Owners Don Kim and Cookie Sohn, a Korean couple with a dream, bravely opened their restaurant at the start of the pandemic. Their perseverance, support from friends and the local community and the supposed health benefits of their delectable soups allowed them to attract a steady stream of customers even during those early, challenging days.
Ian Pluhar, a family friend who has been with the restaurant since it opened, manages daily operations. He takes pride in introducing traditional Korean cuisine to a diverse clientele.
"When we first opened, a lot of Korean nationals and Korean Americans came in," Pluhar says. At that time, customers did lots of word-of-mouth promoting of the new restaurant on the block, then word got out on social media.
"When ASU starts up again, we get a lot of international students," Pluhar says, "Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese."
Ian Pluhar manages daily operations at Stone Korean Tofu House. He's been with the restaurant since it opened.
Mike Madriaga
"We get a lot of people who want to try traditional Korean food, but they don't really understand what it is. So it's nice to explain it to people," Pluhar says.
He recently explained to new customers that eating hot soup is a tradition in Korea even during record-high temperatures.
"So we started having a summer menu," he says. "The SamGae Tang is the closest thing you can get to chicken soup. It's in a large bowl with an entire chicken that's been boiled until tender, stuffed with sweet rice, chestnut, garlic, jujube and ginseng."
Jujube, red or Chinese date, and ginseng roots add unique flavor and health benefits. Jujube is said to eliminate stress, while ginseng is an antioxidant. The soup was a hit for patrons during and after the pandemic.
The Stone Korean Tofu House has quickly become a favorite among both locals and international visitors.
Gabby Madriaga
"People who come here with 100-degree weather outside generally like to order our hot soups," he confirms.
In Korea, this chicken soup is especially popular on sambok days, which according to the lunar calendar, are some of the hottest summer days. In Phoenix, we can relate.
For an extra $4, customers can add abalone to the soup.
"It's kind of like a clam and has a big chunk of meat like a calamari steak," he says.
As the restaurant's name suggests, it specializes in various tofu soups served in black clay pots.
The tofu is made in-house. The soups are generally red in color and come with veggies and your choice of seafood and meats or dumplings. Dumpling Soft Tofu Soup comes with pork dumplings and assorted vegetables. The Korean Miso Soft Tofu Soup is made of miso broth, mussels, clams and assorted vegetables. Then there's one with a breakfast vibe, the Ham and Sausage Tofu Soup.
When customers order the $16-18 tofu soups or the combos, they are presented with quite a spectacle similar to a sizzling fajita platter at a Mexican restaurant. Here, the bubbling Korean soups are audible when they are wheeled out.
Each tofu soup comes with a stainless-steel rice cooker container on a removable wooden base, packed with freshly steamed purple rice known as heukmi bap.
Then there's the platter of banchan, which comes with most orders. Banchan are sides that accompany the meal and the selection includes steamed vegetables, seaweed, kimchi or spicy-fermented cabbage and sometimes small servings of meat, seafood or tofu.
Lastly, each tofu soup comes with a raw egg. According to tradition, the diner cracks the egg and poaches it inside the piping-hot soup. Hence, food influencers often visit the Mesa restaurant on the east side of North Dobson Road because the purposeful experience makes for great content. For the rest of us, it's just plain fun.
The combo meal comes with tofu soup, a plate of extra meat, purple rice and a platter of banchan.
Gabby Madriaga
Both soups were still boiling when served. "Don't forget the egg," he adds.
The Intestine Soft Tofu Soup had intestine portions that resembled Mexican tripas and the brothy soup had a kick from the kimchi inside.
The combos we tried had an extra side of meat, which can be consumed intermittently with the rice and soup. The cool banchan contrasts against the hot broth for a unique mash-up of flavors and textures.
If soups aren't your thing, the restaurant serves bibimbap rice bowls with beef bulgogi, chicken or pork belly with kimchi — all served with diced veggies.
For those seeking vegan or vegetarian options, the restaurant serves options ranging from the $9 Fresh Soft Tofu Salad to the enormous $33 Vegetarian Tofu Hot Pot which comes with tofu, vegetables and two bowls of rice.
Returning to the summer options, the ice-cold Kloud beers or Sojus are a hit. The latter is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from rice.
Then there's cold noodles: Mul Neung Myun, potato noodles served in a cold broth base, and Kong GugSu, flour noodles served in a cold soy bean soup broth.
Then there's cold noodles: Mul Neung Myun, potato noodles served in a cold broth base, and Kong GugSu, flour noodles served in a cold soy bean soup broth.
Whether you're drawn by the sizzling tofu soups, the array of banchan or the refreshing summer options, there's something for everyone at The Stone Korean Tofu House. Pluhar believes the restaurant offers a deeper taste of Korean cuisine than the Valley-wide norm.
"Korean barbecue is familiar," he says, "but there's so much more to explore."
