Waglebogle & Tofu Restaurant

Wow this place deserve 5 star because food is excellent and services is awsome. I will put the pictures up.

I love Korean food but I won’t be coming back to this particular location. I’m not sure what it is but every time I attempted to give this place another chance I’ve received the same service care.
I am Asian but I am not Korean and I’ve noticed that the waitress and waiters only attended to the clients that are of Korean descend. It took us a very long time to get our food and even then our tofu soup wasn’t boiling nor sizzling but more on the barely warm side. Please trust me, when I say that tofu soup isn’t the same without that sizzling effect.
While sitting there patiently waiting for our meal, we’re watching EXCELLENT service towards other clients. It was extremely hard for us to get their attention if we needed anything. I mean anything! I understand that it can be busy but don’t just ignore us and not check in with us. I was totally okay with the wait but while noticing the differences in services is what bothered me. Needless to say, I will not be returning.

This is where I get my galbi tang fix. Consistent every time. Good variety of ban chan. I also like their sundubu and dolsot bap. Great deals on their lunch menu. Nice, friendly staff and owners.

I have never felt such an inconvenience to a restaurant before. Not make matters worse I only asked for a few things and still got the silent look without any acknowledgement. Not asking for much here but just wanted to be treated like everyone else in the restaurant. From getting water refills to getting asked if I even wanted the free tea. But to make matters worse when I read others review on Unilocal they also felt that the service was «selective or racist.» That’s just sad especially they are in the middle of Hawaiian Gardens not Korea. I actually called the lady out when I was paying. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I asked «do you serve other people here other than Koreans? Because it sure didn’t feel the same on my end.» She said, «oh it’s because we don’t really speak that much English.» (In perfect English) Then I said that her English is good and that we are customers too. Thank you…

Downright horrible. I ordered beef and it was all burnt. Their mackerel was uncooked and had disgusting fishy smell and taste. Their side dishes were just as bad. Also, don’t go to this place for dinner during weekends if you can’t stand constant crazy noise (although it would be a mystery if you wanted to go to this place at all during anytime of any days of a week).

I went here the second time and all of a sudden our food just down graded lol looks nothing like before and it tastes awful!!! I don’t recommend it here.

DONT EVER come here. They charged me double and said they didn’t know how to void transactions. The food is also horrible… The server was questionable and they served soup that had rotten green particles in it. Please don’t come here go somewhere else for Korean food.

Worst Korean Restaurant I have ever been. The waitress is extremely rude and the service is horrible! Stay away from this place.

This is worst Koran Restaurant I have ever been. I am a Korean food lover and had tried many different Korean restaurants. This one really let me down. The only word I can use to describe the service here is «HORRIBLE» ! It is literally HORRIBLE. I entered the restaurant and waiting to be seated with my husband. The server just saw us standing there and just ignored us. What the hell in the world they can treat their customer like this! We got there at 3pm and it was not their busy hour!

Rude waitress.
Food tastes disgusting.
I don’t know why this place has a high rating.
I am eating the octopus rice (nakji bokgeum) and it tastes really bad.

This will be the last and final time I’ll ever go to this place… ever! I’d rather give this place a much deserved negative star from what we experienced!
We went last night for dinner and as usual we ordered tofu soup! The food tasted so bland and the side dishes tasted old, not fresh’
We had asked if we could get any kind of side dish that wasn’t spicy and the waitress said no! Well apparently, the servers here are either selective or racist!
We were looking around at others eating at their table and their selection of side dishes were much better than ours including some fish cakes that weren’t spicy! Umm, hello? Isn’t that what we had asked for in the first place?
The reason I felt they were racist is because they seemed much nicer and attentive to those who are Koreans versus us non-​Koreans!
Can you believe this one middle aged Korean guy asked my husband in Spanish if he was Hispanic? Seriously?! Totally rude!
Oh and we actually self-​served ourselves by getting our own drinks and napkins near the counter! And the funny thing is this place only had about 3 – 4 tables occupied with 2 servers!!! It wasn’t busy at all! They didn’t even bother checking up on us to see if we needed anything at all, nothing!
Lastly, when we paid for our meal I’m cash, but they didn’t even bother to give our change back! So, we asked for it! Ummm… please don’t assume that the change is yours! That is just plain out rude!
Overall, the service is horrendous… the food is mediocre and the service was absolutely terrible!
Worst Korean restaurant in the area! Save yourself the disappointment and go somewhere else like Soy Tofu in La Palma! That place will far exceed your expectations in what Korean food and customer service is all about!

Went to Zion market and stopped here to try it out… I’m definitely a fan! We ordered BiBimBap, grilled mackerel, and bulgogi. They brought us 12 banchan dishes that were all wonderful. BiBimBap was very, very good… their sauce to mix into the dish is a bit spicier than most Korean restaurants, but, I thoroughly enjoyed it that way! Bulgogi was well marinated and by the time we got to the yummy carmelized onions on teh bottom… OMG. it was like eating candy! Fish was very crispy so I don’t think it was grilled… pretty sure it was fried. Very good just the same cuz I like it when fish is crispy on the outside and perfect on the inside.
As for people before me complaining about service… they don’t understand Korean etiquette. Basically Korean servers leave you alone! You have to flag them down and they come running. On each table there is also a big round «button» you can push for service. Unlike Americans that want to be «checked on» every 5 minutes… Koreans prefer to be left alone… as long as you understand that you’ll have a great time!
Oh, and the barley tea is superb! I mean I would buy it by the gallon and drink it instead of «regular» iced tea (the Lipton stuff) in restaurants. Sooo good IMHO.
Big menu and tons of specials… I didn’t really know what to order and the servers are VERY limited English… still a great find and worth the stop. If you have a Korean friend to bring… even better! :)
Enjoy!

I found both the staff very friendly and everyone who was there was just as friend (I imagine because we look ‘white american’ they think we are unfamiliar with Korean food.)
But I’ve gone to many Tofu places, this is definitely one we keep going back to. I wish they had better ‘to-​go sides’ but its priced decently and the food is great.

I don’t know what people are talking about. This place tastes like shit. The service is unbelievably shitty and slow. 30 min to make my stone pot rice???
This place is good? Sometimes I think you people dont know food
Stay away if you dont want to get pissed the rest of your night.

The food here is so good. Service is good especially late nights.
Yuk Soo bulgogi is good, squid with pork belly is good, bu dae jji gae is good too!

To be honest, I’m not sure why there’s a «People love us on Unilocal» sticker at the entrance when the restaurant is rated 3.5 stars out of 5.
My family and I were looking for good Korean food after our shopping trip next door at Zion Market. We saw people coming out of Waglebogle & Tofu Restaurant and figured we should check it out since it’s conveniently close and at 5:00 pm, it couldn’t be too busy. Little did we know that even patronizing a restaurant with a small crowd with two waitresses plus the owner/​manager waiting and busing tables can test your patience. Without a doubt, the service here is SLOW. Slower than a sloth it seems. Just asking for a water refill will make you want to watch grass grow. If you ask for a refill on side dishes you’ll pretty much be ready for breakfast the next morning. All joking aside, it was frustrating to be served at such a snail-​like pace. I have to give some credit to the wait staff for being so kind about the patrons’ requests. But seriously, if you don’t want to be «harassed» by people, serve them when needed, ASAP. Ironically enough, the only thing that came out quickly was the check.
Aside from the shoddy service, the food here tastes pretty good. However, I’ll have to advise people to stay away from the soft tofu. It tasted stale and the stew was not all that hot. The raw egg didn’t even cook fully inside the stew. Other than the regret of ordering soft tofu, everything we ordered tasted fresh and delicious, especially the side dishes.
The prices they charge seems fair. Our bill including tax for four adults came out to around $ 40 for four entrees. There are various specials throughout the day, but most are before 4 pm.
We noticed quite a few take out orders during our time there. Perhaps these are veteran patrons who know about the slow service and would rather eat good food at home.
There is a $ 10 minimum for credit card purchases. All major cards are accepted except American Express.

This restaurant is really good. I was the only non Korean in the entire place. You can bet I got looks from the owners, like does she know this is a Korean restaurant ?!? lol I would give this place 5 stars but I was asked if I needed a fork? Um, I learned to use chopsticks around the time I learned to use a fork. I’m from San Francisco but I digress. I had the bulgogi in the clay pot (spicy) It was so good and they had a great amount of panchans. I was a happy girl. Big portions so I had yummy leftovers. If I’m in the area again, I will deffinately eat there again but please don’t try to force me to use a fork… I’m a pimp with my chopsticks don’t let the green eyes fool you.

I’ve been a fan of this place since I was younger (imagine how your mind would blow if I said «older»), and could never remember the name of this place. Mostly because the ownership did change and the name along with it. I was here when I graduated high school. Was here when my mom knew the owners. And now I’m here again after all of this. A lot has changed. The restaurant has more of a feel towards what a small bar/​restaurant in South Korea would be, but the great thing is the food is still good.
Deco: 3 stars
The style is Korean-​pub-​meets-​too-​much-​space in this restaurant. The walls are lined with both hand written menus and professionally made listings. Big pictures of various dishes make up for the obvious lack of English translations. Tan colored paper create partitions between tables by way of wood. One big flat screen hovers above the counter, usually playing Korean television. If you want to know what the atmosphere you’ll get when you enter, it’s that of a restaurant meant to serve Koreans, making it difficult if you aren’t.
Service: 2 stars
Though most Korean restaurants require a certain amount of… «assertion» to gain good service, in this restaurant, you really need to be audacious. If you need something, you will have to actively grab the attention of the servers. Although I’d hate to admit it, at times you can find the server (s) sitting around at a table watching television or chatting away. Now, the servers are older women, probably the owner and her friend, but still. It does give a slip away from the professionalism and attention you’d want from a great dining experience.
Food: 3 stars
Before I start on this section, I want you to know what I’m comparing this to. I’ve been going to this restaurant for almost a decade, and the dish I always return for is the stone hot pot mixed rice or «dorl sot bibimbab». It is a hot version of bibimbab, which if you don’t know what that is, it is a Korean mixed rice dish where they add fresh vegetables, sesame seed oil, some fermented spiced bean paste, and a nice fried egg on top. Imagine the same thing except in a black, very hot stone cast pot where for the next 15 minutes AFTER you receive your food, it continues to cook, crackling and popping to the audio delight of your ears. If you ever have a cold or a hangover, this is one of those dishes fabled to cure you of what ails you. This restaurant is almost exclusively the place I go for this particular dish, and that’s only about two or three times a year. When I first started coming here, I would have rated this closer to the border of 4 – 5 stars. Now, the dish has become less in quantity and there it’s missing that special kick it used to have. It doesn’t have the «wow» factor I used to get when I was younger. On top of that, the ban chan, or side dishes you always receive before your entrée, is rather weak as far as flavors go. So much so, I’m not even going to go in depth of what they are (as they do change depending on the day/​week). Though the food is still good, to me, it’s no longer a must have.
Price: 4 stars
The price here is still very fair, with most of the food hovering around the $ 8-​$ 10 mark. On top of that, they will always have specials advertised, some as low as $ 6.
Conclusion
I hate to say this restaurant doesn’t reach the expectation some of us have from the past. New ownership and time sometimes does that; however, even though it isn’t in it’s former glory, it still creates some tasty food, going down well with good company and Korean beer. I will say though, if you want to come here, you might want to bring a Korean, otherwise it might be a bit overwhelming.

Waglebogle & tofu restaurant was awesome. I highly recommend this establishment. The service was outstanding. Employees were prompt, and courteous. The restaurant was modestly decorated, the the environment was clean. I highly recommend the «kimchee dumplings» they were to die for. I give extra props for the «service buzzer» installed on the wall at every booth (genius! !) If you ever get the chance you must give this place a try.

I was craving some cold noodles because it was so hot that day, so my mom suggested this place for some naengmyun. I got the spicy one, and let me say, good thing the inside of the restaurant was on the colder side because this had some heat! Good flavor, though maybe a little sour/​tangy. My mom got a soup, and it was also sour tasting. Not like gone bad sour, but just… sour. I liked what my dad got the most — seafood rice hot pot. If I hadn’t still been recovering from getting my wisdom teeth pulled, I would’ve ate more of the crunchy bits (you know the rice that gets stuck to the pot). Great service too.