is both hearty and comforting. The dish is named after its primary ingredient, “sundubu,” which translates to “soft tofu.” This uncurdled, silky tofu is the star of the stew with a delicate texture that contrasts with the robust flavors of the broth. Plainly, it’s delicious, hearty, but delicate at the same time.
The broth of the stew is made with anchovy or kelp stock, pork or beef, and then seafood like clams or shrimp will also appear to top it off.
I think a lot of foreigners are put off of trying it at first due to the bright red making them think it will be extremely spicy, but it’s not. Fear not, I say. Served in a hot stone pot, a dolsot, the stew is boiling hot when served so take it nice and slow. In fact, before you take your first bite, grab the raw egg on the table because you need to crack that into the boiling stew before you even get started.
Where To Eat Sundubu Jjigae In Seoul
You can find sundubu jjigae all over the place and really don’t have to travel far to get a good bowl of it. That said, if you do want to travel someplace specifically for a bowl of the delicious soft silky tofu stew, then here are a few places to eat sundubu jjigae in Seoul.
Golden Bean Field (ํฉ๊ธ์ฝฉ๋ฐญ)
This artisanal tofu restaurant makes tofu and cheonggukjang from 100% domestic soybeans every morning. They use Korean beef from Sobaeksan Mountain and antibiotic-free pork from Jeju Island. They make their own kimchi using high-quality domestic red pepper powder and garlic, and everything is carefully prepared. They received the Michelin Guideโs Green Star three times from 2021 to 2023 so far.
Itโs so good, you have to try this spot in the heart of Gondeok.
- Address: 9 Mapo-daero 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (์์ธํน๋ณ์ ๋งํฌ๊ตฌ ๋งํฌ๋๋ก 16๊ธธ 9)
- Hours: Every day: 11:30am ~ 9:30pm (Weekdays thereโs a breaktime from 3:00pm ~ 5:00pm)
Baeknyeonok (๋ฐฑ๋ ์ฅ)
With homemade fresh bean curd, Baeknyeonok specializes in not just that bright red and delicious sundubu I’ve talked about here, but they also make a plain soft bean curd stew as well as a perilla seed soft bean curd stew.
If you want some variety, find this spot across the road from the Seoul Arts Center.
- Address: 2407 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul (์์ธ ์์ด๊ตฌ ๋จ๋ถ์ํ๋ก 2407)
- Hours: Every day: 10:00am ~ 8:00pm
Jaedong Sundubu (์ฌ๋์๋๋ถ)
Their tofu is made with organic soy beans they grow on their farm. They make a chodang sundubu, which you may have had if you’ve visited Gangneung before. It’s a subtle taste but really quite delicious. Of course, you can still opt for the spicier seafood version too. All homemade, and all delicious.
- Address: 6 Bukchon-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gil, Seoul (์์ธ์ ์ข ๋ก๊ธธ ๋ถ์ด๋ก2๊ธธ 6)
- Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 11:00am ~ 10:00pm; Wednesday, Saturday: 11:00am ~ 9:00pm
Sundubu jjigae is one of those stews that might grow on you slowly, but it’ll grow on you. Be sure to have a bowl the next time you’re out to remember how good it is.
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