July 15, 2025

Joodooboo is a cool name for a deli. What is even more intriguing is that their specialty is tofu. Not just any tofu, but tofu that’s hand-made daily from scratch using organic soybeans. When I was little, I saw my mom make soymilk once by laboriously squeezing liquid out of fresh soybeans through a cheesecloth, so I have a lot of respect for anyone who is passionate enough about food to commit such intense energy to making fresh soy anything. To add to my fascination, the tofu is made by chef/owner Steve Joo. Chef Joo spent time in Korea studying how to craft it. I read that unlike most commercial tofu, which is pressed, he gently molds his tofu in metal trays, the traditional Korean way.      

There is no meat on the menu so I hesitated to suggest going to Joodooboo. It is a hyper-focused seasonal vegetarian Korean deli with its only seating being a few tables and a counter. As a life-long people pleaser, I almost wanted to sneak away to Berkeley by myself to try Joodooboo instead of subjecting Grant and Sean to a meatless meal. But since trying restaurants together has been our thing as a family to do (replacing K-dramas and playing Scrabble), I felt the right thing to do was give them a choice.

“Sure, let’s go,” was their response when I told them about JooDooBoo. It was easier than I thought to convince them. We all got into our Subaru on a Thursday night and drove against rush hour traffic to get tofu. I assured them that if they were still hungry after we ate at JooDooBoo, we would go get ramen.      

When we arrived, Sean googled and found dooboo is the Korean word for tofu. Thus, the deli’s name is a clever title for Chef Joo’s business venture. We ordered the Fried Dooboo set for me ($22), the Farmer’s Bowl for Sean ($19), the Nori Acorn Noodle Bowl for Grant ($19), the 4-pack banchan for us to share ($13.50), and a 12-ounce block of dooboo to take home. Grant thought the prices were a bit steep for tofu, rice, vegetables, and noodles, even if the Farmer’s Bowl and Acorn Noodle Bowl came with an egg.

But when he saw my elaborate fried dooboo set with sauce drizzled over crispy tofu, chilled tomato soup decked with cucumbers and edible flowers, fresh salad, two banchans (one corn and greens mixture and the other pickled pink radishes with green tomatoes), bright nectarine nestled in a dainty bowl, and seasoned rice, his tune changed. He was as enamored by Chef Joo’s creations as I was.

Grant’s acorn noodles came out with a medium-boiled egg sliced in half, pickled cucumbers and greens, and a raw square block of dooboo.

Sean’s Farmer’s Bowl contained fermented butter beans, salad greens, and a fried egg on top of fluffy seasoned rice.

The 4-pack banchan used top quality produce from local farms. We got pickled cucumbers and red bell peppers in one tapas bowl, broccoli and pumpkin seed in another, eggplant and kale in the third bowl, and butter beans, tomatoes, and green beans mixture in the fourth.

After the meal, Grant declared that it was the best vegetarian meal he had ever had in his life. Grant rarely hands out such a generous compliment for vegetables and tofu. I have to say it’s definitely up there on my top ten vegetarian meals. My fried dooboo set was incredible but I also enjoyed Grant’s raw tofu with acorn noodles. I’m a huge fan of tofu, but this dooboo was unlike any tofu I’ve had before. It was fresh, pillowy-soft in the center, flavorful, and creamy. I could eat it raw every day straight from the fridge. I can’t say that about any other tofu.

Where has this place been all my life? Who knew that dooboo and banchan could be exciting, taste good, and be this satisfying! It was so filling, there was no need for us to go eat ramen. Luckily, Sean is a Berkeley student. I’m hoping he will be willing to grab a block of Joodooboo’s fresh tofu and some containers of banchan every week on his way home when Cal opens for the Fall 2025 semester.

Note from Sean: He’s willing!!! That tofu was awesome.