Mom’s Tofu House

I heard a lot of good things about Mom’s Tofu House so I decided to try it out for dinner on Veteran’s Day.
It was super packed! I was with a party of three and had to wait over an hour just to get seating. I would’ve been fine with that if it weren’t for all the tables getting seated before my group despite us arriving earlier. One group was understandable since they had a reservation, but otherwise, there were only two tables ahead of us and both were seated pretty early. The organization of seating was an absolute mess and we ended up at a table that could’ve seated six to eight people.
What was nice was that our food came out soon after we were seated because we were able to order while waiting for a table. The seafood pancake was absolutely delicious with a nice volume to it and pieces of octopus. We tried a cold tofu appetizer recommended by a friend we bumped into, but that was quite mediocre. The bonchan was all good other than the kimchi which had a distinct taste of dishwasher soap. The soondubu was average and felt lacking in substance. I did really enjoy the complimentary traditional dessert drink at the end which I believe is supposed to help with digestion.
I didn’t have the best experience here my first time, but would love to try this place again on a less hectic and busy day!

Come here before 3PM (if they didn’t change) then you’ll get unlimited/​free refill side dishes! This place is amazing! It’s quite small. I tried their Bulgogi which was very appetizing, could’ve eaten three bowls of rice. I had their seafood tofu soup. I’m not a huge fan of tofu soup yet devoured it. That explains a lot :)

All my friends know I’m a huge fan of soondubu. So stumbling upon this cozy Korean tofu house was great for a chilly night. I came here on a Monday night and there were only about a third of the restaurant filled. The table for 2 we were seated at was really snug and I was pretty sure our food wouldn’t fit on the table including the ban chan.
I ordered #9 Man Doo (dumpling) tofu soup spicy. We also ordered the fried chicken to share. I thought the fried chicken was passable and dry, but that might be because we didn’t order it with sauce. The broth of my tofu soup wasn’t very red when it came to the table and I doubted it would be spicy enough. I was pleasantly surprised by the perfect spicy level and loved the tofu soup. The dumplings were tasty and there was more than enough food. I will happily come back when that tofu soup craving kicks in again.

5 stars for the food! I love me some Korean comfort food!
Mom’s Tofu house is cozy hole-​in-​the wall Korean restaurant located in a pretty hidden location on Grand Ave. In other words, the entrance is located within a parking lot, so you can easily miss it.
5 stars for the food and service. I came in for dinner and was seated immediately. I ordered the Dol Sot Bulgogi Bibimbap. Super filling and very tasty. They didn’t offer chicken on the menu for that dish, but I requested it with no rice and it was no problem. Chicken, veggies, and fried egg in one meal, it was actually plentiful for two. The side dishes were standard and a little on the small side, and were just ok, however the complimentary Korean pancake was bomb.
You can order ahead on
for pick-​up. I would definitely come back here again.

Yummy tofu soup and seafood pancake. Their food taste noticeably better then their Warm Springs, Fremont location. Small restaurant and decent service. They have their own private parking lot so you don’t have to struggle to find parking along the curb. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE THEY GET THEIR RICE PUNCH THO?!

i was staying in a hotel nearby, and the clerk told me to check out grand ave cuz he mentioned that a lot of the restaurants have been around for decades.
we wanted to get phở cuz it was cloudy and cold that day, but the viet shop was closed. luckily for us, we ran into mom’s tofu shop.
this entrance of this place is not located on grand, its kinda hidden with the entrance facing a parking lot.
we got the seafood pancake and a mild beef/​seafood tofu soup. they gave us warm barley tea. which was perfect cuz it was so cold outside. the food does take a little bit to come out, but it totally worth it! they first bring out banchan, which is the side dishes you always see at korean restaurants. (don’t worry about finishing them, they’ll refill any of them for free). i really enjoyed the kimchi at this place. good amount of fermentation. lol.
the tofu soup was really flavorful and decently sized. the seafood pancake was really filling. the sauce they provide goes really well with the pancakes.
you’ll finish your meal with rice punch.
if you don’t know what it is, you’re in for a treat.
if i’m in the area, i’ll come back and check this place out.
keep in mind, this place looks to be popular with locals. so coming during prime time, you might need to wait. we went at 5:30, and by the time we were leaving it was getting crowded.

I brought my friends here. We were pretty full before dinner so we only ordered seafood tofu pot and a seafood pancake. The pancake is really big. 3 of us cannot finish half of it. The dishes are delicious. Definitely coming back sometime.

I’ve been here many many times in the past two years and I always leave happy!
If this is your first visit, I highly recommend any of their BBQ items, the hai mul pa jun, and the goon man du (it’s nearly impossible for me to not order at least one serving of these delicious dumplings!).
Of all the times I’ve eaten here, I can only recall one bad incident and that was a long time a go when I received a very undercook/​gooey hai mul pa jun, but they quickly corrected their mistake.

I thought the service at this place was attentive, but the meal was just ok. There wasn’t anything bad about it (bulgogi and kimchi soup — medium heat), but there was nothing that really knocked my socks off either. Victim of the expectations of a 4 star hole-​in-​the-​wall place, I really was hoping for something special, and fell to the average.
I would be back to try it again, but certainly want to rotate a few other things in first before I do.

Came here on the suggestion of a friend with a medium sized party for a late lunch. It definitely hit the spot for some cold, starving folks.
Our friend ordered for all of us and sampled across the menu. Everything we had was tasty. I particularly enjoyed the vegetable pancake and the chicken wings.
They checked in on us quite regularly and we never wanted for anything. Friendly and patient and quick.
Would love to come back again if finding ourselves in SSF.

NEVER… And I mean it when I say NEVER, take a girl to the SAME restaurant your first 2 dates in the SAME exact week. Especially if she’s a food enthusiast, and especially if she’s Unilocal elite. Impress her with hole in the walls/​mom and pop places. Doesn’t need to be fancy expensive 5 star restaurants at all. Do your research and put in effort. (And yes I paid for my own dinners because I’m an independent working woman). So… bye Felicia.
Mom’s tofu place is nothing like a romantic dinner at 5A5 steak house, but it’s definitely a great hole in the wall with authentic comfort Korean food. Place is SUPER small, yes. It only has maybe less than 9 tables but come at the right time and wait should not be too bad. Came on New Years at around 1pm and my party of 7 got seated immediately.
Has its own parking lot but it looks like spots have meters? Since we came on a holiday, it was free anyway.
.:Food:.
Side dishes were PLENTY. They got the main stuff like fish tofu (made different than what I’m used to since its marinaded in some type of oil&soy sauce?), kimchi, seaweed, pickled daikon, bean sprouts, macaroni salad, and GREEN ONION PANCAKE with the soy sauce vinaigrette sauce!
Beef tofu soup 11.99: tofu was softer than a baby’s butt. No lie. The tofu was SMOOTH like no other. The broth was quite flavorful and true to its spicy level! Mild, was indeed mild!!! (Had traumatizing experiences with Korean restaurant’s definition of «mild»). Beef was just thin slices.
Jab chae: pan fried glass noodles with vegetable mix. super flavorful! The noodles were warm and cooked to perfection with the right amount of softness and chewiness.
Gal bi: beef short rib (the ones with bone) very flavorful and cooked to perfection. Only complaint may be that some had way too much fat on there and not enough meat
.:Service:.
Should not be surprised… The level of friendliness was not that high. AND they «never saw us». When we needed something and tried to make eye contact/​raised our hands for more that 5 whole minutes… No one ever came to our table… Other than that, it can be improved.
Pretty good mom and pops kind of hole in the wall restaurant and the prices aren’t too bad as well for a Korean place in the city.

I wish we live in San Francisco or San Jose after spending our holidays here. We really love Korean food and both places have a lot to offer. Mom’s a pleasant surprise for both my wife and I. Don’t be fooled by the small place and its location. It’s small but packs a lot of flavors! Our orders came in fast even if there’s only one cook (during our visit). We ordered seafood tofu soup, beef bulgogi and seafood Korean pizza. The seafood tofu soup is awesome! I believe this is due to the fresh seafood ingredients Californians are privileged with! The bulgogi came in a little sweet for me but my wife loves it. The seafood pizza is huge! It can be served to 8 people! However, we still managed to finish it! Yeah, that’s how fascinated and in-​loved we are to Korean food! Don’t let the small place and ambiance fools you. This is a great place to satisfy your Korean craving!

Ambiance: It is tight in here, but worth it in my opinion. It’s at least clean.
Service: The food was great, but the service was stellar which is why I had no hesitation in giving them 5 stars. They are so friendly here and work very hard. We literally took the last table that was open and as soon as we sat down, we had warm tea in our hands. The complimentary green onion cake was a real treat. On top of that, they have all the side dishes to bring, sauces, side dishes, and at the end, the sweet rice drink. They greet you warmly upon entering and say goodbye before you go. I was really impressed.
Food:
Green onion cake: Perfectly crispy on top… mmm. Loved the subtle sauce that came with it. They could easily charge a few bucks for this so to get it for free was a lovely treat.
Beef tofu soup: I wasn’t overly impressed with this. We ordered it mild, but I still thought the broth could have used more flavor. Some others commented on it being watery and unfortunately I have to agree. However, the tofu had a great texture and the beef was decent. You also get a fresh egg and rice to accompany it.
Bul go gi dol sot bi bim bop: Lovely crispy rice, veggies, and bul go gi. No complaints here.
Side dishes: We had pickled veggies, some steamed greens, bean sprouts, thinly sliced tofu in a sweet sauce, and kimchi. Not my favorite side dishes but they veggies were a great compliment to both dishes we ordered.
Sweet rice drink: again, another complimentary treat. If you have some of your warm tea left, mix these together. It’s really sweet on its own but was lovely with the tea.

First of all, the service was excellent & everyone was very welcoming & friendly. They were also efficient because while we were waiting for a table to open up, they took our orders so by the time we were seated, our food would be (or almost) ready. I ordered the beef bipimbap in a stone pot. When we were seated, they give a complimentary pancake with green onions & other vegetables along with a sauce. I thought this was sooo good, especially the sauce for it. Definitely try it!
The bipimbap was so tasty! The rice was super crispy since the stone pot was extremely hot (be careful because I burned my pinky). The beef was marinated very well too.
When you’re finished eating, they give you a sugar cane dessert drink in a mini cup. It was too sweet for me but I thought it was good & a perfect dessert to complete your meal.

Location: spot-​on for a SFO drive-​by
Food: I got the beef tofu soup, medium for take-​out after landing at SFO. It was ~3pm so I didn’t expect much traffic nor crowd. Maybe because my order was to-​go, I felt the soup was a bit water-​y for the soondubu I’m used to. The flavor was spot on though
Service: quick, no complaints here
Overall, this is an A-​OK spot. Would come again for the convenience.

Bad Food — Had to send my galbi back to the kitchen tonight, it was disgusting. I lived in LA for 2 years and have backpacked Korea, never had such foul tasting galbi. Even the soondubu tasted mediocre, guess Mom isn’t cooking the tofu anymore!
Bad Service — This place got complacent. I never once got an offer to refill my tea or appetizers tonight. The dude waiter tonight was one of those Korean pretty boy divas, if you’re gonna rock tight shirts, hit the gym buddy.
Location — They get one star for being convenient to Jackson Arms, right off the 101.
Do not believe these reviews. This place was once a gem in the Bay (been here at least a dozen times), my past 2 experiences in the past 2 months were horrible, thought it was a fluke last time, but tonight confirmed this place SUCKS.
Pro Tip — stick with Jang Soo in Richmond or Sesame in Burlingame!

Finally a decent Korean spot in San Fran!
It’s bit further from the city — closer to the airport but worth the trek.
The soondubu and kalbi are on point as are the various side dishes.
They give you a free small onion pancake with your sides as well.
Staff is friendly and welcoming. I saw a couple walk in almost right at closing time but they were greeted and welcomed in by the owner.
Prices are decent for the quality of food — I think it was ~$ 21? for the kalbi/​soondubu combo and $ 11? for soondubu.
There’s a small parking lot in front of the restaurant if you eat there. Also there is outside seating FYI for those with pets.

It will do if you are coming from the airport and feeling like hot Korean tofu soup and BBQ pork ribs!
The food warms up the soul and body — especially when the fog comes into the bay!
They give you complimentary green onion pan fried pancake with your meal!
Banchan (small servings of little bites) are made of good ingredients.
It hits the spot!

Came here on a Saturday evening to a crowded house. Luckily, they were able to accommodate all 6 in our party by pushing two empty tables together. This is a SMALL restaurant but with a limited selection of Korean dining options in the peninsula, you just have to suck it up or eat elsewhere.
All I can really summarize about our dinner was that they need more servers. Period. Even though it is a small restaurant, when it’s packed, 3 people just don’t cut it. The staff was clearly overwhelmed and we had several requests that we had to repeat or it went forgotten completely. Never got refills on banchan, they forgot to add the beef in my yukejang, no extra napkins (and wings were ordered), no hot tea (that was asked for 2x), etc.
While the meal itself was decent enough, anytime service is an issue, it can take away from enjoying your food. I won’t write this place off, though. The food is alright and the servers are very nice and they are trying. They are just spread too thin when it’s busy. Best to come when it’s dead! (But is it ever? I wouldn’t know…)

Truly a hole in the wall. The type of place that has mirrors on the walls so the joint seems bigger.
Kimchi pancake is not on the menu but ask for it anyway. The seafood pancake is MUCH too chewy, and while not bad, the kimchi pancake is significantly better.
Should you randomly feel the need for hot tea, the waitresses here will smirk at you if you order it. I’ve only been here twice so I’m not sure what that’s about, but the tea tastes strange anyway so ~pass.~
I am a big lover of japchae and its only ok here. If you want some cheap, easy japchae, I would suggest the small storefront close to the Daly City Bart. Otherwise their chicken wings, #28, are
.
If you come with a smaller group, you’ll most likely be seated right away. A group of 4 or more will probably be a wait as the place is pretty small.
Not the best Korean I’ve ever had, but a nice spot for a restaurant downtown~