Baby-friendly ramen restaurant in Hanam Misa with mini tonkatsu: Menji

The weather's been absolutely gorgeous lately, right? Clear blue skies and cool breezes keep making me want to get outside. So over the weekend, my husband, our 26-month-old, and I headed out to Misa Lake Park, our family's favorite walking spot 🌿✨

Today's lunch spot was Menji, already word-of-mouth famous as THE ramen restaurant to visit in Hanam Misa. I got to visit through a sponsored campaign, but by the time we finished eating, my husband and I were both saying at the same time, "Why does this place even need sponsored visits? It's already packed with customers and genuinely amazing?"

From the mysterious entrance hidden inside a bakery to the deep, rich chicken broth — let me walk you through this perfect Hanam ramen visit in detail!

Menji Hanam Misa Branch in three lines

• A secret space inside a bakery & lake park view: you walk through a bakery to reach the entrance! Inside is full of Japanese ambience, with a lush green park view through the windows 🌿
• Rich chicken broth and melt-in-your-mouth sous vide chicken: this is proper Japanese-style ramen, with deep chicken broth and tender sous vide chicken breast that just slides right down 🍜
• A thoughtful spot to bring a baby: sturdy baby chairs as standard, and hair ties for moms too! The mini tonkatsu our baby devoured was also top-notch 👶

Menji Hanam Misa Branch: location, hours and parking

Menji Hanam Misa Branch is located at 36 Misagangbyeon-ro 30beon-an-gil, 1st Floor, Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, and is open 11:00 – 20:30.

Parking note: the parking space in front of the restaurant is a bit limited. But if you call ahead or ask right after you arrive, the owner will kindly guide you on where to park, so don't worry too much about it! 🚗

A ramen restaurant inside a bakery? Finding Menji's hidden entrance

Menji Hanam Misa Branch has this structure where you walk into a bakery in the storefront, and inside there's yet another door. The path to the restaurant was really unusual and fun! At first you might think, "Is this the right place? Did I take a wrong turn?" but just walk in confidently.

The moment you open the door and step inside, the atmosphere completely changes! Quiet Japanese music plays, and the wood-toned interior paired with cute little lights made me feel like I'd flown to an actual restaurant in Japan.

We went during lunchtime, and the place was packed with a really diverse mix of customers — couples on dates, people dining solo, and families with kids like us.

We nearly had to wait, but luckily a table right in front of us opened up, so we got seated at a 4-person table right away.

Most of all, the lush green view of Misa Lake Park through the wide open windows made the food taste even better!

Is Menji good with a baby? Baby chairs and hair ties

Menji Hanam Misa Branch has plenty of sturdy baby chairs ready, so we could eat comfortably even with our 26-month-old. Whether there's a baby chair is the first thing I check when dining out with a baby!

As we sat down and looked at the table setting, every little detail — the cute pepper shaker, the tableware — was so pretty. And I was genuinely touched by the owner's thoughtfulness of providing hair ties, so your hair doesn't dip into the broth while eating ramen ✨ These small touches are exactly what makes this a real Hanam Misa ramen restaurant.

Menji's house-made fresh noodles and sous vide chicken

To eat well, we ordered Menji's rice+ramen set, chicken karaage, and a mini tonkatsu for our baby.

I took a spoonful of the ramen broth first — the deeply extracted broth had such rich, deep flavor and umami filling my mouth, it really hit the spot!

The noodles too, made with Menji's own house-made noodle technique, had a distinctive texture. Chewy and springy with every bite, letting you really feel the charm unique to fresh noodles.

The chicken topping in particular was a work of art! Cooked slowly using the sous vide method, it had zero dryness and practically melted in your mouth without needing to chew 😋

Even the soft-boiled egg, fully soaked in broth, was perfect, so I finished off the soup completely.

The mentaiko (pollock roe) rice we ordered with the set was salty and savory, with an addictive umami that kept my spoon going even after I was full 🍚

Mini tonkatsu and chicken karaage our toddler cleaned the plate of

Ordering Menji's mini tonkatsu for our 26-month-old, our household's resident "tonkatsu ghost," was absolutely the right call. Crispy outside, moist inside — our baby held it with both hands and wiped it out completely. When a baby eats this well, there's nothing more parents could ask for 👍

And Menji's karaage quality was also exceptional. A lot of places skimp with thick batter and little meat, but here the chicken thigh meat was genuinely packed in and substantial!

The sweet-savory, umami seasoning was so well absorbed that juice burst out with every bite.

It kept us coming back for more, and toward the end, my husband and I half-jokingly played a staring contest over the last remaining piece 🤣

What fell short at Menji, and tips before you go

The only drawback of Menji Hanam Misa Branch is that its own parking space in front is a bit limited. But since the owner kindly guides you to alternative parking, I'd recommend calling ahead before you arrive!

Also, waits happen frequently during lunch and dinner peak hours, so if you avoid peak time slightly, you'll be able to enjoy your meal more comfortably while taking in that lush green lake park view.

Frequently asked questions about Menji Hanam Misa Branch

Is Menji good for solo dining or a date?

Yes! There's bar (dachi) counter seating too, and the atmosphere is cute and pretty, so I'd strongly recommend it for solo diners as well as couples on dates.

Is Menji's entrance hard to find?

From outside, you'll see the bakery sign first, which might throw you off. Don't be alarmed — just walk confidently into the bakery, and you'll find the hidden ramen restaurant entrance inside!

Final verdict on Menji Hanam Misa Branch

Beyond just being a sponsored visit, this was genuinely one of the most satisfying and filling meals my husband and I have had recently — hands down one of our recent favorites!

The deep, rich ramen broth, the tender sous vide chicken, and the karaage packed with meat — I'm still thinking about them even as I write this post 🌿

With cozy Japanese ambience, a gorgeous open park view, and kind service all coming together perfectly, we're definitely planning to come back on our own dime next time we walk around Misa Lake Park. If you're looking for a Hanam ramen restaurant with a great atmosphere and great food, definitely check out Menji! Genuinely recommend it!