The KTX Eastbound to Korea's Tofu Capital

The KTX express train screams out of Seoul Station's cramped platforms, building speed as it slices through Seoul's concrete sprawl. Towering apartments, construction cranes, and flyovers blur past the windows—then, suddenly, the city's grip loosens. Green hills roll into view. Rivers wind through valleys. Slate-roofed towns and rice paddies replace the urban chaos.

Two hours later, 100 miles east of Seoul, the train pulls into Gangneung. Most visitors come for the beach—miles of sandy coastline backed by resort hotels and gelato shops. But there's a different kind of pilgrimage happening here, one driven not by ocean views but by a single, legendary dish.

Reddit: "The sundubu jjigae at Chodang-dong is genuinely worth planning a trip around. Nothing like it anywhere else." — r/korea

The Ancient Art of Soft Tofu

Sundubu is not your typical grocery-store tofu. This silky, cream-white variety has been handmade in Gangneung since the 1500s. Legend traces it back to a royal household chef who mixed soy milk with seawater, creating impossibly soft curds that became the signature texture of the region.

Today, mass-produced sundubu fills supermarket shelves across South Korea—packaged in plastic tubes, pasteurized, industrial. But Gangneung's version? It's artisanal, unpasteurized, made fresh daily by families who've guarded their recipes for generations.

"We make our tofu every day, by hand. Not many restaurants do that anymore," says Lee Young-soon, owner of the Oldtime Chodang Sundubu Restaurant, one of Chodang-dong's oldest establishments. With rouged cheeks, thick mascara, and a lilac hoodie, she's as memorable as her food—a flamboyant, fearless character who appears regularly in Korean cookbooks and travel magazines.

Finding Chodang-dong: Where the Magic Happens

Set back a few hundred yards from the beach, near the inland lagoon of Gyeongpo, lies the neighborhood of Chodang-dong. It's barely a neighborhood at all—just a couple of palm-shaded blocks—but it's home to the town's oldest tofu restaurants, many run by the same families since their founding decades ago.

Walking into Lee's tiny restaurant feels like stepping into someone's living room. Vinyl-topped tables, potted plants, flock-patterned wallpaper, and framed black-and-white photos of Korean celebrities line the walls. The kitchen—visible through an open doorway—buzzes with activity: pans sizzle, a battered radio blares K-pop, and a massive steel vat holds clouds of fresh sundubu marinating in its own delicate liquid.

"We only use fresh seawater and top-quality soybeans," Lee explains, lifting the vat's lid. "We don't strain our sundubu. It must keep its soft texture."

The Ritual: How Sundubu Jjigae is Meant to Be Eaten

Lee gestures me toward a table and disappears into the kitchen. Minutes later, my lunch arrives: a piping-hot ceramic crock of spicy sundubu jjigae, bubbling and fragrant. The stew is flavored with gochujang, a pungent soybean paste locals call the "rice thief"—so delicious it compels you to eat far more than you planned.

The presentation is ceremony: sticky white rice, a raw egg cracked directly into the steaming broth, and an assortment of banchan (side dishes). Kimchi. Fried flatfish. Sprouted soybeans. Marinated peppers. Pickled radishes. Each bite combines silky tofu, umami tang, and a chilli kick that tingles on the palate.

By noon, the restaurant is chaos. Every table is full. A queue stretches out the door and onto the sand. Lee moves between tables with practiced efficiency, delivering bowls to eager customers who've traveled hours—sometimes from across South Korea—for this one meal.

"It's soul food," she tells me, between orders. "A taste of the old days, like grandmother made."

Planning Your Gangneung Sundubu Pilgrimage

How to Get There

The KTX connects Seoul to Gangneung in approximately two hours. Train tickets are available through Korean Rail Pass systems and major travel agencies.

Where to Eat

Oldtime Chodang Sundubu Restaurant (Geuyesnal Chodang Sundubu in Korean) sits at 57 Chodangsundubu-gil, on a street corner near the beach in Chodang-dong. Open for lunch and dinner.

Tour Option

InsideAsia offers a 12-night "Korea by Rail" tour starting from £3,455 per person, including train transport, bed-and-breakfast accommodation, a traditional hanok stay, and private guiding in Seoul, Gangneung, and Gyeongju.

Getting to Korea

Virgin Atlantic flies direct from Heathrow to Seoul's Incheon International Airport.

For more information: visitkorea.or.kr

Beyond the Bowl: What Else Gangneung Offers

While Chodang-dong's tofu restaurants are the draw, Gangneung itself rewards exploration. The east coast beaches stretch for miles. Anmok Beach has a "Cafe Street" where vendors sell sundubu-flavored gelato—a playful nod to the region's culinary obsession. The nearby historic home of Confucian scholar Yi I offers a glimpse into Korean intellectual tradition.

But truthfully? Most visitors come for one thing: the taste of centuries-old tradition served piping hot in a ceramic crock, made by hand by someone who learned the recipe from their grandmother.

That's the kind of pilgrimage worth booking a train ticket for.

Related Travel Guides

IRCTC's Game-Changing Rail Expansion: India's $20B Tourism Boom

8 European Rail-to-Trail Hikes You Can Start Tomorrow

Golden Line Metro: Delhi's Game-Changing South Expansion Redefines Urban Transit

Disclaimer: Travel plans should be verified with local tourism boards and restaurants before departure, as hours and availability may change seasonally. Always confirm train schedules with KTX directly or through authorized booking platforms.