Different menu on each floor at a City Hall ramen restaurant: Mentsuru

Today I went to Mentsuru City Hall Branch, a well-known ramen restaurant near Seoul City Hall.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch

How to walk to Mentsuru City Hall Branch from City Hall Station

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is about a 3-minute walk from City Hall Station Exit 10. Being so close to the subway station made it really easy to reach. Also, there's no break time, so you can eat there anytime even at an awkward hour.

Why the 1st floor and basement menus are different

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is split into two floors — 1F and basement. The menu you can order differs slightly by floor. For example, mazesoba can only be ordered in the basement! Worth checking beforehand, so take note.

On the 1st floor, there's a row of bar seats running along the kitchen

and there are also 2-top and 4-top tables

Each table has a bowl, water, and pickled radish already set up. You order via kiosk right when you walk in.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch menu and prices

▪️Mentsuru City Hall Branch 1F Menu▪️

• Shoyu ramen (signature) ₩11,000
• Spicy shoyu ramen (hangover ramen) ₩11,500
• Tori paitan (rich broth) ₩12,000
• Shio ramen (light broth) ₩11,000
• Motsu ramen (beef intestine ramen) ₩15,000
• Abura soba (oil-tossed noodles) ₩12,000
• Chilled hayashi tsukemen ₩12,000
• Tsukemen ₩13,000
• Gyudon (beef rice bowl) ₩11,000
• Chashu don (chashu rice bowl) ₩11,000
• Hormone-don (beef large intestine rice bowl) ₩15,000
• Handmade karaage ₩7,000
• Gyoza fry ₩5,000
• Mini rice bowl ₩4,000
• Takoyaki ₩5,000

There are also drinks and bottled beers of various kinds. Asahi draft beer comes in different sizes too. That was the 1F menu — now let me show you the basement menu at Mentsuru City Hall Branch!

▪️Mentsuru City Hall Branch Basement Menu▪️

• Tonkotsu ramen ₩11,000
• Spicy tonkotsu ramen ₩11,500
• Black katsuo ramen ₩12,000
• Motsu tonkotsu ramen ₩15,000
• Mazesoba ₩12,000
• Motsu soba ₩16,000

There's a Naver review event — join with the keywords below and you can get a free drink or gyoza fry, so make sure to take part and grab it!

There were quite a few celebrity signatures on the wall too? Definitely feels like a well-known spot near City Hall Station.

Motsu ramen, 15,000 won: a bowl loaded with beef intestines

We ordered motsu ramen ₩15,000 and hormone-don ₩15,000. Let me show you the ✔️motsu ramen first

True to its name, it comes piled high with beef intestines

Underneath is the red broth with bean sprouts, and green onions are piled on top

The amount of intestine was definitely generous. There was also a lot of beef short rib belly, which could feel a bit rich, but it went really well with the red broth

Plenty of beef short rib belly and overall the toppings were generous! It was spicy enough to be great as a hangover fix, and clean and hot in a good way

Hormone-don, 15,000 won: breaking the yolk into the rice

Next up is the ✔️hormone-don

It has flame-grilled beef large intestine, beef short rib belly, and an egg yolk

You pop the yolk and mix it in well. I mixed it a little Korean-style! There was a soy-based sauce with the rice that wasn't too strong, and it tasted amazing with the intestine piled on top. Overall it paired really well with the vegetables, so it wasn't greasy at all and stayed delicious until the last bite 😍

And since I wanted it a little spicier, I asked for Cheongyang chili peppers and got them right away! If you love spicy food, take note of this.

Is Mentsuru City Hall Branch good for solo dining?

I visited Mentsuru City Hall Branch today — with bar seating, it seemed like a good spot for solo dining, and overall the food was clean-tasting and the atmosphere was nice too. If you're looking for a solo meal or lunch near City Hall Station, I recommend Mentsuru City Hall Branch. Deoksugung Palace's night opening is running these days too, so it's perfect to see the pretty palace and then eat ramen. Strongly recommend Mentsuru as a restaurant near Deoksugung's night opening!!