Hakata tonkotsu ramen solo dining in Yeonnam-dong: Shomendo

📍24-2 Donggyo-ro 46-gil, 1F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea 📍Tue–Sun 11:30 - 20:30 (15:00 - 17:00 break time) (20:00 last order) 📍Closed every Monday

I visited Shomendo, a ramen spot in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu! Ramen is one of those foods I crave regularly, so I went looking for a place doing proper Japanese-style tonkotsu ramen in Yeonnam-dong again 🙌🏻

What's the interior like?

The interior overall was really clean — wood-tone decor, and the open kitchen with full glass made it feel even more comfortable. Shomendo's seating looked really well suited to eating alone, so I'd recommend it to solo diners too.

How to order

You order from the kiosk you see right as you walk in — each table has a number, so pick a seat, check your table number, and order from there.

Maybe because they use domestic meat, but the broth and meat in the ramen are genuinely delicious. You can trust and eat this!!

The self-service zone has aprons ready, plus toothpicks and disposable mouthwash for after the meal!

Each table has self-serve basic side dishes you can help yourself to — spicy kimchi and pickled radish are there. For Koreans, those are a must with ramen, right?!

Review event and a pro tip

Shomendo is currently running an event where writing a review gets you one free canned drink, so try joining in! And don't forget the tip for enjoying tonkotsu at its best — make sure to check this while you eat: definitely add garlic halfway through!!!

My food arrived! Shomendo has these three menu items, and I ordered all of them. The ramen overall was Fukuoka-style — a Hakata tonkotsu combination of rich pork bone broth, chashu, thin noodles, and green onion!

Shrimp tonkotsu

Price: ₩12,000 Rich tonkotsu soup with a vivid shrimp flavor

This shrimp tonkotsu is genuinely delicious — the broth is thick and really rich. They use thin, firm noodles that go really well with the broth! As I mentioned in the tip above, add garlic to this ramen halfway through too and it gets doubly delicious — Koreans, don't forget the garlic no matter what!!

Hakata tonkotsu ramen

Price: ₩11,000 Straight thin noodles. Rich, smooth tonkotsu broth — Shomendo's signature

The fat, collagen, and marrow that melted out of the pork bones seem to be exactly what gives this broth its proper white, thick color. It has a savory, rich, and moderately salty flavor.

True to its status as Shomendo's signature menu, this feels like the textbook version of tonkotsu ramen. The ramen is delicious, the chashu is genuinely tender, and the soft-boiled egg is really good too. You absolutely have to mix rice into this broth!

Handmade gyoza

Price: ₩5,000 Half vegetable stock, half meat juice — Shomendo's handmade gyoza

It would be a shame to skip the gyoza (dumplings), right? The juices really gush out with the first bite, so be careful when you eat these. The meat flavor inside the gyoza was great too!

Extra rice and free kaedama

If you have leftover broth after finishing the ramen, ask for rice and the owner gives you a really generous amount. Eating it this way, my stomach was completely full.

Free noodle refills too..! Great news for big eaters. They practice the kaedama culture of adding extra noodles (owner, you're the best, the best). It was so delicious I think I'll come back again — the owner even gave us candy for dessert as a service, was so kind, and the food was so good that we left happy.

Recommended for

• Anyone looking for a good tonkotsu ramen spot in Hongdae
• Anyone looking for a good solo dining spot in Yeonnam-dong
• Anyone who wants to feel satisfyingly full with just one clean bowl of ramen
• Anyone looking for a ramen shop with Japanese vibes

I recommend Shomendo 🍜