8pm last table motsu ramen near City Hall Station, Seoul: Mentsuru

There are so many office workers around City Hall that there's no shortage of lunch spots either. Office workers can be surprisingly picky eaters, so if they give a place a thumbs up, it's usually worth trusting. My sister happens to be one of those City Hall office workers, so today we went to a ramen place she swears is a must-try.

Is there a wait at Mentsuru City Hall Branch on a weekday evening?

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a ramen restaurant on Seosomun-ro 11-gil in Jung-gu, Seoul. We went at 8pm on a weekday and got seated at the last open table with no wait at all. My sister, who works around City Hall Station, says at lunchtime there's always a line — not a spare inch of room.

According to my sister, this office-worker favorite gets so packed at lunch that waiting is basically mandatory. That's how determined workers are to get a good lunch after a tough morning, haha!

But in the evening, the wait wasn't as bad as I expected. We showed up around 8pm, got the last remaining table, and then the crowd cleared out fast. Makes sense given it mostly caters to workers around City Hall.

Lunch is fiercely competitive, but the quieter dinner scene was honestly a plus. The vibe and lighting felt just right for ramen with a drink. There's also a bar table, which looked great for solo drinking.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch location and opening hours

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is located at 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1st floor, Unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:30, with last order at 21:00.

• Address: 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1st floor, Unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Group seating, reservations, takeout, Wi-Fi, waiting area
• Mon-Sun 11:00-21:30 / last order 21:00

As expected, there were plenty of solo diners eating and going. Ordering is done via kiosk, and seeing the staff hustling around gave me a bit of an energy boost while eating, haha.

What we ordered at Mentsuru City Hall Branch

At Mentsuru City Hall, we ordered the two dishes my sister recommends most: motsu ramen (beef intestine ramen) and tori paitan. One had a slightly spicy red broth, the other a mild, savory white broth. I was curious to finally taste the ramen spot she'd only ever described to me.

Motsu ramen (beef intestine ramen), the best bowl here

The broth color makes Mentsuru's motsu ramen look spicy, but honestly it barely reaches medium heat. It had been a while since I'd had beef intestine ramen, and the mild, level-1 spiciness paired really well with the tender beef intestine.

There's a generous amount of beef intestine packed in. With a faint smoky char and a piece of intestine in every bite — pure gold.

Tori paitan with rich chicken broth, 12,000 won

The tori paitan is 12,000 won — a white-broth ramen made with a rich chicken stock. The restaurant has a few standout dishes, and my sister said this is what she orders whenever she's not in the mood for spicy.

The flavor is surprisingly deep. I'm usually the type who can't finish a white broth because it feels too heavy, but this one went down smoothly the whole way through, probably thanks to that umami depth. It felt clean rather than greasy, which made me glad we ordered it.

The noodles aren't super chewy, but they have a bouncy quality that gives them a really distinct texture. They also soak up plenty of the rich broth, so the noodles alone felt well-seasoned.

The perfectly boiled egg and juicy meat toppings worked so well together. Now I get why my sister praised this place so much. Now I'm curious about the other menu items too. If you love ramen, this office-worker favorite near City Hall Station is definitely worth a visit :)