Two-bowl ramen tasting in Gwangjin: shoyu and motsu at Mentsuru

Looking for a clean, satisfying bowl of ramen to eat solo near Children's Grand Park? Today I'm introducing Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, a great spot to visit whenever you're craving ramen around Children's Grand Park Station.

I usually love ramen and enjoy trying all kinds of it, so this time I ordered the standard shoyu ramen along with the slightly more unusual motsu ramen to compare them side by side.

Bottom line first: the two menus had clearly different appeal, so it was easy to pick depending on your mood.

Where is Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, and when is it open?

📍 Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch

• Address: 394 Gwangnaru-ro, 1st floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Location: About 1 minute on foot from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station
• Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00
• Last order: 22:30

It's really close to the station, so it's convenient whether you're stopping in after a trip to Children's Grand Park or coming over from the Konkuk University area for a meal.

Bar seats for solo diners — and a full house even at late lunch

Inside Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch there's bar-style seating great for eating alone, plus tables for 2–4, so it looked good whether you're visiting solo or with friends or a partner. Even during a late lunch hour it was completely packed with university students...

Some ramen shops can feel a bit awkward to visit alone, but this place had a comfortable atmosphere where solo diners could eat with ease, which I liked.

Shoyu ramen: a light, clean soy-sauce broth

🍜 Shoyu ramen

The first dish I ordered was the shoyu ramen. If you like clean, light ramen, this was the safest, most reliable choice. Being a soy-sauce-based broth, it doesn't hit you with a strong flavor right away — overall it felt clean with a subtle, lingering savoriness.

Especially since the broth wasn't too heavy, eating it together with the noodles felt light and easy. Sometimes with ramen the broth gets too salty or greasy and you get a bit tired of it halfway through, but the shoyu ramen was relatively light, so I could eat comfortably all the way to the end.

So if you're visiting for the first time and unsure what to order, I think starting with the shoyu ramen is a solid choice. It'll suit people who prefer a clean broth over something more intense.

Motsu ramen: spicy broth with beef tripe and sliced beef belly

🔥 Motsu ramen

And the dish that personally caught my eye more on this visit was the motsu ramen! Motsu ramen is a spicy ramen loaded with beef tripe and beef short rib, and it definitely felt different from a typical ramen. The portion itself was quite generous, so it felt filling as a full meal. The broth was spicy-style, giving it a much stronger presence of flavor than the shoyu ramen.

Above all, the tripe's distinctive savory, chewy texture paired really well with the ramen. If you like tripe, being able to enjoy ramen and tripe together felt like a pretty appealing combo. Eating a bit of tripe between bites of noodles changed up the texture too, so it never felt boring all the way through.

If, like me, you want something a bit more special than plain ramen, I'd recommend the motsu ramen.

Shoyu ramen or motsu ramen — which bowl should you order?

🍜 So which one would I recommend? Comparing the two side by side, the preferences split pretty clearly.

• If you like a clean, light broth 👉 Shoyu ramen
• If you like a spicy broth and the savory taste of tripe 👉 Motsu ramen

For a first visit, I'd suggest shoyu ramen if you want to experience the classic flavor, and motsu ramen if you want something hearty and rich.

There's also a range of other ramen options like tori paitan, abura soba, and shio ramen, plus sides like rice bowls, karaage, and gyoza, so you can pick according to your taste.

Looking for ramen near Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin?

✨ Visiting this time, I felt Mentsuru is a pretty comfortable place to visit whether you're eating solo or with friends or a partner.

(The yuzu pickled radish was delicious too 💛)

Its biggest advantage is definitely being close to Children's Grand Park Station! If you're strolling around Children's Grand Park or looking for a hearty meal after a date around Konkuk University, the location works well with that route.

This time I tried the shoyu ramen and motsu ramen, and now I want to try the other ramen options one by one next time.

If you're craving a clean bowl of ramen near Children's Grand Park, give it a try. If you're looking for a ramen restaurant near Children's Grand Park, Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch was a solid meal option — close to the station and offering a variety of ramen menus to choose from.

After the meal, I also stopped by Aila Cafe, a study café near the intersection below Achasan Station :)