52nd Tofu House

Basic Korean foods. Open late. Hella late. It was so late after such a long day I forgot my experience. All I remember was how nice the owners were.

We will miss you, 52^nd Tofu House.
You were my favorite restaurant on the Ave, no doubt. So many great memories there…
I wish Jen and Eugene the best of luck but 52^nd Tofu House will be missed. I wish they would have told us they were leaving.

TERRIBLE SERVICE.
I came in here with a group of five on a Friday night, the restaurant was half empty and only two of us ordered something. The waitress said it’s a Friday night and there are people waiting in line (which obviously was not true), and if all of us don’t order something, we should go somewhere else. So we ended up leaving.
Would have loved to try the food though!

I’m reviewing this place favorably mainly because it’s open until 2am.
The soups are okay, if a bit watery.
The non-​soup dishes are not that good though.

52^nd Tofu House smells good right when you walk in, plays ancient oldies music, and has a generally good vibe, but that’s where the charm ends. I have a severe allergy to red pepper. When I told the waitress (owner?) that, she angrily said I should go eat somewhere else. I asked if they could make just plain vegetables and rice with no pepper, and she reluctantly replied that they could. What I was served was the spiciest, peppered food I have encountered in at least five years. I ate much of it because I thought it was black pepper, but no such luck. My throat is still swollen more than 24 hours later. My friend, who loves Korean food and has no allergies (lucky) absolutely loved the food he got.
Conclusion: If you have allergies and value your life, steer clear because they don’t care/won’t acknowledge the significance of that at all, but if you’re allergy-​free, the place is apparently great. I won’t go back, however, for fear that she could kill me.

Loved this place.
Small, interestingly decorated, and played oldies music. (?)
Ordered a safe dish; Korean seafood and egg soup. It came with a large side of rice and sweet potatoes.
Food was so fresh and so tasty!
The waitress was kind, not to mention how she treated regular customers so well.

Excellent place for cheap, casual, late-​night vegan dining. There is a menu just for vegans and it’s all grilled on separate equipment. Warm, charming environment and a good amount of rickety seating.
The menu is a little slim, but the options are nice. We got gyoza appetizers (basically potstickers), scallion pancakes, carrot pancakes (mmm) and kim chi to start. Not huge portions, but enough for five to enjoy.
I thought my sauteed tofu entrée was generous and very tasty. I got lots of crisp, firm tofu, veggies, a good bit of rice, and a side of delicious little cubed potato thingies. My friends say their hot pots were excellent with a perfect amount of kick. The kim chi pancakes here are also really good.
There are some drawbacks that I’ll list below:
1. No brown rice. I was actually laughed at (good-​naturedly) by the waitress when I asked for it. Come here for your appetite, not your whole grains, I guess.
2. You will come out smelling like fried food. The vegan entrees didn’t taste or look fried, but days later my peacoat smelled like a griddle. Was it the pancakes? Don’t wear stuff you have to dry clean.
3. The Korean beer here is terrible. Very expensive half-​carbonated tap water. It wasn’t even refreshing to chug, but it cost as much as dinner. Order some sakes or maybe one of the odd but tasty raspberry wines or smoothie cocktails or just a regular drink instead.
4. Service is a little slow, and the staff is not super attentive. If you want something, go up to the counter and ask. This place is very laid back.
Anyway, if you’re a hungry vegan with nothing to eat at half-​past midnight, you can get your fix here. I’ll be back!

As a vegan, I obviously always get the vegan plates here. And the vegan food here is amazing. The 52^nd Tofu House serves some of the best Korean food I’ve ever tasted, and some of the best vegan food I’ve ever tasted (and that’s saying a lot).
They cook the vegan food on separate cookware. It’s wonderful being able to go to a restaurant that serves meat without the worry of cross contamination when ordering a vegan plate.
The vegan plates are a steal at $ 6.95 a plate, and the appetizers are also a good deal since most of them are around $ 4.
The couple who run the restaurant are always friendly. The only thing that I would change about the 52^nd Tofu House is their hours. I wish they were open earlier, and more consistently. Sometimes when I go there during their listed business hours they’re not open. But they’re open more often than they’re closed, so please check this place out. Especially vegans.

Very comfortable late night restaurant with very friendly owner. Seems to be run by a husband-​wife team, she does the greeting, he does the cooking.
Ordered some vegan pancakes which were good, but a little greasy. The side of potatoes were some of the best I have ever had. They were cubed, orangish red in color, and sweet and spicy.
Check it out, if only for the potatoes!

I love 52^nd Tofu House! Due to my allergies, I rarely get to eat any Asian food other than making everything myself at home because of cross-​contamination that occurs so often inadvertently at many Asian restaurants.
The food isn’t like stuff you’d find at a Korean BBQ (i.e. cutting your meat with scissors and cooking it yourself) but the food is more like home-​style cooking: It’s comfy and filling and totally safe for people like myself with severe allergies.
— Separate vegan menu (cooked on a separate grill to prevent cross-​contamination– YES!)
— Regular meat menu (real meat, not mock-​meats)
— Cheap!
— Tofu soup: yum! It’s spicy and decent and I don’t have to make it myself!
— Self-​serve water and condiments
— If you need to leave early, just go up to the register and pay since sometimes it can take a while to get the bill.
52^nd Tofu House passed my cross-​contamination test because I react immediately to cross-​contamination of any seafood and shellfish, especially with small things like a cutting board used to cut seafood and then having my food cut on the same board.
I had the tofu soup with gyoza combo and a green onion pancake appetizer. Dood, the green onion pancake is so good and I didn’t even have to make it myself at home!
My only wish is that they served vegan banchan (especially because I never get to eat kim chee other than having to make it myself and I have no time during the school year) and to have lunch hours.
Anyone know their phone number? Placing a pick up order for busy school nights during finals would make this place 10 stars!

Ah man this place is ancient. I know people who’ve come here for the past 10 years. Basically, every Asian student from UW comes here at some point to get their drank on in a small and fobby environment. The owner/​waitress is known for her crAaAzy haircuts and nice service — minus her lack of English.
Food is actually really good. Best Korean food in the UDist. Hands down! If you want late night food and BBQ Chicken is packed, I would seriously recommend coming here.
Beware this group of loud, deboucherous, and drunken Japanese+Chinese people who come regularly. I warn you because the only times I go, I’m usually with them haha.

so So SO delicious.
Thank you for not cross contaminating my vegan food (even if I personally don’t care.)
This place is pretty delicious, I’ve had the gyoza and the green onion pancake and both were really really good. Not too shabby on the yogurt soju either! SO GOOD.
I love the hours, perfect for when I’m stuck at the U after a late night of studying. I know they don’t appeal to everyone but it’s nice to have a late night option that’s walkable other than Memo’s or pizza. That gets old really really fast.
So five stars for being open late, being friggin delicious, and always having super nice service when I’m there (and not laughing at me attempting to use chop sticks. I’m getting better!!!)

I’ve been coming for years, the food is good and the service is excellent! The ajuma who works there is really funny and friendly, and on top of that she always remembers your name! How many places can you say the people remember your name?
They have your basic selection of korean alcohol and they never disappoint! So come for the food, stay for drinks, then order more!!! You know you’re going to want to!
The only downside is that it’s pretty small, it can accommodate about 25 people so come early and stay late!

Bomb-​A$$ kimchi (& any kind) of fried rice. Yummm. Adore the little side dishes you get with Korean food. Fan of the potatoes, tofu soup, okay– –pretty much anything they have on the menu. Relatively cheap for the average college student. The downsides is that its way up on the Ave. That means hiking up. or you can bus up (like me) =) In addition, it opens late (@ 7pm I believe) so unable to eat during lunch time, although it makes up for staying late until 2am, for those drunkies who are looking for munchies after the house/​frat parties. Same two, three people working there every time I come. The lady is sweet, with her Korean accent and attentive to customers. Place is super small though. However, awesome décor, lights, and ambience.
Check it out!

Oh yogurt soju… you had me at hello! I have been a frequent of this place all my years in college. The lady owner Jenny is super UBER sweet and always has the best service. I have eaten a variety off their menu but it’s the traditional yummies that keeps me coming back. The seafood pancake, the kim chee (SPICY! so don’t forget rice!), bulgogi, and soft tofu soup have me meowing in delight. This kitty knows where on the Alley Ave it’s at =)
But if nothing else… DRINK SOJU! You’re liver will thank you later.

they get an extra point for staying open until 2am.
This is like the Korean version of the greasy spoon. Meals and drinks on the cheap. Came here for 2^nd dinner (doesn’t every eat two dinners a night?) Here was the break down:
Soft tofu soup w/​SPAM and kimchi: anything with SPAM is a plus although others may object. so tasty and savory!
seafood pancake with chives: not a bad rendition, good and crispy
spicy meatballs– kind of tasting like stuff you get frozen at costco. My least favorite thing on the menu.
yogurt soju: fruity, icy, I can see how brainfreeze and liquor can be dangerous.
The place is super cozy and service was very friendly. A viable option for late night eats on the Ave.

Just since the end of March, I’ve been here at least 4 more times. When I walk in, I’m greeted with «Hi Allie!» — honestly, I think this is my new favoritestest restaurant in Seattle. It’s the only place I’ve been a «regular» in Seattle proper since I moved to the Dark [pardon, the East] side back in 2006.
Fast, flavorful, filling and CHEAP… there is very little that can top that in my book — mix in the yogurt soju, and I am in a state of euphoria.

As it turns out, you can’t get their tofu soups to go, but the restaurant itself is so cozy and welcoming it’s very easy to decide to dine-​in instead, which is what we ended up doing.
Boyfriend got the beef bulgogi side + rice + sides, which arrived as a pile of meat spanning one-​half of a plate with a mound of fluffy rice, kimchi, some sweet potatos, and beans. He wasn’t impressed with the bulgogi itself, but he’s kind of picky about bulgogi so his verdict came as no surprise.
I got the beef and gyoza tofu soup which really hit the spot on a cold November night: intensely flavorful and spicy broth with 3 – 4 gyoza pieces, generous amounts of beef, an egg dropped in, and silky soft tofu. It came with its own plate of rice and sides, which was a great deal for $ 6.95.
The waitress and the cook are such sweethearts! We were enthusiastically greeted upon entering, and when we left the waitress waved goodbye to us TWICE– one at the cash register and again when we were walking out the door.

Go here. Get vegan food. Recommend Vegan Plate B. Also, it is a bar with $ 4.95 Mango Soju Slurpee. Yep. No kidding. More details and some pictures here:

If you go to the intersection between NE 52^nd St and University Way and direct your attention to the northeast, you’ll see something rather curious. Every few minutes, a passing pedestrian will pause, take a close look at the window of a small Korean restaurant, make a mental note to come back later, and then walk away and promptly forget about it. I don’t know what it is about 52^nd St Tofu House that prompts this reaction. I’ve done it myself a few times, both to its current incarnation and during its previous life as the Korean Cuisine Corporation.
I finally got around to trying it recently. The restaurant was empty apart from the chef and the waitress — both incredibly friendly people, as it turns out. We’re talking Thanh Vi levels of niceness.
You can tell that this place was probably meant to be a drinking establishment, rather than a place to eat. There’s what looks like a well-​stocked bar, and much of the menu consists of small dishes to eat with drinks. Korean tapas, I guess you could call it. I was looking for more substantial fare, so my attention went straight to the bulgogi. You can get pork or beef, with various levels of spiciness. I went with the spicy pork, and got it to go. I waited at the bar. There was enough light to read by, and the waitress gave me a copy of Time magazine to keep me occupied. As it happened, the wait was surprisingly short. They thanked me, I thanked them, and they quite possibly thanked each other. I can’t be sure; there was a lot of thanking going on in an enclosed space.
The bulgogi was a far cry from the usual stuff you get in the Ave’s many Korean-​owned teriyaki places. The meat was in larger slices, served in a sauce with bits of cabbage and green beans. Instead of the usual pile of lettuce, the side salad was more like a light coleslaw, with a good sprinkling of sesame seeds. There was also a sweet and spicy potato side dish. And, of course, there was the obligatory pile of rice. Not a bad deal for $ 6.95. They even threw in a can of Sprite, though I’m not sure whether that’s part of the deal or just a symptom of the aforementioned niceness.
Did I mention that this place is open till 2 in the morning? Skip Memo’s and come down here if you’re hungry late at night.
NOTE: Since this place serves (apparently rather good) vegan food, I should point out that it does NOT do so exclusively. The aforementioned spicy pork is, in fact, actual pork from an actual pig, as opposed to soy pork from a soy pig.