Ramen near Deoksugung, Seoul: shoyu ramen and gyudon at Mentsuru
In short
Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a Japanese ramen restaurant near Exit 10 of City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, a 7-minute walk from Deoksugung Palace. On a monsoon-season evening I ordered shoyu ramen, gyudon (beef rice bowl) and fried gyoza from the ground-floor kiosk, where the first floor covers chicken-broth ramen and the basement kiosk handles tonkotsu ramen. With last order at 21:00, Mentsuru is an easy solo dinner before or after a night-opening walk around Deoksugung.
Good to know
- Location
- 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1F Unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul (near City Hall Station Exit 10)
- Distance to Deoksugung
- About 7 minutes on foot
- Hours
- Daily 11:00–21:30, last order 21:00, open year-round
- Ordering
- Kiosk (1st floor: chicken-broth ramen; basement entrance kiosk: tonkotsu ramen)
- Seating
- Two floors, 1st floor and basement, with bar seats facing the open kitchen and window seats
- Ordered
- Shoyu ramen, gyudon (beef rice bowl), fried gyoza
- Fried gyoza
- Free with a Naver receipt review
as written by the visitor on Sep 3, 2026
It was one of those rainy monsoon-season evenings where even carrying an umbrella didn't stop my clothes from getting soaked, and all I could think about was a hot bowl of ramen. So I headed to a spot known as a favorite lunch (and dinner) spot for office workers near City Hall Station: Mentsuru City Hall Branch.
How far is Mentsuru from Deoksugung Palace?
Mentsuru City Hall Branch is only a 7-minute walk from Deoksugung Palace. And since they take orders until 9pm, it seemed like a great spot to stop by before or after an evening stroll!
Walking over, I realized just how close it actually was to Deoksugung — only 7 minutes on foot! The evenings have been getting cooler lately too, haha 🥹 And Deoksugung's night opening season is coming up soon, right? The restaurant sits right on a main street with a clean, simple sign, so it caught my eye even just passing by.
Chicken broth upstairs, tonkotsu downstairs: a kiosk on each floor
At Mentsuru City Hall Branch, you order at a kiosk right when you walk in, and the menu photos are clear enough that even first-timers won't get lost ordering. Beyond the many ramen varieties, there were also rice bowls and sides that looked great to mix and match!
One unusual thing: the kiosk on the first floor only has chicken-broth-based ramen menus, while the kiosk on the way down to the basement seating lets you choose pork-broth-based tonkotsu ramen!! I couldn't believe there were this many kinds of ramen to choose from....! If you want tonkotsu ramen, just order at the basement kiosk!!
Bar seats full on a Monday evening, so a window seat at Mentsuru
Mentsuru City Hall Branch runs across two floors — the first floor and the basement — so there was a decent amount of seating overall. We wanted to sit at the bar seats facing the open kitchen for more of that authentic Japanese ramen shop feel, but since we visited on a Monday evening, those seats were completely full... ㅠㅠ So we were seated by the window instead. (I managed to snap this photo on our way out when there happened to be fewer people around!)
Since Mentsuru City Hall Branch draws a lot of office workers, little thoughtful touches stood out everywhere. Right when you walk in, there's a small waiting area on the right, cute little props hidden here and there, and even an apron displayed in plain sight! It was exactly the kind of place that would win Mori's heart >< The food didn't take long to come out, and it arrived nice and hot!
Shoyu ramen and gyudon: the combo I finished to the last drop
Ttwiri ordered the restaurant's signature shoyu ramen, and Mori wanted rice so ordered the gyudon (beef rice bowl). The soy-sauce-based broth was clean yet packed with umami, topped generously with thick slices of chashu (braised pork belly) — doesn't it look delicious?? It wasn't salty at all, just subtly flavorful, so we finished the broth completely.
Mori's choice of gyudon turned out to be a great pick too. Sweet-savory stir-fried beef and onions topped with a soft-boiled egg you pop and mix through — the bowl of rice disappeared in no time. I've had plenty of overly salty gyudon before, but Mentsuru's version had no saltiness or greasiness, just a combination that kept the chopsticks moving.
Fried gyoza free with a Naver receipt review
Last but not least, the fried gyoza can't be skipped. It's given free when you participate in a Naver receipt review, so definitely take part and try it!!! Highly recommend!!
Crispy fried dumplings topped with a sprinkle of scallions and red pepper flakes — salty enough to work as a drinking snack too. Crispy outside, juicy and full of flavor inside, it paired perfectly as a side to the ramen.
Why Mentsuru works for solo ramen near City Hall Station
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mentsuru is such an easy, low-pressure pick for solo dining near City Hall Station! Whether you're hungry after a walk around Deoksugung, want a light bowl by yourself after work, or a foreign friend asks for an accessible spot to eat in Seoul?? I'd recommend Mentsuru City Hall Branch confidently and wholeheartedly!
- 📍 Location: 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1F Unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul (near City Hall Station Exit 10)
- 🕚 Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30 (last order 21:00, open year-round)
Where it is
2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1F Unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 중구 서소문로11길 2 1층 1호
