Comparing spicy shoyu ramen, gyudon and hormone-don: Mentsuru Gwangjin

Basic info for Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch

• Address: 394 Gwangnaru-ro, 1st floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00 / Last order 22:30
• Parking: None
• High chair: Available

Getting there from Children's Grand Park Station and the store vibe

This time I visited Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch on Gwangnaru-ro in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. It's close enough to Children's Grand Park Station that it was easy to reach when looking for somewhere to eat nearby.

When you have plans around Children's Grand Park or Konkuk and start looking for a place to eat, picking a menu can be surprisingly tricky — but here they have rice bowls and side dishes alongside ramen, so it was easy to pick out a few different things. If you're specifically hunting for good ramen near Children's Grand Park, I think this is worth a stop.

Walking in, my first impression was how clean and tidy everything looked. It had that distinct Japanese ramen shop feel without being cramped or stuffy, so it was easy to just focus on the food.

The seating works fine for eating alone, but the atmosphere is also comfortable enough for two, so it seemed suited to solo meals, meals with friends, or dates alike. Food actually came out pretty quickly while I was there, which gave the impression that turnover is fast too.

So during busy times like lunch hour, this doesn't feel like a place where you sit around waiting a long time — it's more the kind of place to eat quickly and move on to your next plan. If you're looking for a lunch spot for a Konkuk date, it seems well suited to those days when you just want a comfortable bowl of ramen without anything too heavy or formal before heading off somewhere.

From ramen to rice bowls, what's on the menu?

Mentsuru centers on ramen but also serves a range of other Japanese dishes. Beyond the basic shoyu ramen and shio ramen, there's rich chicken-broth tori paitan, motsu ramen with beef tripe, oil-based abura soba, and more, giving the ramen lineup real variety.

Alongside the ramen there are rice bowls like gyudon (beef rice bowl) and hormone-don (grilled beef offal rice bowl), so you can choose between a soup dish or a rice dish depending on your mood. Sides like handmade karaage (Japanese fried chicken), chicken skin gyoza, and takoyaki round things out nicely as accompaniments to a main. The published menu also lists shoyu ramen, shio ramen, tori paitan, motsu ramen, abura soba, gyudon, and hormone-don.

It's nice that a ramen lover and a rice bowl lover can visit together without much menu debate. If you're going with a group, it could be fun to order different dishes and share.

What I ordered: spicy shoyu ramen + gyudon + hormone-don

This time I ordered spicy shoyu ramen along with gyudon and hormone-don. Getting one ramen and two rice bowls together let me compare the flavors across dishes, which was fun.

Pickled radish (danmuji) came out as the default side, which was nice to snack on between bites of ramen or rice bowl. The overall menu is simple, so the wait wasn't long and I could start eating quickly.

Basic side dish: pickled radish

Spicy shoyu ramen, a clean flavor from clam and chicken broth

First, given the name, I expected the spicy shoyu ramen to hit hard with heat, but what stood out to me instead was how clean and light it tasted rather than being all about spice. Built on a clam and chicken broth, the soup didn't feel heavy at all and was easy to eat cleanly.

It had that classic soy-sauce-based shoyu flavor blended with the savoriness of clam and chicken broth, so the soup itself never felt like too much. The added spice kept it from tasting flat and gave it a subtle kick, which had me spooning up the broth again and again.

Gyudon with beef belly in a special sauce

Gyudon is a beef rice bowl made with beef belly (usamgyeopsal) tossed in a special sauce. It offered a different feeling from ramen — rice and meat together for a filling meal, well suited to when you want something hearty. The sauce complemented the meat well and seasoned the rice nicely when eaten together.

Hormone-don, two textures from beef intestine and beef belly

Hormone-don was personally the most fun bowl in terms of composition. Beef intestine (daechang) sits on top, with beef belly underneath, so a single bowl lets you enjoy two different meat textures at once. The sauce in particular was delicious, giving a real depth of savory flavor when eaten with the rice.

The nutty richness of the beef intestine and the softer feel of the beef belly were different enough from each other that even within one rice bowl, it was fun to eat. If just ramen feels like it's not quite enough, I'd say it's worth adding a rice bowl to the order.

Impressions after trying all three bowls together

Overall the food felt clean, making for an easy, no-fuss meal. The spicy shoyu ramen balanced heat and a light broth nicely, while the gyudon and hormone-don delivered a heartier flavor in a different direction from the ramen.

Trying all three together, each dish had a clear identity of its own, which made me glad I ordered a variety. It felt like an advantage that both ramen lovers and people who prefer rice dishes have plenty of options here.

Food also came out relatively quickly while I ate, giving an overall impression of fast turnover. It seems like a solid choice for office workers or students without much time at lunch, and also works well as a Konkuk lunch date spot before heading off to explore Children's Grand Park or the Konkuk area afterward.

It's the kind of place that comes to mind when you want a simple but filling meal of ramen or rice bowls in a clean setting. It should suit anyone hunting for good ramen near Children's Grand Park, and also works well on days when you're looking for Konkuk restaurants but craving ramen specifically.

Overall review

• The overall clean atmosphere made for a comfortable meal.
• The spicy shoyu ramen stood out for its light, clean flavor from clam and chicken broth.
• The gyudon worked well with its special sauce paired with beef belly.
• The hormone-don was satisfying, letting you try beef intestine and beef belly together.
• Food came out relatively fast, making it convenient for a lunch spot.
• A solid option for anyone looking for good ramen near Children's Grand Park or restaurants near Konkuk.
• A good location for a light Konkuk lunch date followed by a walk around the area.

Overall it was a place where I could enjoy ramen and rice bowls together in a clean setting, and I think it'll come to mind again next time I'm near Children's Grand Park or Konkuk.