Surawon

Everyone already knows that the tofu soup here is delicious, but I really want to recommend the Bibimbap — it’s super tasty and the portion is huge! It’s served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, which makes the bottom crispy and adds great texture. The spicy raw crab is also fresh and flavorful with no unpleasant smell. Service: The staff are very friendly and attentive, especially Tom — 10/10!!

Great place for comfort Korean food. Enjoyed the variety of small dishes with the amazing brown rice. The tofu made in house with black soybean indeed stood out. Was also impressed by the ox knee soup - meat supremely tender!

Definition of hole in tge wall mom and pop restaurant. Unpretentious casual lowket. But ohhhhh the happy bubbling soon tofu soup. Choose your spice level, crack the egg or don't. My first time here. I got the vegetarian /5soup, I liked it came bubbling in a cast iron bowl...it's got a reddish color that says hot...but I got mild and it was indeed mild. A fun dish, and it comes with little side dishes. And a choice of white or purple rice 5/5. Highly recommend. Free parking in back .

Yunhan Liu

The food here is very tasty and the sides are well seasoned with different flavors and textures. Favorites were the kimchi and radish. You can get their tofu soup with another main dish - we got the corvina.

Ju

Feels like an authentic old-school Korean restaurant, such a great vibe! The tofu stew was really delicious and tasted natural, not overly seasoned or full of MSG like some other places. Galbi tasted little bit sweet, but still good. The banchan were also perfectly done.

Louis Shaffer

Authentic, quality, delicious food. We had a variety of (vegetarian and fish) options, and everything was tasty and fresh. I especially appreciated the waiter’s recommendations and mixing my bibimbap for me. We also noticed the obvious enjoyment all those around us were taking and the variety of things to try next time.

Jacob Kim

The spicy pork bbq and tofu soup are the best in LA. Not even close. Kimchi is either the best or second best, too.

A.J. Foucault

Great, cozy little place with a parking lot on the back (enough space for maybe 12 cars tops, though) with great side dishes (banchan) and what seems like good soups. I am not a fan of tofu soups so I just went with the bulgogi with a side of white rice, and did not regret it at all. We got refills on some of the side dishes (including their fish cakes, which are amazing), and the service was top-notch. Highly-recommended Korean soup place!

Alex Wang

It brings tears to my eyes as I write this review on the eve of my move out of LA. I’ve probably eaten here over 50 times in the last 10 years and can confidently say this is a top 3 favorite restaurant in SoCal for me. Surawon is not your fancy “pinkies up” type of place. It is the home to the most delicious, authentic and welcoming Korean food that only a Korean mom and grandma with decades of excellence, love, and care can produce. The star is the thick-cut Galbi - smoky, sweet, savory, and incredibly juicy from what can only be premium, highly marbled beef. The other star is the large offering of banchan - each executed perfectly and with a different flavor profile that can balance any meal. Of course the brand is centered on the soondubu, which blends a rich and flavorful broth with generous portion of fresh tofu. The service is truly 5/5. It doesn’t matter if the restaurant is full or empty, the ajummas will always serve you with a smile and make sure your banchans are replenished. After so many meals here, I can go on for a very long time about the great memories I’ve had at Surawon. But I’ll stop and let whoever is reading this make their own and hope that when I come back in a few years, this wonderful place is still around, unchanged.

Stacey M

Loved everything about this authentic Korean restaurant. The dishes came out very quickly. They were very fresh and very delicious. Will surely think about this place a lot when thinking about LA. It is also a local spot you can tell and that is how you know it’s great food. Get the tofu!!!

Lauren Donahoe

We were craving tofu stew but my girlfriend is vegan so it’s tough to find. The menu was clearly labeled and the staff were so helpful. The tofu was so amazing and the broth was incredible. The banchan was also a compliment to the spicy stew. Parking is kind of tough. The lot is so small so the spots are really not reliable. But it’s worth struggling to find parking.

So

Everyone already knows that the tofu soup here is delicious, but I really want to recommend the Bibimbap — it’s super tasty and the portion is huge! It’s served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, which makes the bottom crispy and adds great texture. The spicy raw crab is also fresh and flavorful with no unpleasant smell. Service: The staff are very friendly and attentive, especially Tom — 10/10!!

Jiahui Zhou

Great place for comfort Korean food. Enjoyed the variety of small dishes with the amazing brown rice. The tofu made in house with black soybean indeed stood out. Was also impressed by the ox knee soup - meat supremely tender!

Elizabeth Wong

Definition of hole in tge wall mom and pop restaurant. Unpretentious casual lowket. But ohhhhh the happy bubbling soon tofu soup. Choose your spice level, crack the egg or don't. My first time here. I got the vegetarian /5soup, I liked it came bubbling in a cast iron bowl...it's got a reddish color that says hot...but I got mild and it was indeed mild. A fun dish, and it comes with little side dishes. And a choice of white or purple rice 5/5. Highly recommend. Free parking in back .

Reichen Yoo

We had the good dinner at Surawon. Luckily it wasn’t busy on Sunday evening. The restaurant has the parking lot behind the restaurant. The menu is very good. You can choose either just soontofu or combo (main dishes with soontofu). We had the combos. The seafood leek pancake is fantastic. You have to try. And of course the tofu is best. If you can handle spicy level, that’s where you should go. But definitely have to be patient when you eat the tofu. It’s super hot. 😅😅

Josef Beyer

Such friendly staff and one of the best hot sizzling Bibimbap dishes i could wish for! They server it with a complimentary set of korean starters that are incredibly good. I am always excited to come back to la for this Restaurant!

The following is the opinion of a VEGETARIAN, something no one asked for… obviously this place is amazing, fast, fairly priced, and so insanely delicious. Overall I liked it more than BCD primarily because the banchan had a bit more flavor and was more varied. In fairness to BCD though, the soon tofu was not QUITE as good (until I had some juice from Surawon’s incredible kimchi). I just felt it was a tad bland without some extras in it, but still super tasty and I will be back!

The best and the only place for Black Soy Tofu to stand out as their exquisite menu in clean environment with white cactus 🌵 chandelier to remind the history of the restaurant. I like the fact that they kept it all these years.. ^&^ The only thing is that you have to ask for black tofu as they don't ask you, though it's written on the menu. ^&^

Surawon tofu house is my favorite place ever. I haven't eaten something here that didn't blow my mind. Soontofu: FIRE BQ Slice Ribeye: FIRE Sides: FIRE Barely Tea: FIRE Corvina: FIRE. The combo of tofu and an entree is incredible. And incredibly priced. I LOVE SURAWON TOFU HOOUUUSSEE

blueTREE

The best and the only place for Black Soy Tofu to stand out as their exquisite menu in clean environment with white cactus 🌵 chandelier to remind the history of the restaurant. I like the fact that they kept it all these years.. ^&^ The only thing is that you have to ask for black tofu as they don't ask you, though it's written on the menu. ^&^

Dan Nufer

The following is the opinion of a VEGETARIAN, something no one asked for… obviously this place is amazing, fast, fairly priced, and so insanely delicious. Overall I liked it more than BCD primarily because the banchan had a bit more flavor and was more varied. In fairness to BCD though, the soon tofu was not QUITE as good (until I had some juice from Surawon’s incredible kimchi). I just felt it was a tad bland without some extras in it, but still super tasty and I will be back!

Musashi Hueston

Ordered the fish cake soondubu with mackerel combo. The soondubu was perfect spiciness and had a deep flavor that wasn't just spicy though; it was rich and deep in flavor. Tofu was smooth and silky, yet still firm enough for it to not just break into pieces inside the stone bowl. Banchan itself could have been a meal, they hook you up on it, and a variety of dishes as well Mackerel was fatty and salty, it went very well with the rice and the banchan.

The service was great, and the food was even better. From the outside, it's not easily noticeable that it's a restaurant. But once inside, the staff are terse but very welcoming. The tables and chairs don't have much flair. It felt like a cafeteria. Every table is close to each other, so it's an intimate dining experience. If you can get past that, the food makes you forget about the sterile like environment. Your taste buds just transport you to another place, a place where bellies are fulfilled and smiles on faces are everywhere.

Tofu soup is not as salty as other soft tofu restaurants and it's delicious. If you choose a spicy taste, it can be very spicy. The side dishes are well-served, and I ordered bulgogi and pork bulgogi for the combo menu. The soft tofu menu my friends ordered is mushroom, intestine, seafood, ham and sausage soft tofu. **new update** FYI-their environmental health inspection grade is “B”

Daniel Castillo

The service was great, and the food was even better. From the outside, it's not easily noticeable that it's a restaurant. But once inside, the staff are terse but very welcoming. The tables and chairs don't have much flair. It felt like a cafeteria. Every table is close to each other, so it's an intimate dining experience. If you can get past that, the food makes you forget about the sterile like environment. Your taste buds just transport you to another place, a place where bellies are fulfilled and smiles on faces are everywhere.

Sasha M

Tofu soup is not as salty as other soft tofu restaurants and it's delicious. If you choose a spicy taste, it can be very spicy. The side dishes are well-served, and I ordered bulgogi and pork bulgogi for the combo menu. The soft tofu menu my friends ordered is mushroom, intestine, seafood, ham and sausage soft tofu. **new update** FYI-their environmental health inspection grade is “B”

Amy Y

A very homey style Korean comfort food restaurant. The ban chan were decent and my bibimbap was loaded with toppings. The bibimbap rice was super crispy on the bottom, and the portion size was enough for two meals. So good for lunch!

Was excited to try Surawon for their bibimbop and tofu. The good…very friendly service and food came out pretty quickly. The downside is there are so many amazing Korean restaurants in LA so the food needs to be really good. The banchan (side dishes) was honestly disappointing, especially the kimchee which tasted like raw cabbage with some salt and red pepper flakes. The fish wasn’t bad..probably the best part of the meal. Based on the customers, the restaurant caters to more non-Koreans so the flavours have been altered a bit.

wook kim

Was excited to try Surawon for their bibimbop and tofu. The good…very friendly service and food came out pretty quickly. The downside is there are so many amazing Korean restaurants in LA so the food needs to be really good. The banchan (side dishes) was honestly disappointing, especially the kimchee which tasted like raw cabbage with some salt and red pepper flakes. The fish wasn’t bad..probably the best part of the meal. Based on the customers, the restaurant caters to more non-Koreans so the flavours have been altered a bit.

Came here because of the raving reviews but rather abysmal dining experience here. Everything lacks flavors from the Boricha (very diluted) to the Banchans (where's the kick in kimchee?). Eggs provided for soontofu are so small...might as well pass off as enlarged quail eggs. We had a BBQ pork combo as well and that wasn't even properly marinated. What's going on, guys?