Meiji Tofu

You will drive right by the place it is so non-​descript. My friend told me about this place and I stopped by for tofu last week. Used it for a stir fry and got rave reviews from the vegetarian in the group. I like the texture better than the store bought tofu. It is also fresher.

Love their tofu and soy milk. Soy milk is the thickest I have ever had and I love it. Their tofus have strong soy flavor and it’s worth every penny.
I also tried their new Sweet rose creamery black sesame soy ice cream and I think it tasted like Frozen Chinese black sesame soup. XD

Best fresh (made everyday fresh) silky tofu. Very authentic.
Highly recommend: supreme tofu, soft tofu (almost as good as supreme:) and cheaper: P), inari age. If you know how to cook okara, then it’s only $ 1! Must buy.
Also tried miso, but it was mugi (barley) miso, so it was different from what I used to, and I didn’t love it. Soymilk is not altered with sugar or other ingredients, so it is very thick and tastes real. If you are thinking those store bought vanilla soy milk, then this is a completely different product. It tastes tofu, like liquid tofu. Lol
I like its authenticity so I like it though :)
It is open only in the morning, so check time before you go. It’s very far away from my house (20miles!), but I don’t mind. It worth traveling.
You should go here, instead of getting at mitsuwa or other super marke (only limited super market), because it’s a bit more fresh and I heard it’s a bit bigger. Lol
Seriously, after finding this place, I don’t wanna eat anywhere else’s tofu. (I’ve tried V. P, it’s so awful compared to this place and same price.)

I bought this amazing tofu at Marukai in Little Tokyo and it’s absolutely life changing! It’s very fresh and delicately flavored. I will never buy any other tofu ever again! Seriously. The hype is true! It’s in a different universe than any other tofu!

This place is awesome!
Very friendly mom and pop tofu and soy milk shop. The tofu and soy milk are fresh, and made perfectly. When you drink their soy milk, you can taste the quality!
You will have to pay a little more than the local asian markets (99 ranch, S-​Mart, etc), but it’s definitely worth it!
Their soy milk is 2.50 for a half gallon, which is similar in cost as the big supermarkets but it tastes much much better.
Their tofu is also $ 2.50, which is about $ 1.00 more than local asian markets, but you can also taste the quality.
The soy milk is the best deal, but all their products are A++++!

Pricey!
BUT it is organic tofu and it is fresh!
I also got the edamame tofu and it was interesting
I didn’t like the soy milk, it was TOO thick

So many people say they don’t like tofu. I think the biggest reason for this is that they’ve never tasted tofu like they make at Meiji Tofu. Made fresh everyday. They use only non GMO soybeans. In fact everything they do in producing their tofu is done to achieve the highest possible quality. And the best tasting. It is available at the Japanese markets, Nijiya and Marukai. There is a complete list on their website of all the places it’s available. If you love tofu it is worth seeking out. If you can’t understand why a friend or someone you know loves tofu so much you really owe it to yourself to try Meiji Tofu. Maybe you still won’t like it but at least you will know what really exceptional tofu is supposed to taste like. And if you care to you can go buy it right where they make it. But get there before 1:00.

After eating lunch in this area, we stopped by this place to buy some tofu for the first time.
I knew the name and people told me how good their tofu was, but never had a chance to go there until recently.
We bought two different kinds of tofu (momen medium and firm) and okara.
To be honest, I do not know how to cook/​use okara, so gotta learn: p
I usually like momen tofu and medium and firm both were good.
When we got there, they were out of zarudofu. I want to try that one next time because I heard it is very good.

— Locale Destination —
It’s on S Western Ave and W 165 Pl in Gardena.
It’s super small and not obvious presence. It’s kinda tacked away. It’s across street from «Otafuku» (great izakaya, which is kinda hidden as well). Drive slowly not to miss it (see my picture).
Ambiance: Super small! just a little corner packed with fridge, storage for tofu (small water pool) and window for order. Barely a few people would fit there.
Hours: Closed on Tuesdays and holidays. M-​Sat: 830 a — 1 p, Su: 830 a — 12 p
Payment: Cash only (I think)
Parking: It has on the right left side of the shop. Drive slowly not to pass it.
Menu: They use «Non GMO soy». Soy milk, tofu (several varieties), okara (crap made during making tofu — soy fibers, used for cooking. $ 1 for 2 lb), age (‘inari age’ for the package for ‘inari’, $ 3 for 10 pieces. ‘atsu-​age’ for deep fried tofu, $ ³⁄₂ pieces)
Regular Tofu: Soft to Hard (depends on how you want to cook. $ 2.5 for 20 oz), ‘Kumidashi’ ($ 3.75 for 20 oz) use a lot more soy beans — richer and flavorful than others. Very very soft.
Supreme Tofu: ‘Kumidashi’ (16 oz for $ 4.5), ‘edamame’ (16 oz for $ 5), zaru (20 oz for $ 6. It’s big and served in the mesh flat basket. I don’t know what’s the difference between ‘kumidashi’ and ‘zaru’ except for the obvious size)
Tips:
1) Come early, get the fresh tofu, and eat it ASAP! The more you wait to eat, the lesser quality of taste you get. The freshness is the key when it comes to fresh tofu. I had it at «Marukai» (Japanese market), but it wasn’t impressive.
2) Some items are only available at the shop, not Marukai. Ice cream is one of those.
3) «Sweet Rose Creamery» in LA (decent «gourmet» type ice cream shop) use their soy milk for their ice cream.
— Gluttony Expedition —
Kumidashi: Very rich, mild, full of soy flavor. I had their package tofu at «Marukai» (I don’t think it was «kumidashi» since it was only $ 3), and it was disappointing. This was nothing like that. The fresh one tastes way better! Very soft, so not so good for cooking like sautee. You can even eat it without soy sauce. Good.
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
Great tofu — especially for SoCal.
A Unilocaler talked about «Yuzu miso», but I didn’t see it.
I wanna try their soy milk.

Great REAL tofu made the old-​fashioned way

Fresh and super yummy, cannot be compared to regular tofus from the supermarket!

It has been a while since I have visited Meiji Tofu for some of their best soy bean products around the L.A. area. This time, I finally got my chance to try the Edamame Tofu that I have missed on my previous visit. Unlike the Zaru Tofu, this green-​colored tofu is not as smooth and creamy in its texture. Its flavor, however, is full of the edamame’s aroma and it is certainly delightful to eat! For those of you who are smooth-​texture tofu lovers, the Edamame Tofu might disappoint your expectations because it is not as smooth as the Zaru Tofu. Its flavor, however, could be delectable to one’s taste buds. As a result, Meiji Tofu still deserves its 5 stars out of 5 on my yummy soy bean products scale.

I picked up: zaru tofu & soy milk.
…But this (is just a factory so it) does not come with any kind of sauce! I recently ate at a restaurant which served this style of tofu, but it had a sauce.
The soy milk was very very creamy, but had no flavor at all. I’ve drank soymilk from markets which was much thinner& had option of sugar.
Some reviews describe this as so delicious you can eat it plain, but not me.
They sell this at various markets, so I just realized there is no need to come all the way here.
Future Unilocalers, could you describe what sauce you use or recommend on it?

A great spot for tofu lovers!
I came here and got some of the soft tofu to make soondubu and medium tofu for some thai ground pork and tofu soup.
Both dishes came out great. And you really taste the difference in the tofu. Not by much though. There’s a slight difference in taste compared to the store bought tofu.
I’d definitely stop by this store again if I were in the area for for fresh tofu.

Try the YUZU MISO!
Meiji tofu’s yuzu miso amazing, its citrusy and clean tasting. Now someone tell me how to use this stuff besides making miso soup and using it as a marinade. It’s really tasty and there has to be many more applications.
Their soy milk is thick, dense, creamy and not gritty. Most of the other fresh soy establishments I’ve tried have been Vietnamese and this is the first ethnically Japanese shop I’ve had fresh tofu products in. I’d have to say I prefer the Japanese tofu and soy milk or at least I prefer the stuff that Meiji Tofu churns out. It’s so creamy and delicate. Fresh is best.

This is the best tasting and freshest tofu I’ve ever had. The soy milk also is sooo creamy and smooth. This coming from someone who hates the smell and taste of regular store bought soy milk. Five stars!!!

I typically don’t care for tofu but this place actually makes me love tofu! Their tofu is amazing and fresh. The texture is perfect. It IS pricier than regular tofu but well worth it.
I love their cold tofu with either soy sauce or the miso+plum paste they sell from time to time in a mason jar. The other tofu that comes in the basket, I’ll fry it and eat it with plum sauce. I went vegan for a cleanse for a week and did not miss meat at all because of this place. Delicious!

A place that offers less than ten product and closed at 1pm must be doing something right! Meiji tofu takes their soy business seriously.
The store is not obvious and we certainly missed it the first attempt. There’s no shelf or product for you to browse but friendly staff was very informative about their soy bean source and the different grade of their tofu while kindly offer sample.
The brand Silk tofu will be ashamed to compare their product with Meiji’s soy milk, this is the real stuff.
I paid $ 14.50 for three tofu item and a half gallon milk, and I added this to my list of why I love living in the west side LA!!!

DELICIOUS! So smooth, silky, fresh, and etc etc!
One bite of the freshly made tofu, you will have a hard time going back to the packaged tofu in markets! The texture is different and the taste is amazing. I never worry about it getting bad because I usually finish 1 block of tofu in 2 days.
sure, it may be pricey, but if you are a tofu lover (like me) then you will fall in love with Meiji Tofu and their soy milk.
They sell their products to Nijiya so no worries if Meiji Tofu is closed because that has happened to me plenty of times.

I’m a sucker for tofu factories. Especially ones that take great pride in making artisan quality tofu. Meiji Tofu is a very small and unassuming store but don’t let that fool you. While they offer less than 10 different types of tofu products, everything is super fresh and delicious. My latest purchase included the edamame tofu, supreme tofu, and soy milk.
There’s a small parking lot in the back and limited street parking. The counter staff are very friendly and they offer samples. Oh and they even gave us a Meiji Tofu new year calendar. Score! Great place, awesome tofu!