So Gong Dong Tofu BBQ

Because the only thing better than going to Sweet Hut is going to eat sundubu before!!!
A no frills type of Korean restaurant — still the same great appetizer dishes and service, but a more casual feel to this restaurant.
All sorts of types of sundubu, combinations with various Korean meats, varying levels of spiciness, and their unique feature — noodles in sundubu!
For the price and quality, this restaurant gets a four. It’s nice to go to a casual Korean restaurant once in a while!

I love tofu hot pots and theirs are delicious! I had a dumpling pot and my friend ordered one with beef. They taste quite different to my surprise. Both great. I love that they opened late! Kind waiter too :)

Pretty tasty stuff! We tried a few different dishes and they were all good. It took a lot longer than they quoted for the wait time on the to-​go order (quoted 10 minutes but took 25) but overall, it was really good food. Would definitely eat there again!

I like this restaurant not only is the food great here it’s also a big portion. Highly recommend trying.

This place is sooooo awesome! I really only ever get the tofu soup and it is amazing. Piping hot and full of flavor. They are also really generous with the appetizers and super friendly.

2 words… BIG PORTIONS!
Wow, talk about a bang for your buck. Maybe because it is a chain restaurant but 1 portion of bulgolgi or kalbi is enough for 2 people. When I do cheat meals I started to try and stick to high protein choices since it seems to be easiest for my body to bounce back from than higher sodium items like stews or noodles. Great option. 1 portion is enough like I said for 2 people or two meals.
Customer service is okay. They speak korean and a bunch of youngsters so they are easy going. Oh heads up, they will charge you extra though for stone rice (its not standard like a lot of places nearby). And yes, the water is crispy burnt rice tea/​water.
Get ready also to fight for parking on the weekends since it is in the coming-​back-​to-​life-​asian-​strip-​mall lol.
Enjoy!

This place has the best spicy rice cakes! Really soft and chewy and the sauce was great.

So Gong Dong Tofu and BBQ opened its second metro Atlanta location May 14, 2015 inside the Gwinnett Station shopping center in Duluth. This is a Korean restaurant franchise based out of New York. It’s not to be confused with So Kong Dong (Kong spelled with the letter «K» instead of «G»), the popular tofu house on Buford Highway. So Gong Dong opened its first Atlanta area restaurant May 5, 2014 in the Assi Plaza shopping center on Old Peachtree Rd in Suwanee. I’ve been to both SGD locations and think they’re generally fine for sundubu jjigae (tofu stew), bibimbap (mixed rice), a la carte Korean BBQ (ordered from the kitchen, not cooked at your table), noodles, and snacks.
SGD is one of many businesses to open and revitalize Gwinnett Station in 2015. Sparked by the announcement of Sweet Hut opening a store here (it opened in July), SGD and others followed suit including Snowflake Tea House (May), 89 Hot Pot (February), The Coffee by Hand (May), Thai Pad & Coco Sweets (May), and North Dumpling House (September). It was only a year or so ago when all this shopping center had was Taste of Phở and CD Warehouse.
This is a casual sit-​down restaurant with an open layout that can seat roughly 70 customers, all at tables. Like other Korean restaurants, there are some semi-​private, walled-​off dining areas for groups. The place is new and clean.
SGD is open seven days a week from 8am to 12am.
The restaurant serves sundubu jjigae in over a dozen different varieties including the typical beef, pork, and seafood tofu stew varieties as well as more unique and interesting styles using ingredients such as cheese, curry, and intestine. They offer sundubu noodles too. One serving of sundubu runs about $ 10. There are about a half-​dozen varieties of bibimbap available in both a regular bowl ($ 11) or hot stone plate ($ 14).
The Korean BBQ selection consists of galbi (beef short ribs); beef, pork, and chicken bulgogi (sliced meat in Korean marinade); and spicy grilled squid. Orders of Korean BBQ cost about $ 15 – 20 per plate. Like other tofu houses around town (e.g. Cho Dang, Book Chang Dong), you can order BBQ and sundubu combos. These run about $ 16 – 22 each.
Other Korean cuisine includes foods like haemul pajeon (seafood scallion pancake), japchae (sweet potato noodles), topokki (rice cakes), dumplings, cold soybean noodle soup, and mul naengmyeon which is an ice cold buckwheat noodle soup (one of my favorite Korean dishes). These run about $ 9 – 14 each.
Portion sizes are on the generous side.
This is more of a streamlined economic Korean restaurant and the banchan is limited to just a handful (four) of dishes including kimchi, bean sprouts, daikon radish and jalapeño slices, and spicy cucumber slices. Quality is not bad. I like the kimchi. Crisp, crunchy, not too spicy, and not too sour.
I’ve tried a few different foods here:
* Bibimbap with Beef — Korean mixed rice with eggs, carrots, spinach, bean sprouts, zucchini, daikon, mushrooms
* Soondubu Noodle with Mushroom and ramen noodles
* Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs — marinated beef short ribs in a special house sauce
SGD’s bibimbap is decent. The white rice and ingredients are served in two separate bowls. Add the white rice and gochujang (chili pepper paste in red bottle) to the big bowl of ingredients and mix well. I think this is a pretty satisfying rice dish. If you order bibimbap on a hot stone plate, not only does the food stay warmer longer, but you get to enjoy the charred, crispy, outer edges of the rice that have cooked and hardened against the stone. The bibimbap also comes with a complimentary side of egg soup.
«Soondubu Noodle» is just like the regular soondubu tofu stews except noodles are added. You can choose from ramen or udon. I’ve tried the ramen variety. The noodles are instant ramen (common). I do like the silken tofu they use here. The chunks of tofu are cut relatively big. They are soft, smooth, and have an almost pudding-​like texture and consistency. I also like that SGD’s soondubu broth isn’t served scaldingly hot or excessively spicy. The brown mushrooms are big and delicious.
A plate of the galbi (Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs) comes piled high with bone-​in beef ribs. The meat quality is good. I think this is an idea dish to share because it can be a lot of meat and grease for one person to handle. The ribs have already been cut into conveniently sized pieces. You can use the supplied pair of scissors and tongs to cut the meat off the bone. The ribs are served still sizzling on a cast-​iron skillet atop a bed of sliced white onion and red bell pepper. The ribs are topped with a bit of sesame seed and fresh chopped scallions. Though fatty and oily, this is a tasty dish and I recommend it.
Service is good. This business is adequately staffed with attentive employees. Orders come out from the kitchen quick.
In the end, I give SGD 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 (same rating I gave the Suwanee location). It’s an A-​OK Korean tofu house.

The one thing that sets this apart form other Tofu houses I’ve been to is that they offer NOODLES IN YOUR TOFU SOUP. It’s actually really amazing if you’re the kind of person that likes noodles. They have the option for the house noodles or ramen noodles.
FOOD
— Dumpling tofu soup with ramen noodles with mild spiciness: Instead of rice and an egg, you get noodles in your soup. I wasn’t a fan of the dumplings too much, but the ramen noodles really add something special to the tofu soup. I’d definitely come back to Duluth just to have these noodles in my tofu soup again. My friend who got the regular tofu soup kept eating our noodles!
–Banchan: There’s kimchi, bean sprouts, radish, and cucumbers (maybe I’m missing a few). The cucumbers are addicting.
SERVICE
Our server was really nice and attentive. There as a constant refill of our banchan dishes. My only qualm was that our waters were not refilled.

My new favorite spot for soondubu!!! (i.e. «Korean Tofu Soup»). At $ 8.95, you get tofu soup, bowl of stone rice, about 5 different side dishes (it is always the same but my favs is the cucumber & pickled radish). Not a bad deal for the Duluth area. What sets this place apart from the others is that you get the option of adding noodles (either be ramen or udon) to your Tofu soup. I have yet to try it but I bet it tastes delicious based upon the pictures of other Unilocalers. Service is beyond excellent for a Korean restaurant. As always with other Korean restaurants, I come here too much to the point that the servers recognize me. Such a shame on me!
They are running a special now for lunch ($ 6.99 Mon-​Fri) for tofu soup. In addition, I had the tofu and galbi combo ($ 21.99). Very gracious helpings of the galbi, much more than other tofu places offer and its savory. So Gong Dong is located between Snowflake Tea House and obviously Sweet Hut. Easy to find and a hidden gem in Duluth.

I asked my Korean friend what is her opinion for the best soondubu. She suggested So Gong Dong. Since there were two locations, she said to just meet up in Duluth. I knew there was a new Korean restaurant next to Snow Flake but I didn’t realize it was So Gong Dong. This shopping plaza is booming. I mainly go to Sweet Hut and to see more variety! There is even a hair salon between Sweet Hut and So Gong Dong Tofu BBQ now!
Walking in is a cute casual environment. We got seated right away. I ordered the seafood soondubu & chicken bulgogi. Warm tea came out. I never knew what kind of tea it was so my friend told me it is barley tea. I am so getting it next time, I love it! She says in Korea, they drink it for health reasons and help cleanse the insides.
Banchans came out and there were four but it’s okay, I don’t live on banchans as long as I have several. I love the freshness of them. The cucumber was my favorite. The kimchi and bean sprouts were pretty tasty too.
The hot bowl of rice came out then the seafood soondubu & chicken bulgogi. My friend told me to dig most of the rice out in a bowl because the waiter will come back and pour barley tea in the rice that is sticking to the bottom of the hot bowl (which will be cold then). She says in Korea, a lot of older Korean people eat it like that or when you’re sick or not feeling good, sometimes even when it’s cold. Very interesting cause I never knew. I’ve eaten soondubu before at other places and I have never had barley tea poured in it like that.
The soondubu was really good. I love how spicy and hot it was. The soup was thick and flavors were on point. The chicken bulgogi is good, a little sweet and tasted good together. Service was good and attentive.
Oh yeah, music in the background is mostly modern Kpop. I heard everything from Big Bang, Ailee, to 2 PM. I loved it.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. i will definitely come back.

I’ve been here numerous times. I was really excited that they have the option of having noodles (ramen) in their tofu soup. The restaurant is located in a kind of hidden shopping center where the newest Sweet Hut Just opened.
FOOD:
— Beef Tofu Soup with Ramen Noodles (Soondubu Noodle): this is what I usually order. The portion is huge. I think I’ve only completely finished the entire entrée once since I was super hungry. If you do finish it, you will feel really full. I feel like two people can share this order. The order doesn’t come in a black boiling bowl, but I only think that is because I ordered it with noodles. You get a choice of noodle between two kinds: ramen or a Korean type of noodle (which I understood as a flat noodle). There are lots of tofu in the soup. Compared to other Tofu Houses, I think the flavor is lacking slightly and there is a difference.
— Beef Bulgogi: my friend ordered this and I was able to try some. It was okay. I probably wouldn’t order it myself as I think it’s overpriced for something that I’m typically not a fan of.
— Banchan (small side dishes): the side dishes vary each time and they are pretty good. You receive four banchan. I’ve had sliced fish cakes, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and various kinds of pickled kimchi.
SERVICE/​AMBIANCE:
The service is so good here. The staff is friendly and there are always coming by to check if you need any refills on banchan or drinks. The restaurant is large in size and very spacious. Along the walls are tables with black screens between every two tables for larger parties and for privacy which I thought was neat.
Overall, I will continue dining here as I am really loving the ramen noodles in my tofu soup option!

I’ve had this place bookmarked for awhile, so I was finally able to try it out.
It’s located in the same shopping center as Sweet Hut, Snowflake Tea House and Thai Pad Coco&Sweets.
I ordered the seafood and beef soondubu, spicy level. I loved the soup flavor! The spicy level was a perfect level of not too spicy but not too mild, so I may want to stray away and try the more spicy levels in the future. The seafood consists of two clams and a large shrimp that still comes with the shell and head on. The beef are thinly sliced pieces of beef.
The side dishes were good, although not in abundance, but they did load it up for each one. They offered oyster kimchi (if you’re lucky, then you’ll find an oyster), radishes, bean sprouts and pickled cucumbers. I loved each side dish.
My bf’s mom ordered the seafood soondubu with noodles, and I really liked it. Next time I’m definitely getting that. You have a choice between ramen noodles or these flatter, wider noodles. I liked the flat ones.
Service was great.
Can’t wait to come back!

So Gong Dong Tofu BBQ is located in the newly livened plaza next to Great Wall Supermarket. After trying most of the other shops and restaurants on the strip, it was high time to finally try So Gong Dong.
Our server accommodated our 11 person group for lunch with ease, as he pushed three tables together and let us take up the entire walkway (ok, exaggeration). He took our orders quickly and was aware of the time we needed to dissect the menu.
The banchan came slightly before the soup did, which couldn’t have come soon enough. There were only 4 dishes, but each one was equally fresh. My friends couldn’t stop commenting on the quality of the kimchi, bean sprouts and radishes. It’s not about the quantity, but the quality. We had to keep asking for refills. And not to hype it up, but this was one of the best tofu soups I’ve had in a long time. $ 6.99 for any tofu soup seems to be an opening special, but my oyster tofu soup was full of flavor (and not just with tongue numbing spice). There were maybe 5 or 6 oysters in my soup, which is pretty standard, but surprising for a $ 6.99 dish. My friend ordered the cheese tofu soup, which looked surprisingly good, so I’ll have to try that next time.
We were discussing at our table that this was definitely up near the top of our favorite tofu soups. I had nothing to complain about: $ 6.99 for a top notch tofu soup, banchan and good service. I just hope the $ 6.99 steal doesn’t disappear before the next time I go back!

Whenever i went to sweet hut, i would see their large sign advertising their $ 6.99 tofu soup (sale price). My mom was craving tofu soup so we decided to pop in to check this place out. I got a welcoming greeting the second i walked through the door.
I ordered their beef tofu soup very spicy. I avoided their very, very spicy level just because there is a tendency to lose good flavor with an increase in spice level. IMHO my tofu soup was very peppery rather than spicy. I will be ordering their regular spice level next time. Their side dishes are limited in variety but they actually taste good.
One thing that really caught my attention here is their service. Their wait staff is amazingly attentive. It’s hard to find service like this these days. This alone will make me come back.
Time to go next door for dessert!!! =p

This place stands out to me since it doesn’t get too chaotic during lunch time…
Parking — ⁵⁄₅. Even though Sweet Hut, Snow Flake, Coffee By Hand, and etc are in the same strip, it’s impossible not to find a spot. Also — Great Wall is in the next lot (connected), so you can always shop and walk over over to eat. It’s awesome!
Space — A lot smaller than your typical Korean places. I came at a random time on a Saturday and maybe only 2 other tables were occupied. But as time went by, people would slowly come in. I don’t think this place would survive a massive lunch/​dinner rush.
Service & Environment — Service is great. I’ve never had to ask for my water refill. My server consistently came back to us… we drank like 4 cups of water since I ordered a hot dish and my bf put a ton of spicy sauce in his bibimbop. Environment is pretty chill. Since it’s smaller, there aren’t as many people around, which I like!
Food:
We were given 4 banchans — they were okay. But in this case, our entrees were the main items to eat. Don’t overeat on banchans!!!
Kimchi Soondubu with Kalguksu: WOW — they give a ton of food in this entrée. I could only eat half before I called it quits. The overall dish was good. The tofu was super soft & the broth was delicious. Everything went well together. The noodles were cooked the right way. I even liked the fact they lessened the spiciness for me.
Bibimbop looked really cool. As in — straight of a food magazine. My bf inhaled it, so I’m thinking he enjoyed it. They do give gochujang as well in order for you to control the taste.

I know there’s two locations, haven’t been to the other one but thank goodness this is much closer to me. Yaye!
Nice cold barley tea to start off… then some delectable banchan and the pickled cucumbers takes home the crown. It’s really addicting, we had to ask for seconds… has a really good crunch and perfect spices to accompany the soondubu and spareribs.
I ordered the seafood and beef soondubu spicy (the lady only gave me seafood, no beef), the soup is nice and thick, just the way I like it. I cracked my egg and let it cooked while the soup is still bubbling.
The combination soondubu + korean short ribs is $ 21.95, yes, they’re pricey but the meat is really delicious (nicely marinated and thick cut).
All in all, a really good meal and I can’t wait to come back and try the Bibimbap in the hot stone plate. Service is ok, they got busy and seemed a little short staff but it wasn’t out of control.

This place stands out as a decent place for soon dubu in the area.
Pros:
— Tofu soup special is only 6.99. Really, really great price
— The soup is actually thick and not watery.
— They offer the option to add noodles to your soup. That option is going to be about $ 9.99 and you can pick what kind of noodles you want: ramen (like instant noodles) or the flat noodles.
— New space, so it’s still clean
Cons:
— No liquor/​beer license yet
— Banchan was just ok. They make good pickled cucumbers, but I remember there only being like 3 different banchan dishes offered. Other restaurants offer at least 5 – 6 different kinds.
This is still a great value for all the food you get if you’re only getting tofu soup. You’ll definitely leave full. This place is still farther out for me than Buford Hwy, but if I were in the area and wanted soon dubu, I’d stop by here again.

This is a new spot on Pleasant Hill, located next door to the new Sweet Hut Bakery. They were having a special when I came in and the tofu soup was discounted to almost half of the original, that’s definitely going to win over new customers.
The soup here is alright in terms of flavor, just in my personal opinion it wasn’t as savory as the other the tofu houses that I’ve been too, still it wasn’t too bad. They don’t give as many side dishes as well compared to other places, I would consider that a negative here, the staff/​service was good so no complaints there, even though they didn’t really check in all too often to see how we were doing.
Overall for a first time visit to a new place, it wasn’t a bad experience, but they do have room to improve upon.
My Recommendations:
–Beef Tofu Soup

This place is located in the plaza next to Great Wall of China market in duluth. This plaza used to be super dead, but they’ve recently opened around six or seven businesses in the plaza. They have sweet hut opening soon, several restaurants, and a korean coffee shop.
Anyway, I’ve been to this restaurant twice now, and the food has been great both times. The first time I went, I got the cold soy noodles (kong-​guk-​su) which was good with a little bit of salt. The side dishes here are pretty good too. Kimchi dried radish was my favorite at this restaurant. The second time I went, I got the soonduboo, and it was super good. Make sure you Crack the egg in the soup while it’s still boiling, cover it up, and itll be ready in a couple minutes depending on how much you want the egg to be cooked. The servers are pretty nice, (majority male servers just fyi) and very attentive. I think this place has been open for a while, but hasn’t been reviewed on Unilocal a whole lot because we realized that all the customers were older/​senior citizens. and I guess they dont write reviews. Lol
I was expecting them to have the fried fish that usually comes with the soonduboo at other restaurants, but this place doesn’t serve it. Nevertheless, the food was good and I would definitely come back.
Note: if you can’t handle spicy foods, get the tofu soup «white» meaning it won’t have any spice at all. People who like spicy could choose between regular, spicy, and very spicy.
I recommend spicy! :)