Exit 10 ramen restaurant in Seoul: Mentsuru tori paitan and karaage

At Mentsuru, a City Hall Station favorite among office workers during lunch hour, I had the rich and savory tori paitan and the spicy motsu ramen loaded with beef tripe and beef brisket.

This is a place I'd recommend for solo dining near City Hall Station. It's all single-bowl dishes, so turnover is fast and the portions are filling — a Japanese ramen restaurant that a lot of nearby office workers come to for lunch.

How to get to Mentsuru City Hall Branch: 1 minute from City Hall Station Exit 10

Come out of City Hall Station Exit 10 and walk straight for about a minute — Mentsuru City Hall Branch is on your right. If you're coming from a date around Deoksugung Palace or Jeongdong-gil, just head down toward the Seoul Museum of Art and past Baejae University.

• Hours / Daily 11:00–21:30, last order 21:00
• Address / 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1F Unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Inside Mentsuru City Hall Branch: is it comfortable to eat alone at the bar?

You get that classic Japanese ramen shop feel at the bar table, and seeing the broth boiling away in the back gives you that instant this-is-going-to-be-good impression.

Plenty of people eat alone at the bar table, so it's comfortable, and besides the ground floor there's also seating in the basement, so it doesn't feel cramped. No break time means it's good for lunch or any time, and it's a spot I'd recommend for a City Hall date too.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch menu and prices

• Shoyu ramen: ₩11,000
• Tori paitan: ₩12,000
• Shio ramen: ₩11,000
• Motsu ramen: ₩15,000
• Tsukemen: ₩13,000

Since this is a Japanese ramen specialist, even the menu names were interesting on their own, and short descriptions made it easy to pick 🤗

If you want a creamy, rich broth, I'd recommend the tori paitan; for something clear and light, go for shio ramen or shoyu ramen; and if you want something spicy to cure a hangover, try the spicy shoyu or the motsu ramen. There are rice bowl options too, so it's good for anyone who wants rice.

Tori paitan, 12,000 won: rich, nutty chicken broth

Tori paitan: ₩12,000

I'd had ramen at this City Hall spot before and was so impressed I came straight back for another visit. This time I picked dishes I hadn't tried yet haha. The tori paitan, made with a rich chicken broth, is cleaner than tonkotsu ramen but still has that impressively savory, rich flavor.

The color looked like a beef bone broth so I wondered if it would taste similar, but it was actually cleaner, with the distinctive rich umami of chicken really coming through — it just clicked with my palate, so good.

The soft, easily-breakable noodles held the broth well, and the seasoning soaked in just right. It's a mild but deep flavor that keeps you reaching back for more — I think this would be great for kids too.

Motsu ramen, 15,000 won: spicy broth with beef tripe and brisket

Motsu ramen: ₩15,000

This is the motsu ramen with beef tripe and beef brisket. Since it's a pork broth, you get that distinctive Japanese ramen flavor, and it has a spicy kick added on top that's great for curing a hangover.

With tripe and brisket in the broth, that rich, melt-in-your-mouth quality really came through. It's heavy and deep — the perfect dish when you're craving something substantial.

There was no gamey smell and the tripe was chewy and delicious in generous amounts, so the texture was great too haha. The spice level is milder than Shin Ramyun, and since the broth is thick, it feels less spicy, so it was easy to eat.

There are two spicy ramen options at this City Hall spot. The spicy shoyu ramen is refreshing and tangy with a clean finish, while the motsu ramen is thicker, more like a beef tripe hot pot — pick whichever suits your taste haha.

Why come back: homemade karaage, 7,000 won

Homemade karaage: ₩7,000

I was completely blown away by this last time, so I came back for it again 😋 and sure enough, that fresh-fried, hot-off-the-fryer taste was a masterpiece.

Under the crispy, well-textured coating, the chicken meat was moist and full of juice — really excellent. It's a bit different from fried chicken but honestly better, so if you go to Mentsuru City Hall Branch, definitely try the karaage haha.

What to order at Mentsuru City Hall Branch

• If you want a clean, light flavor, go for shio ramen
• If you want something clean but a bit saltier and stronger, go for shoyu ramen
• If you need a hangover cure or want something spicy, I'd recommend the spicy shoyu ramen or motsu ramen