Guwol-dong ramen: less-greasy jambon double & dongpo set, Menya Seoul

An honest review of Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch, a ramen spot in the basement of Lotte Department Store Incheon in Guwol-dong.

Where is Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch, and when is it open?

Menya Seoul (멘야서울) is on the B1 Food Avenue of Lotte Department Store Incheon, and it's open daily 10:30–20:00. Group seating, Wi-Fi, separate men's and women's restrooms, high chairs, a waiting area, mobile payment, parking and valet parking are all available.

Menya Seoul sits on the B1 Food Avenue of Lotte Department Store Incheon. It's a Japanese ramen shop whose signature is thick dongpo chashu, and lots of people love it because you can choose your broth, meat and more to suit your taste. The address is B1, 35 Yeonnam-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, South Korea. I've attached a map for anyone who isn't sure where it is :)

For parking, use the underground or above-ground lots of Lotte Department Store Incheon. Free parking time depends on how much you spend, so keep that in mind! And if you park, you must register your car!

You might think Menya Seoul only sells hot ramen, but they've launched new summer menu items: prawn cold ramen and mazesoba (brothless mixed noodles). If you want to try cold ramen or mazesoba, definitely stop by ❤

How do ordering and seating work at Menya Seoul Incheon?

At Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch, you grab a seat first, then order and get a buzzer. When it rings, you pick up your food at the pickup counter. When you're done, put your bowl on Menya Seoul's return shelf.

This is the inside of the shop. It runs on that tidy, orderly food court system, so it seemed good for eating alone, and also for a light but filling meal before or after shopping. There were about 10 seats, but even if they're full you can use the food court seats, so no worries!! (The shop was really neat and clean.)

When the buzzer rings, pick up your food at the pickup counter, and return your dishes at Menya Seoul's return shelf.

Menya Seoul's menu: choose your meat, then your broth

This is the menu at Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch. For the meat on your ramen you can choose from dongpo, jambon (cured ham), lamb skewer meat and more, and for the broth you can choose mild, spicy or mala (numbing-spicy).

I think it's even more popular because you can pick the broth flavor on top of the meat! You can order ramen on its own, but there are also set menus at a discounted price, so if you want to try a bit of everything, I recommend ordering a set!! (For the side, choose karaage, gyoza or a rice bowl.)

There's a good range of drinks too, plus the new summer menu, so enjoy whatever suits you! For the country of origin of ingredients at Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch, please see the photo above :)

Menya Seoul was running a review event: if you leave a Naver receipt review, they add an ajitama (marinated soft-boiled egg) aged over 48 hours for free. If you like ajitama, leave a review and get the freebie 🙏

Ordered, and now waiting for my ramen at my seat! 🙄

These are the lemon kelp vinegar and rayu (chili oil) sauce set out at every seat. Adjust the sauces to your own taste and enjoy~ 😊

How does Menya Seoul's jambon double (₩12,900) taste?

The jambon double single bowl is ₩12,900 with double the jambon, and I ordered it with the mild broth. Menya Seoul's jambon chashu ramen is a different style from the dongpo ramen, and its key points were a clean finish and less greasiness.

The jambon chashu ramen, with its appealing flavor and cleanness, comes with jambon, half an ajitama and chopped green onion. Unlike the sweet-salty Japanese-style chashu, the jambon is low in fat and light, with a salty, savory depth of real meat, so maybe that's why the broth tasted really clean and finished fresh~ Tonkotsu ramen often gets heavy as you go, but the jambon chashu ramen was definitely less greasy and had a really clean finish, which I liked.

The jambon slices were large but thinly cut, so when you roll them up they're a perfect one-bite size! The jambon double came with about 5 slices, which was really nice to eat alongside the ramen. If you want a ramen with clean, refreshing broth, I recommend the jambon ramen 💛

The side dishes were danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and something like ugeoji kimchi (dried cabbage-leaf kimchi)? They go well with ramen, so I enjoyed the meal even more~ The danmuji was nice and crunchy too 😊

How was Menya Seoul's dongpo ramen set (₩17,900)?

The dongpo ramen set is ₩17,900, and I ordered it with the mild broth. If you've come to Menya Seoul, you have to get the dongpo ramen, right?! True to long-cooked dongpo, this ramen had a hearty, direct pork flavor that left an impression 👍

Besides the dongpo, the ramen comes with half an ajitama, bean sprouts, wakame (seaweed), garlic and green onion, so maybe that's why the broth was really deep and clean, and with so many toppings the texture was great to chew too.

The noodles are good on their own, but eating them with the wakame, green onion and sprouts tones down the richness nicely and adds a crunchy texture, so give it a try!

Is Menya Seoul's thick dongpo pork hard to chew?

As you can tell from the photo, the dongpo is a big, thick piece, so I worried it would be hard to chew, but I wonder why I even worried, because it crumbled softly in my mouth!! And the soy-based seasoning had soaked in deeply, so the more I chewed, the better the flavor got.

It felt less like a topping on ramen and more like a side I'd ordered separately, it was that big, which made me even happier. Made from pork belly, the lean part melted softly in my mouth and the skin had its own chewy texture.

They say the ajitama is also aged over 48 hours in a special sauce, and maybe that's why? It was slightly salty and the yolk mashed softly, so I enjoyed it haha

Finishing the mild broth with rayu chili oil

After enjoying the clear broth, I had to finish it slightly spicy with rayu!! Before the rayu, the broth was deep, clean, rich and nutty, but once I added the sauce it wasn't just heat: the chili flavor and oil mixed in and made the broth's savoriness even deeper!! If you usually like spicy, kick-in-the-throat broth, definitely add the rayu 👍

How is the side gyoza at Menya Seoul Incheon?

This is the gyoza I ordered as my set side! Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch's gyoza has an impressively crisp, nutty texture, like a cracker~~🥟

It's pork-based and packed with chives and vegetables, and with so much meat, the savory juices spread through my mouth as I chewed. The quality was high enough that you could call it a gyoza specialist! The soy sauce is already brushed on, so you can eat it without dipping in anything.. this place is a gyoza place, isn't it 🙄

Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch: final verdict

You can try a range of ramen here: the thin, light jambon ramen, the crisp-outside, juicy-inside gyoza, and the dongpo ramen with its hearty, sweet-salty seasoning soaked deep in. If you like ramen, definitely visit Menya Seoul Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch!!