Book Chang Dong Soon Tofu

Can’t believe this restaurant is closed. I was brought to here for the tofu soup and seafood pancake by my friends.
–size of tofu soup is just right enough for a person.
–side dishes are awesome and you can always ask for more.
Just try to write a review for happy memories.

Then soondubu’s man. I ordered it every time I go to a Korean restaurant, and let me tell you. the soondubu here is like no other! It was just what I expected from this place, as it is a tofu restaurant. I ordered the regular beef soondubu, and enjoyed every bit of it. The tofu to me did taste somewhat better than other Korean restaurants. I asked for medium spicy, and it was in fact medium spicy! The restaurant is also very spacious and has a beautiful interior. It looks like a great place for a family dinner or a hang out with your friends. I would definitely recommend this place if you’re a happy soondubu fan like me.

Came back last night to BCD to break the cold a little bit with some hot Soon Do Bu. As the 7 of us walked in, the server said he only have 1 table left and it was right in the front next to the door, so we said okay we’ll take it.
5 minutes later, he told us there’s a better table in the back of the restaurant and suggested that we move to the back to avoid the cold, so we did without hesitation.
The new table was actually worst than the front table we had because it is immediately right next to the side door which the Back of the House used to throw out garbage and such, and they had used it very frequently throughout the night but okay no big deal I guess.
The Seafood Pancake we ordered came in about 10 minutes which was great and tasted excellent! but the Soon Do Bu didn’t come until 25 minutes later, okay no big deal because we were just chatting away. We sat there for another 10 minutes for the rice to come but it didn’t come so we ask the server about it and his reply was «Ok Ok, I know I know» okay no big deal I guess.
Disappointed by the service we received tonight but I guess customer service is no big deal.

I’ve coming here for years. This used to be my go to spot for soondubu, but I go elsewhere now since I don’t live in Queens anymore. I was in the area and it was a cold winter night so we decided on some piping hot tofu.
This place isn’t what I remembered it to be. There is now a lady that works there that speaks mandarin. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s a good thing. A majority of the place was filled with mandarin speaking customers instead of Koreans so I found that to be odd. Mind you, I haven’t been here in ages/​years. It was interesting to see how things have changed, especially with the clientele. There were hardly any Koreans in here so that must mean there are better/​more authentic Korean tofu places to go and this was no longer the «it» tofu spot.
I ordered the mandoo tofu and it was just okay. It wasn’t delicious like I remembered it to be. The broth had no taste and was kind of bland. The little pieces of beef were quite hard and looked out of place in my dish. I know this dish is supposed to come with beef and usually does, but the beef here looked like it was bad beef just based on the color/​texture. It looked like it was sitting in the freezer for too long and had freezer burn. The mandoo also looked like it was the frozen kind that you can buy in the supermarket so that was disappointing. Mine came with 3.
We also ordered the combo #1 and we felt the same about that one. It was bland and kind of tasteless.
The side dishes were also just okay. I used to look forward to the side dishes because you would get so much and it would actually taste good, but these were barely touched because it looked unappetizing. I think you can tell by just looking at the side dishes whether or not the place will have good food. If they cheapen out on the side dishes, you know you’ll be in for a ride.
Sorry BCD, I don’t think I’ll be back to this location. I suggest you go back to how you used to serve your food. Your prices have increased drastically so it only makes sense to have the food quality improve and not the other way around.

My favorite place for Korean soon dubu. The flavors of the soup here is in my opinion better than the other locations. Also, there’s actual texture to the soup, which i appreciate (the Bayside one is very watery feeling). Be careful, the very spicy here is fire in your mouth if you’re not used it. It also always works up a good sweat in me, but sooo worth it.
Most of the other food here is just average though, or lacking even. The complimentary appetizer dishes are of pretty poor quality. Grilled dishes and japchae here are just okay. However the kimchi fried rice is pretty solid.

I enjoyed this restaurant.
Not much of a décor but it’s cozy.
Food was plentiful and u get ur money’s worth. I thought the oxtail soup needed a lil more oxtail but overall it was good. They gave us a lot of korean side dishes.
Service was great! Made me felt like I was visiting korea and the host was there to greet me w kindness.
I will add a pic of the oxtail tofu soup which was boiling hot!

24 hours
unlimited side dishes
they take reservations for large parties (there are secret rooms in the back for private parties)
tastes best after a night of drinking and wanting food at 3 or 4 in the morning
if you order to go, you get more of the tofu stew (at least that’s what I think)

I keep coming back here just because it’s cheap and always open, but I’ve noticed a decrease in their quality. I loveeeeeeeee the dumpling soondubu. I believe the quality of their soondubu is much the same even compared to the other location, but now it’s the banchan that really makes the difference. There used to be more dishes even tho they were not of quality they made up for it in quantity. Now that the quantity is gone it’s just a-​ok. Staff do not pay much attention to you which is good if you just want to talk to your company and aren’t needy.

Meh, I prefer the other locations. This one looks more run down and dirtier compared to Bayside and Manhattan. They don’t give the fried fish banchan either. Service isn’t the best — food was brought out without a sound. However, their seafood soondubu did come with more seafood than the other locations.
I doubt I’ll be coming back.

Great for college students who are drunk and ready for that hangover food!
My boyfriend and I come here often during late night hours if we’re trying to gain more relationship weight or trying to sober up with friends. This place never disappoints. I usually get the tofu soup with beef. One is enough for him and I. We also get rice on the side.
The appetizers are unlimited! Love love love the kimchi, cucumber, and tofu.
The service is ok. Not very customer service friendly but hey, they give you your soup on time and it’s kind of an asian morale thing to not disturb people when eating. I only see the «servers» when they ask if I want more food/​water. Which is fine. It’s more likely that I’m trying to make a conversation with my boyfriend or slightly drunk anyway.
This is one of Northern’s gem.
GIve it a try! There’s a ton of selections on the menu that I have yet to try. Kinda pricey but hey! It’s a korean restaurant, what do you expect?

This place USED to be 24 hours. I’m not quite sure what exactly happened, but recently they haven’t been opened late (or early int he morning) to satisfy my drunken soft tofu craves. The staff is here is fast and attentive. They will always fill your cup whenever it’s less than half full. Whenever I come, they always give me more banchan before I ask, and it’s always my favorite ones (broccoli, bean sprouts, tofu). When I come here, I always get the beef extra extremely spicy soondubu and an order of kalbi. The combination of the two always hits the spot for me, but I guess it’s maybe cause I’m always intoxicated when I do come here in the morning.
+CHEAP BEER AND SOJU

Attentive and quick staff, clean, good for family-​style meal.
Clam soondubu (boiling tofu soup in iron pot):
Decent amount of clams inside. One of the clams weren’t open so we asked a staff about it and he tried to knock a spoon on it… which is probably the worst way to handle that so we took matters into our own hands (literally).
For people who are very sensitive to spice: Mild is still spicy so get the No Spicy. And don’t forget to crack the raw egg in right when it gets to you!
LA Kalbi:
I thought it was overpriced at $ 20 for what you got. Maybe it’s just because my mom can make this dish at home. However, they did make it feel more worthy by putting on a show of bringing it to you sizzling hot on an iron plate and cutting it up in front of you. Some of the pieces were impossibly stringy and hard to chew through… Not the best cuts.
Bibimbap:
This place isn’t known for their bibimbap for a reason, it’s super plain, but certainly fine in all regards. Just add a lot of gochujang (red pepper paste) and you’ll be more than satisfied.

Haven’t been to the bayside location but I always come here for their seafood soondubu.
Side dishes are average in selection but good in flavor.
Of course, best part is cracking the egg in.
Their grilled spicy squid is also a staple when I visit.
Their galbi used to be good but I haven’t had it in a while, will try the next time I go.

I’ve been coming to this location for well over 5 years and not once have i ever had a problem till tonight.
Book Chang Dong aka BCD is a Korean restaurant chain that’s known for their soondubu (tofu stew). I’ve always enjoyed it and has been one of my favorite comfort foods especially during the colder seasons.
The upside is that this place is open 24 Hours. The down side is that during the night shift, the food quality lacks ALOT.
The past few times when I’ve came, the soondubu was toward the watery side even with the egg (thicken agent) and the kalbi wasn’t grilled enough so it lacked that chard flavor as well as the sauce being too watery. This didn’t bother me that much as I’ve grown to expect this the few recent times I’ve came.
After we finished eating, we asked for the check then i used a 100 dollar bill. Now keep in mind that I got this from the bank. My boy brought it up to the lady and she felt the bill and held it up to the light and in her broken English told him «no no no, do you have another 100 bill»? My boy told her to check it with the pen and she refused. WTF?
That’s the problem with these types of places. You employ old folk that can’t tell or refuse to check if money is real. I could already tell from the beginning of my meal that she was new to the place. I mean, that’s what those pens are for. to check if money is real. It doesn’t work if you don’t use it, lady.
What type of business wont’ accept real money? Whatever. We paid in twenties and left. Then we went a few blocks over and used the bill at H-​Mart where the lady held it to the light for 2 secs and took it. Thanks. Finally someone that knows how to do their job.
FYI — The date was ⁵⁄₉ around 11:30PM, just incase any managers are actually reading this. It was the old Korean lady with broken English. Please tell her to use the pen next time.

Not bad tofu. I feel like they add mushrooms as a filler to whatever type of soondabu you get therefore giving you you less meat etc. But still the hangover spot of flushing because its open ²⁴⁄₇!

I’m allergic to tofu… don’t ask me why I go there.
I usually get the kalbi tang, although the portion has been reduced, I still enjoy it a lot. It’s very tasty and the pieces of oxtail are huge. I have tried the seafood pancake and it’s really cook. The sauce was perfect for the pancake.
I’ve never tried the soju there but most of my friends recommend it.
UNLIMITED SIDE DISHES. This is why I’ve fell in love with Korean food!
The servers are really nice and attentive. they speak both Korean and Chinese, how in the world?! The place is really big, they have a party room that can fit a lot of people.
There is another BCD on Northern Blvd but the selection is very limited, so I turn to this one when I’m hungry late at night. It’s great!

This place is open 24 hours!?! It was a amazing to see how many people were there on a Tuesday evening
Food: the seafood pancake, when warm, was quite good! I agree with Tony C. on the Oxtail tofu thing — totally not worth the $ 10 for such small pieces. We drank a lot yesterday and I recommend the Soju that looks like red wine but is slightly sweeter. I saw that there was an extremely popular beef dish that simmered on a hot plate many other tables ordered. Next time.
Service: relatively responsive… we felt neglected as it got more crowded, though.
Décor: nothing much to see here. Looks clean enough.

I came here late night with my friend after a weird fishing trip excursion. We were exhausted from paddling a fishing dingy.
We each ordered a tofu soup and shared a plate of dabooki and the plate of sliced pig feet. Everything was bland except for the tofu because I got it very spicy. The dabooki was the worst I’ve had. The rice cakes were huge but the sauce was watery and lacking in flavor. I’ve had better in a basement of ktown for jeez sake.
At first my friend and I felt really fat as we noticed the couple next to us shared the tofu soup, rice and banchan. Actually, the waiter forgot their other entrée and they were pissed to wait for it as their meal was over. And the other table had to remind the waiter to bring out their other entrée in their middle of their meal.
Do yourself a favor and tell your waiter you want a pitcher/​bottle of water so you can refill it yourself. His main job is to take you order and hopefully what you ordered comes out. I did wish they didn’t bring out the sliced pork or dabooki for us though. It was not worth paying for.
I def would not return here.

Can I have it super spicy?
Loooooooooooool
Loooooooooooool
we couldn’t get the ahjumma to stop laughing during the time that our dinner lasted. Looks like she never had such a request from a white girl. Well, after I finished the soup, I honestly hesitate she had such request from many people on the planet ever. I guess that is how things taste over there in Korea. Cause that was really deliciously spicy.
That was a burning sensation that went weaker over time. I am not sure if because of my body getting use to it, or if because the makkoli mixed with soju shots that may made my perception to drop off below average.
Whatever the case. Excellent soondubu. The super– red color was the first warming. But even when the spice was on the very high level, I could still taste other flavors in the broth. Deep flavors. Like when things are cook slow to allow the ingredients to integrate themselves.
The star of the night however (in part because I have not find this dish in many places) is their ox tail soodubu. The broth is once again extremely flavorful, it taste like meat that has been boiled up to become on a liquid form. They use different cuts of meat and my favorite is their tendon. Excellent choice.
The place is an open big space. Great service. And I heard is 24h. I am still dreaming about the tendon of that soup. Definitely coming back

I don’t find myself craving Korean food, instead, I often have cravings for this place. Does that make any sense? Yes, but only if you knew how much I love Book Chang Dong, does this statement then become logical.
Situated right on Northern Blvd, surrounded in a sea of other Korean restos, yet in my tunnel-​vision devotion, I will only see BCD. This is my go-​to place for the heartiest soft tofu stews, «soondubu jjigae». Their menu has over 10 varieties but, I especially love the beef and kimchi flavors. Their deliciously crisp seafood pancakes «Pajeon» is second to none, and their flavorful and fresh, «Japchae» (stir-​fried sweet potato noodles with sesame oil and veggies) is expertly made here. Though prices are slightly high, it is worth it for the quality of its fantastic, Korean comfort food, for the restaurant’s plain, yet, open and comfortable space, and for its decent service.
If I’ve eaten here over 50 times, I’d still come another 50 times more, even if new places crop up beside, around, or nearby it. I’m all about change and whimsicality, but this is an exception. I’ve tried other places for tofu stew, but BCD remains in a league of its own as my favorite Korean restaurant in Flushing. This is why my thoughtful bf brought me here for my birthday last year for an informal dinner with some friends. To top it off, we had freshly made cupcakes that Jimmy brought from Sprinkles (isn’t he the sweetest!?!). So, with that in my treasure trove of memories, no other place can quite hold a candle against my beloved BCD.