Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong makes fresh tofu every morning using Korean soybeans ground with a traditional millstone. Try sundubu, tofu hot pot, bossam, and a hearty Korean set meal near Dongmyo Station.
Matdolroman Sinseol-dong: A Must-Try Korean Tofu Restaurant in Jongno, Seoul
Looking for a healthy Korean restaurant in Jongno, Seoul? If you love tofu, traditional Korean food, or simply want a comforting meal made with fresh ingredients, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong (맷돌로만 신설동점) is one place worth adding to your Seoul food list.
What makes this restaurant special is simple: they make their own tofu every morning by grinding Korean-grown soybeans with a large traditional millstone.
I love meat and seafood too, but mushrooms, tofu, and vegetables have always been some of my favorite ingredients.
That’s why I have a soft spot for restaurants specializing in Korean tofu dishes. They’re filling without feeling heavy, and when the tofu itself is genuinely good, you really don’t need much seasoning to make a satisfying meal.
The problem is that traditional tofu restaurants like this are much easier to find on trips to places such as Gangwon-do or Gapyeong than in central Seoul.
Then I discovered Matdolroman surprisingly close to my office.
After learning that they grind domestic soybeans every morning and prepare their tofu fresh in-house, there was really only one thing left to do: go try it.
And yes, it was absolutely worth the visit.
Since it was our first time, we ordered the restaurant’s signature Matdolroman set meal, which gave us the chance to try several tofu dishes at once. By the end of dinner, I was already planning another visit for their traditional cheonggukjang stew and different varieties of sundubu, or soft tofu.
It was exactly the kind of Korean meal I love: savory, nutty, comforting, and surprisingly easy on the stomach.
Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong Location
Address:
382 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong is about a 4-minute walk from Exit 3 of Dongmyo Station, making it easy to reach by Seoul subway. There are also several bus stops nearby.
If you’re driving, I recommend looking for a public or private parking lot nearby, as the restaurant itself isn’t the most convenient option for parking.
They also sell freshly made firm tofu and soft tofu for KRW 5,000, and I noticed quite a few local customers stopping by just to buy tofu to take home.
I actually planned to do the same.
Then I ate so much at dinner that I completely gave up on that idea.
Next time!
Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong Opening Hours
Daily: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Opening hours can change, so checking the latest information before making a special trip is always a good idea.
Inside Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman: A Traditional Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul
You can tell that ingredients matter here before you even sit down.
Near the entrance were bags of Korean-grown soybeans along with sacks of Shindongjin rice, a Korean rice variety known for its large grains and pleasantly chewy texture.
Then there was the enormous millstone.
At first, I honestly assumed it was decorative.
Nope.
The staff told us that if you visit in the morning, you can actually watch them grinding the soybeans with it to make the day’s fresh tofu.
Had I known beforehand, I absolutely would have come earlier.
We visited at around 5 PM for an early dinner and assumed the restaurant would be fairly quiet. Surprisingly, several tables were already occupied by local regulars and people visiting the Dongmyo area.
From outside, the restaurant doesn’t look particularly large, but the dining room extends surprisingly far inside. The spacious L-shaped layout is mostly filled with four-person tables, several of which can be joined together for groups.
By around 6 PM, most of the restaurant was already filling up.
So if you’re looking for a Korean restaurant in Jongno for a group dinner, Matdolroman is also a practical option.
Unlimited Fresh Sundubu at the Self-Service Bar
And then I spotted two magical Korean words: 무한리필 — unlimited refills.
At the self-service bar, guests can help themselves to fresh sundubu made from Korean soybeans ground that morning, along with warm soybean liquid.
This ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire meal.
The sundubu was incredibly soft with a deep, naturally nutty soybean flavor. It tasted so fresh that heavy seasoning would almost have been a waste.
I went back for another serving.
And then another.
If you’re used to packaged supermarket tofu, freshly made Korean sundubu like this is an entirely different experience.
What to Order at Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong
The menu is displayed clearly on the wall with photos, making it relatively easy to navigate even if Korean isn’t your first language.
There are several individual Korean dishes, but since this was our first visit, we chose the Matdolroman Set Meal (맷돌로만 정식) so we could sample several of the restaurant’s specialties at once.
It was definitely the right decision for a first visit.
Our table included:
- Fresh firm tofu
- Pan-fried tofu
- Tofu hot pot
- Bossam-style boiled pork
- Fresh Korean side dishes
- Rice
- Unlimited fresh sundubu and soybean drink from the self-service bar
Basically, it was a tofu lover’s dream table.
What Does Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman’s Fresh Tofu Taste Like?
The meal began with a generous selection of banchan, or Korean side dishes.
The side dishes change daily, and what impressed me was how homemade everything tasted. Rather than relying on aggressively salty or sweet seasoning, the flavors were clean and balanced—the kind of banchan that reminded me more of a home-cooked Korean meal than a commercial restaurant.
While the tofu hot pot was bubbling away at the table, we started with the fresh sundubu and warm soybean drink from the self-service bar.
Simple, but incredibly comforting.
Fresh Modubu and Pan-Fried Tofu
The modubu, or firm tofu, had a dense yet tender texture with a clean soybean flavor.
The pan-fried tofu was equally simple, but when tofu itself is this fresh, it doesn’t need much help.
One bite of firm tofu followed by a bite of warm pan-fried tofu also made a surprisingly satisfying combination because you could immediately notice the difference in texture.
This is the kind of place where tofu isn’t treated as a side ingredient.
Tofu is the main event.
Bossam with Fresh Kimchi
The set meal also included warm slices of boiled pork, which were a welcome addition to an otherwise tofu-heavy meal.
And unexpectedly, Matdolroman is also very good at geotjeori, freshly seasoned kimchi.
Take a slice of tender pork, add fresh kimchi and pickled radish, and eat everything together.
So good.
The fresh acidity and seasoning of the kimchi balanced the pork beautifully, while all that tofu made the entire meal feel satisfyingly protein-rich without becoming overwhelmingly heavy.
Spicy Korean Tofu Hot Pot
By the time we finished sampling the tofu and pork, the tofu hot pot was bubbling away.
And this was where the meal became even better.
The broth had a pleasantly spicy kick and a rich savory depth that made me immediately think, “This would be dangerous with soju.”
What really stood out, though, was still the tofu.
I’ve eaten at plenty of tofu restaurants while traveling around Korea, but the texture and nuttiness here were noticeably different. Maybe freshly grinding Korean soybeans every morning really does make that much of a difference.
The tofu was substantial and dense enough to hold its shape in the bubbling broth while still tasting soft and fresh inside.
For a tofu lover, this was pure comfort food.
Is Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong Worth Visiting?
Absolutely—especially if you’re searching for traditional Korean food in Seoul beyond Korean BBQ and fried chicken.
Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong offers the kind of meal that feels distinctly Korean without being overly heavy or complicated. Fresh tofu, homemade-style side dishes, bossam, and a bubbling tofu hot pot make it especially good for travelers who want to experience a more everyday, comforting side of Korean cuisine.
It’s also conveniently located near Dongmyo, so it can easily be combined with a day exploring Dongmyo Flea Market, Jongno, or the eastern side of central Seoul.
Final Thoughts about Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman: One of My Favorite Healthy Korean Restaurants in Jongno
It’s been a while since I had such a satisfying meal centered almost entirely around tofu.
Because the tofu at Korean Tofu Restaurant in Seoul, Matdolroman Sinseol-dong is freshly made from Korean soybeans, it has a noticeably rich, nutty flavor and a pleasantly dense texture. Even after eating a full set meal, I didn’t leave feeling uncomfortably heavy.
That’s exactly why I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a healthy Korean restaurant in Jongno, a traditional tofu restaurant in Seoul, or simply a break from meat-heavy Korean meals.
Next time, I’m coming back for the cheonggukjang, Korea’s intensely fermented soybean stew.
That’s already decided.
Matdolroman Sinseol-dong (맷돌로만 신설동점)
📍 382 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
🚇 About 4 minutes from Dongmyo Station Exit 3
🕙 Daily, 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
🥢 Best for: fresh Korean tofu, sundubu, traditional Korean food, healthy meals, family dining, and group meals in Jongno
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