Tofu and Noodles

I came to check out this place for a later lunch, and oh my god Parking was SO hard to find! However, the restaurant mostly made up for it. This place is a bit of a hole-​in-​the-​wall style, very homey with a mom-​and-​pop ambiance. The Noodle bowls are very big and the flavours are rich. I especially liked the starter taster sides they serve, and the kim chi was very good.
I’d definitely come again — though I think I’ll stay away from their spicy seafood noodle bowl challenge (serves 3, is very spicy, you get it free if you manage to finish it yourself).

Randomly came here after being in K-​town and craving some soon tofu. Then when I sat down, I got to look at the menu and got really excited that they had an awesome looking tteokbokki (spicy rice cake). This was my comfort food back in college so seeing that (plus a free rice ball with Unilocal check-​in) I was sold. Everything was perfectly portioned, spiced and tasty, right down to the hot tea. I’m definitely coming back to explore more of the menu!

Went to this place for lunch on a Sunday. The service was pretty good. There was only one server for a place that wasn’t too crowded. He was good at getting all of our orders right.
There was a nice variety of sides that are served in the little plates like at kbbq. I got the Thai tea and festival noodles. They were both good. The Thai tea looked really cool before mixing it up. The noodles were lightly flavored.
I’ll try the cut spicy noodles next time.

I’m not expert at Korean food, but whenever I have Korean food, I almost always enjoy it. So after a nice concert at the LA Phil, my friends and I wanted to grab a bite for dinner. Time was running out (now that I think of it, my friends and I really like to cut time to the bone), and it was around 10:30 PM. We needed someplace awesome to eat. As a person that hasn’t had been exposed to Korean food as much as they have, I was real interested in this particular place since I’ve never had kalgooksoo (Korean knife cut noodles). Previously, two of them went to Tofu and Noodles and apparently really liked it. So we were off on our way to Tofu and Noodles!
The place wasn’t that crowded on a Friday night at 10:30 PM. Not too surprising given the time. We used our Unilocal CHECK-​IN DEAL to get a FREE KIMBAB for each of us – that was a pretty good deal. Interestingly enough, each of the four of us ordered the exact same thing: SPICY SEAFOOD KNIFECUT NOODLE SOUP ($ 16). Each of us also ordered the tuna stuffed kimbab. I’m starting to wonder why we might be friends :) Apparently I made the mistake of getting hot barely tea when all of my friends got the cold tea. I’ll jump the gun and tell ya that they later got me some cold tea, and I’ll definitely RECOMMEND getting the COLD TEA.
Since I was super hungry, I was relieved to remember that Korean places serve Banchan (little side dishes). The Banchan was SPOT ON. The Kimchi was awesome. Nice, fresh and crunchy. The japchae was decent. The spinach was super popular with my friends. The soy sauce tofu and cucumbers were pretty darn good.
The kimbab came and I was surprised with the size of it. I was expecting something similar to a sushi roll, but it was like a sizable onigiri. Equally surprising was that the tuna was cooked and wasn’t raw as I was expecting. I have to say that I wasn’t a much of fan of it, but it was nice addition to our meal.
The main dish then came to our table. My excitement was boiling. The bowl was huge – I think I could’ve washed my face in it (OK, not that big, but it was still pretty decently sized). There was a decent amount of knife cut noodles, 2 legs of crab, 2 pieces of shrimp, squid pieces (to one of my more Americanized friend’s dismay), 2 mussels, 2 clams, lots of chopped zucchini, a bit of green onions, and jalapeño and garlic. I immediately started off with trying the noodles. The noodles were a NEW EXPERIENCE. I’ve never had knife cut noodles. These knife cut noodles were flat, a bit more «AL DENTE» than I’m used to in Asian noodles. Asian noodles that I’m used to are pretty soft and melt in your mouth type, but this was pretty firm and dense – nothing off-​putting, but more of a «oh this is new» feeling.
BUT after the first few bites, I immediately felt that the broth was WATERY. It definitely gave a spicy feel to it, but ultimately I felt like there wasn’t a significant taste to it. The crab had only a bit of meat, the rest of the seafood was eaten super quick, and I felt like I ended up just eating mostly noodles and zucchini.
In hindsight, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but ultimately, I wasn’t super fond of the whole dish. I left the place feeling full, but my lack of excitement might just stem from the fact that I’m not used to this food.
SERVICE: 5 stars
FOOD: 2 – 3 stars
TOTAL: 3 stars
Bottom Line: I’ve never tried knife cut noodles, but I think I’ve discovered I might not be the biggest fan of it. The Banchan was spot on, the service was super nice, and the kimbap was all right.

We came here after our trip. It’s a rush hour, so there’s plenty of seats.
–service: the guy was very friendly and attentive. He served us with smile all the time. He gave us a new bowl of purple rice for the leftovers.
–environment: there’s TV in the front and the back. They posted the top ten items for recommendations to provide some ideas when people don’t know what to order. There’s comments in the wall from the previous customers.
–dumplings: there’s 6 dumplings in one order. You can mixed the stuffing. The skin of the dumpling was just right, not too thick nor too thin. We like the kimchi with meat, it’s more flavorful. The other was good too.
–kimchi tofu with pork belly was ok. Because the broth was not enough and not much flavor besides salty. The kimchi was good, but the tofu was old and less flavor absorbed from the broth, just too plain if with the broth.
We will try the noodles next time, I heard its handmade noodles.
Don’t forget to checkin with Unilocal to get the free appetizer, it’s really good taste. We had the tuna with rice wrapped with seaweeds.

After an eventful night, Tofu and Noodles is exactly what I needed. It gave me life. XD
I personally crave hot-​and-​soupy/​carb-​y things as hangover food and the food options here are right up my alley. I got the chicken and noodle soup because I liked that it was very simple and hearty, and my friend got the spicy noodle soup. The portion size here is huge… I could only finish half of my bowl, which is great, cause now I get 2 meals for the price of one, haha! The ban chans here are whatevs.
Check in for a free rice ball!

If you’re craving noodles, this place is a MUST! I was having a hard time choosing from the menu and the servers were really patient with me. At the end, I finally ordered a dookalbokkeum and the kimchi noodles.
Dookalbokkeum is realllly yummy. The flavoring is just what I wanted. The noodles are really yummy and the tofu completed it.
Kimchi Knife Noodles was really good too. The soup was really refreshing!
We got the triangle kimbops as service, and the tuna and kimchi ones!!! OMG. I recommend this place.

We came here on a whim after exploring LACMA and we were pretty tired and hungry.
[+1] This place is sooooo good when you’re super sick! I was super sick when I came in and the soups are so comforting! The broth is really flavorful but clear which is better than the creamy fatty broths when you’re sick. The food wasn’t super salty and cooked well. The knife cut noodles were pretty good and had a nice chew without being too soft. We took half home since the portions were huge and even reheated, it tasted the same (noodles were a little mushier and so were some of the veggies but that’s expected).
[+1] They also served us banchan with our noodle soups! I didn’t expect that but maybe that’s normal with all Korean foods? I’m not sure since I’m not Korean but it was pretty cool.
[+1] Service was good, but then there were only like two groups when I went. They also had to deal with my sickness so I tipped them a bit extra to clean up my napkins!
Parking was annoying, but that’s not really something they can handle.

Came here instead of Mazinga for some Korean food. Parking is valet ($ 2).
Service:
The service here was very friendly and attentive. They always made sure your banchans were filled and your cups never empty.
Original knifecut noodles:
These noodles come in a huge portion, which makes it perfect for sharing. It was really good and satisfying. The broth is tangy and has a nice kick, and the noodles are chewy and delicious.
Grilled Chicken w Cheese:
This chicken was served in a sweet white sauce. I thought the sauce was overly sweet, and needed some salt. It was really rich and hearty, and was topped with some mozarella cheese. There were also some rice cakes scattered throughout the dish. The cheese does solidify if you don’t eat it fast enough.

Recently discovered this place in Koreatown, and loved the food. If you want to look for some simple, cheap eats, this is the place to come to!
With every check-​in on Unilocal,you get a free KIMBAP. We got the Spam and the Tuna. The Tuna was hands down my favorite… you get that nice celery taste with a little bit of mayo. Very enjoyable
+ KIMCHI PORK BELLY: Great mellow flavored kimchi mixed in with the pork belly. It’s a very hearty dish, great for sharing. It’s not really pork belly, but rather slices of pork, but it was still very delicious.
+ ORIGINAL KNIFECUT NOODLE SOUP: This was a well-​done soup noodle dish. Great flavors, and I especially loved the crown daisy leaves. Added a great herbal flavor to the dish

Another hidden gem in Ktown found thanks to fellow Unilocalers! The name of the restaurant is pretty generic, but the food they serve is definitely delicious!
This place has everything: noodles, kimbap, pancake, rice, soondubu, jjigae, etc. There’s definitely something for everyone!
Definitely order their original knifecut noodle soup. The noodles are so slurpable yet still has a nice bouncy texture when you chew on them! The soup is full of flavor and has a great kick to it! It’s a big bowl so definitely shareable!
The dduk bokki was pretty good! I would have liked the rice cake to be softer and chewier and not so hard, but the flavors were still really great! You also have the option to add cheese on top of it!
Don’t forget to checkin to get a free triangular musubi. I got the tuna one and it was so good! I like how they use purple rice to make it!
Parking: The lot is pretty tiny and shares with a few other restaurants, so I can see it getting pretty difficult. There’s also street parking.

Tofu and Noodles is bomb because 1) good food and 2) it’s saving my relationship. For reals, the only upside to being dragged to another USC game is that I have Tofu and Noodles to look forward to afterward. I know, I’m a disgrace, but really I can’t help it. I’m not a football person let alone a USC fan, so I never really saw a bright side to going to a game other than appeasing my bf. Then came Tofu and Noodles, and everything was history. My bf made me a promise to take me here after every game we go to because he saw how much I was enjoying myself.
The mandoo is dare I say the best I’ve ever had? I’m Chinese, and I grew up eating/​making/​perfecting dumplings, but something about the mandoo at Tofu and Noodles just changed the game for me. The texture is perfect — slight crisp and browning on the outside but flavorful and juicy filling with balanced veggies and meat. The spicy chopped noodles is also perfection on a chilly day, or any day, and the banchan has my favorite japchae and potato salad. Win, win, win, something that USC needs to get better acquainted with. Jk. In all honesty, every time we come, we’re in the company of USC game goers, so I know I’m not the only one that thinks about their mandoo and noodles at games.

Cute little place in the corner of 8^th and Berendo.
I came here with my boyfriend around noon on a Sunday. There were about 3 other tables and plenty others free. The waiter seated us quickly and gave us our menus. He also let both of us check in and get the free triangle kimbaps, so make sure you ask! I also want to mention about the service is that the waiter checked with us a few times to see if we needed more food or water. He also packed our leftovers for us, and even separated my soup from the noodles, which were still chewy for dinner.
I ordered the Ul-​keun-​ee kalgooksu with hot! spiciness and Dukbokki. Both were very good and extremely filling. The noodles were soft, yet still chewy. The dukbokki was chewy and slightly sticky. In my opinion, the two complemented each other very well. However, unless you enjoy spicy food on the daily, I would recommend getting a non-​spicy dish to share. While the two items individually were manageable, the combination of the two, as well as the heat, made the meal extremely spicy.
As for the free triangle kimbap, I chose tuna. It was served unwrapped, so I ate it in the restaurant, which served as a nice break for my taste buds between bites of the spicy foods.
I would definitely come here again to try more of the different items that they have to offer. Word of caution is that the parking lot is extremely small since various restaurants share the ten or so parking spaces.

June: After the spa it was time to grub. The place was empty because we came at a very odd time, it was neither lunch or dinner. The guy who greeted us was nice.
Most of us were craving noodle soup. The guy mentioned the portions were big but I thought he was talking about the kimchi fried rice that my friend ordered. Three of us ordered the Spicy Noodle soup and when it came we found out it was big enough to feed 3 people. OMGOSH, now each had a bowl and I didn’t even put a dent in it.
The soup was full of flavor and not too spicy at all. Although it already comes with noodles I was eating it with rice as well because it was just that good. Making everything taste good with it.
I liked everything I ate. Pretty good for comfort food.

Great spot for Korean seafood soup and dishes.
My friend and I stopped in. This place happens to be next door to one of our fave BBQ grilled spots in a mini mall off of 8^th street (ACA grill).
Tofu and noodles serves more than that. We ordered seafood spicy noodle soup and seafood pancake. The seafood soup was very good, bold full of flavor and filled with seafood goodness. The seafood pancake a bit on the greasy side, but it was very tasty!
Parking is shared with a few other establishments and can be tight. The restaurant is nicely decorated, with clean lines and they take ATM/​credit card which is a big plus!
Great find!

Service: The service was great. Told my options of beverages and a detailed explanation of how spicy certain dishes can be and how bland it can be, as well, compared to American cuisines. Was on top of my refills and other tasks.
Food: The food was great. Reminded me of the food I ate in Korea. For the Janshik Noodles, it can taste bland, but honestly, that’s how it’s suppose to taste. The Kal Guk Soo was wonderful as well. My friend got the spicy one and it had a lot of body and flavor and the spiciness was a real kick.
Ambiance: Reminds me of a small café, simple and clean.
Parking: Small, really small. If there’s no parking on the lot, the neighborhood next to it is your only choice of option.

A very cute place set apart from the larger ktown areas. But this is a cute find! The walls were decorated and made me feel like I was surely in a korean restaurant — awesome! It was cozy and friendly in there — hip!
The noodles were also good, well portioned, and flavorful. Lots of ingredients and spice in the original noodle soup that i got. I didn’t get beef, but i should have.

What a hidden gem! Located in the 8^th Plaza– parking looks like it can be difficult as it’s a pretty small plaza, but we managed to find an open slot on a Monday evening. This restaurant looks pretty unassuming especially with a name as simple as ‘Tofu and Noodles’ but this place is actually pretty good!
The interior is really cute and artsy– they have a lot of drawings on the walls which I’m assuming are by customers and even have some paintings above them. I also saw some blank canvases that had a note on the side saying «Let us know if you paint!» so it looks like they’ll let you paint your own masterpiece to be hung which I thought was pretty unique and cool to see.
The menu is pretty simple– as the name implies, they have knife-​cut noodle dishes as well as meat dishes, soups, and rice dishes. They don’t give a ton of side dishes but they were just OK.
SPICY TOFU SOUP $ 8.50
I would’ve gotten noodles, but I just got off a juice cleanse and am still not able to eat solids. It comes with slices of pork, kimchi, tofu, and slices of rice cake. I’m usually really skeptical when it comes to tofu soups because my FAVORITE tofu soup is from Young Dong. This one wasn’t bad though! It has the watery consistency that I don’t prefer, but it had good flavor.
CHOPPED CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP $ 10.50
Thick cut noodles in a light chicken broth and green onions on top. This was really simple but so tasty! The broth wasn’t too salty and for review purposes, I had to try the noodles– they had a great chewy texture!
Service was really friendly and attentive. I definitely plan on coming back here to try their other noodle dishes!
Tips/FYI’s:
— Located in 8^th Plaza ACROSS from the plaza with House of Chigae
— Limited parking slots so probably better off finding street parking
— Unilocal check-​in gets you a free kimbap of your choice!
— According to their website, BYOB!

I absolutely adore this place. The fly that was trying to mooch off our food, not so much. From the moment we stepped in, we were warmly greeted by our server and he was cordial from start to finish.
As usual, my buddy Richard S. and I ordered more than we could finish. I guess some things never change. We were able to redeem the Unilocal check-​in offer for one free triangle kimbap so I went with our server’s suggestion of tuna. I loved the mixed rice it has for the regular kimbap and the tuna and celery mixture inside. I mean, I could have made my own, but that one tastes pretty darn good. They also offer Spam and Kimchi, as well as as Beef (assuming Bulgogi) triangle kimbap.
Banchan was good– my absolute favorite was the kimchi– I thought they had just the right level of fermentation to achieve the taste they had. Second favorite is tied between their japchae with sweet bell peppers and their sesame spinach.
Our mandu came out first– half and half. Obviously the pork one was better, though the kimchi one wasn’t bad. However for my next visit, you know what I’m getting!
My favorite Seafood Pancake/​Haemul Pajeon came out next with a delicious chili soy sauce. I think this has got to be one of my favorites in Ktown since I love their abundance of chives, making it extra flavorful than using scallions. Though the seafood wasn’t as hefty as other places, the ratio between flour, seafood and chive was just right for me, making it to my Haemul Pajeon list.
House Noodles came out soon after with a name that I cannot even pronounce (ul-​keun-​ee kalgooksu). Just get it– it’s good and a bit addictive. We ordered mild, but found it to be not that spicy at all, so if you like spicy, kick it up to either medium or hot! The addition of ground beef for $ 1 made this even yummier, and the texture of their noodles is extremely crave-​worthy.
We also got Braised Pork Belly and Kimchi jjigae. This was ok, since I am not a fan of heated up kimchi anymore, but they did have huge slices of pan-​fried tofu dipped in egg at the bottom that were good.
It was very comfortable to eat there since it felt like I was eating at someone’s home. The walls were covered with colorful chalkboard drawings, making it a cute place to chill. I was surprised it wasn’t too packed but I guess as someone had mentioned, the parking lot is a bit of a pain. Either way, their food is worth it and every table there had leftovers to take home– we certainly had enough for additional meals.

I love Tofu and Noodles. The restaurant isn’t too busy so we don’t have to wait. The parking lot is small but we are usually able to find parking with no problems.
The service is amazing. It’s a family restaurant so you can really tell that they care about their business. The portion is huge as well. We always end up ordering too much. If you check in on Unilocal,you can also get a free triangle kimbap. I would definitely recommend the spam & kimchi variety.
They are known for their noodle. The #1 noodle on the list is really good. The bowl is so huge that I could only finish about half of it. I asked for very spicy but my noodle wasn’t all that spicy at all. The seafood noodle is pretty good too.
We have also had the kimbap and bibimbap, which are quite good. They use purple rice in all their dishes, including kimbap. That’s a nice touch. Their banchan changes every so often but it’s usually very good.