When you search for famous places to eat in Gangneung,
quite a few sundubu restaurants come up.

Since I was in Gangneung,
I wanted to try sundubu at least once,
so after looking around,
I decided to visit Donghwa Garden Main Branch!

I already knew it was a popular restaurant,
but when we arrived around noon,
there were already about 50 groups
waiting ahead of us…

At first,
I thought the wait would take forever,
but the tables turned over much faster
than I expected,
and we got inside after about 30 minutes.

So, here’s my full review!

Donghwa Garden Main Branch Location & Parking

Donghwa Garden Main Branch
15 Chodangsundubu-gil 77beon-gil,
Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea

It’s easy to find
if you use navigation.

However,
we arrived around noon,
right in the middle of lunchtime,
and the parking lot was already full.

When we entered the parking area,
one of the parking staff asked
if we already had a waiting number.

When I said no,
they told us to get one first,
so I got out of the car
and registered for the wait.

If you’re visiting around lunchtime
or on a busy weekend,
I’d recommend getting your
waiting number first.

Waiting at Donghwa Garden

When I registered,
there were around 50 groups
ahead of us.

The number looked a little scary,
but surprisingly,
we only waited for about 30 minutes.

The restaurant is quite large
and the table turnover is fast,
so the line moved much quicker
than I expected.

You also need to choose your menu
while you’re waiting.

I thought we would sit down first
and order at the table,
so I didn’t really look
at the menu beforehand.

Then they suddenly asked us
what we wanted to order,
so we just picked
two of the most popular options…

• Original Jjambbong Sundubu
• Chodubu Set Meal

There are chairs near the entrance,
so you can sit while waiting.

There’s also a cafe right next door
and another waiting area
on the second floor.

So if it’s too hot or cold outside,
you can wait wherever
feels most comfortable.

Inside Donghwa Garden

We got inside
after about 30 minutes.

“이 포스팅은 쿠팡 파트너스 활동의 일환으로, 이에 따른 일정액의 수수료를 제공받습니다.”

Near the entrance,
I noticed an impressive
14 Blue Ribbon stickers.

You can definitely tell
that this has been
a famous Gangneung restaurant
for quite a long time.

The dining area was also
much larger than I expected,
with plenty of tables.

Even though there were
a lot of people waiting,
the restaurant itself is large
and tables empty quickly,
so the wait wasn’t as bad
as it first looked.

Once you’re seated,
they bring out water
and a few basic side dishes.

The standard side dishes
are fairly simple.

But if you order
the Chodubu Set Meal,
you get several additional
side dishes as well.

Chodubu Set Meal

The first dish to arrive
was the Chodubu Set Meal.

It comes with fresh soft tofu,
soybean pulp,
several side dishes,
and what looked like
a thick soybean paste sauce.

At first,
I mainly ordered this
so we could try something different
alongside the Jjambbong Sundubu.

But personally,
I actually liked this dish more.

The tofu was very soft,
nutty, and mild,
and the portion was
much bigger than I expected.

It was really good!!!

Looking around,
most of the other tables
seemed to order only
the Original Jjambbong Sundubu.

But if you’re visiting as a pair,
I’d definitely recommend ordering

• 1 Original Jjambbong Sundubu
• 1 Chodubu Set Meal

That way,
you can try
two completely different styles
of tofu dishes in one meal.

Original Jjambbong Sundubu

Next came Donghwa Garden’s
signature dish,
the Original Jjambbong Sundubu.

It basically looks like
a bowl of red jjambbong-style broth
filled with soft tofu.

It has a completely different taste
from the mild Chodubu Set Meal.

Personally, though,
this one was a little disappointing
for me.

The broth tasted
quite salty to my palate.

It wasn’t the kind of saltiness
that hits you immediately.

It was more like,

“Did this broth get salty
because it was simmered
for too long…?”

The saltiness seemed to get stronger
the more I ate.

So I ended up eating
much more of the mild Chodubu
instead.

The portion was so big
that I couldn’t finish it,

and my partner,
who also thought
the Jjambbong Sundubu was too salty,
took my Chodubu and said,

“This is so good!”

and finished the rest.

Final Thoughts on Donghwa Garden

Donghwa Garden Main Branch
is one of the most famous
restaurants in Gangneung,
so some waiting is
pretty much unavoidable.

When we visited,
there were around 50 groups
ahead of us,
but the actual waiting time
was only about 30 minutes.

Since the restaurant is large
and the table turnover is fast,
I’d say it’s worth trying
if the wait is around that long.

Personally,
the Original Jjambbong Sundubu
was a little too salty
for my taste.

I’m not sure
I’d come all the way back
just for that dish.

The Chodubu Set Meal,
on the other hand,
was mild, nutty,
and much more to my liking.

So if you’re visiting
for the first time
and there are two of you,
I’d recommend ordering

• 1 Original Jjambbong Sundubu
• 1 Chodubu Set Meal

That way,
you can try both styles
instead of ordering
the same dish twice.

I don’t know if I’d make
a special trip back just for it,

but if you’re traveling in Gangneung
and want to try
one of the city’s famous sundubu restaurants,

I’d recommend visiting
Donghwa Garden Main Branch
at least once!

“이 포스팅은 쿠팡 파트너스 활동의 일환으로, 이에 따른 일정액의 수수료를 제공받습니다.”