Weekday evening reservation for motsu ramen at Mentsuru, Gwangjin

I was suddenly craving ramen today, so after wondering where to go, I ended up at Mentsuru, famous as a ramen spot. Turns out they have a ton of branches?! Doesn't that many branches mean the taste is basically guaranteed haha.

Location and parking near Children's Grand Park Station

📍 Location Right next to Children's Grand Park Station, so access is really easy 👍👍👍 Even if you're coming on foot, it's a spot you can reach without any trouble! One minute from the station!!!!

📍 Parking So what about people who bring a car?!!! The restaurant doesn't have its own lot, but there's a public parking lot right across the street, so you can park there. I was worried since I drove too, but since it's right across the street I parked easily and went in. I'll attach photos of the parking info haha.

How late is it open?

📍 Hours Open daily 11:00–23:00. It runs from lunchtime until late at night, so it's the perfect place to visit without worrying too much about timing. Last order is at 22:30, so keep that in mind!

Weekday 6pm reservation visit — any waiting?

Here's the exterior. Really clean and pretty, right? It's on a main street, so it catches your eye even just passing by. I made a reservation and visited on a weekday at 6pm, and even at that hour there were a lot of customers inside. If I hadn't reserved, I probably would've had to wait...💦

Open kitchen, solo seats, and tablet ordering

The kitchen I could see from my seat was an open kitchen, so watching the cooking happen let me eat with peace of mind *^^* There were a lot of customers so I couldn't get detailed interior shots, but as you can see in the photos, there are plenty of solo seats set up. A lot of people were there dining alone haha. Highly recommended for solo diners looking for a good solo-dining spot near Children's Grand Park Station!!

For ordering, there's a kiosk at the entrance and also an order pad at every table, which is great for introverts like me..🥹

What we ordered for two people

Here's a photo of the menu board. Take a look 🕺 I ordered

• 📍 Motsu ramen (beef offal ramen)
• 📍 Gyudon (beef rice bowl)
• 📍 Handmade chicken karaage

That's what we ordered. Usually people who come as a pair order two main dishes and one side dish~!

You can even set the spice level for motsu ramen, so people who can't handle spicy food like me can order without worry 👍

And you can't skip the review event!! Everyone should definitely take part and get a free drink or fried gyoza

While waiting for the food, I noticed the apron 😳 The apron is a must too!!

Here's the pepper and pickled radish set out at every table

The pickled radish has a yuzu flavor, so it goes perfectly with the ramen haha.

Handmade chicken karaage

The chicken karaage came out first!! It came with sauces too, which made it easy to eat. Chili sauce and mayo, plus something sprinkled on top I couldn't quite identify — but the chili sauce was my favorite.

Motsu ramen and gyudon

Next came the motsu ramen and gyudon!! Can you see the color?.....🥹 I fell for it just from looking at the color 🫶🏻 And they told us that if the ramen seasoning wasn't right or if we needed rice, to just say so. We were already so full from just this that we couldn't add rice.

Look at the amount of motsu ramen..👍 There's beef offal and meat inside so the broth is amazing, and the combo of beansprouts and noodles is no joke either..

The gyudon was my boyfriend's pick!! Can you see the steam coming off it. Freshly made gyudon is the best... My boyfriend demolished it the moment it arrived!!

Our verdict, split between the two of us

I enjoyed the motsu ramen more, and my boyfriend said he enjoyed the gyudon more. Mentsuru's ramen suits everyone's taste 👍👍 Highly recommend to anyone looking for good food around Children's Grand Park, and it also seems like a great spot for couples' dates.