Summer shrimp cold ramen at an Incheon ramen shop: Menya Seoul

Menya Seoul Incheon Branch, a ramen restaurant in Guwol-dong

Hi everyone! I had a gastroscopy recently, and after fasting and being careful for three days beforehand, I felt like I could chew through steel bars haha. I was so, so hungry that once the exam was over, I wanted to eat something light first, keep taking care of myself, and then load up on calories. While thinking it over, I remembered there's a ramen restaurant in Guwol-dong that just released new summer menu items~?! That's Menya Seoul Incheon Branch.

Where Menya Seoul Incheon is and where to park

Menya Seoul, the Guwol-dong ramen spot, is in the basement 1st floor food court of Incheon Lotte Department Store. For parking, just head to the Lotte Department Store underground lot~!

What's on the menu at Menya Seoul

Menya Seoul offers three flavors: char siu (dongpo pork), jambon, and lamb skewer — the lamb skewer was sold out when I went, sadly. Each can be ordered regular or double (jumbo). For à la carte vs. set, if you pick the set, gyoza and cola come along with it.

• Char siu (dongpo pork, mild flavor), double
• Cold ramen
• Chicken rice bowl (small)

Turns out they'd released a new menu item this time. Cold ramen — perfect for this scorching weather and sounds refreshing, so I had to try Menya Seoul's new dish.

You can even see a food model of the finished dish out front. Menya Seoul's portions are quite generous, and if you finish the broth too, the calories will obviously be high, but you'll be very, very full. There's also an extra rice option — mixing that into the ramen broth would probably make your stomach explode...?

Add the rayu (chili oil) and lemon kelp vinegar to your own taste. The expiration date was also labeled on the table, which gave me the impression the restaurant is run hygienically.

How does the summer shrimp cold ramen taste?

The shrimp cold ramen comes with a giant fried shrimp, jambon, and ajitama egg as standard toppings — the default toppings alone feel as generous as if you'd paid extra.

This giant fried shrimp had a plump shrimp inside and had soaked up the cold ramen broth really well — quite tasty, honestly?!

The cold ramen tasted similar to naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), but the grilled lemon added to the broth gave it a slightly citrusy tang, making it feel like an upscale naengmyeon overall.

There was kelp in it too, which was great for perking up your appetite refreshingly in the hot summer. If you like naengmyeon, you'll definitely love this?!

The ajitama egg also had a bit of savory saltiness along with its distinctive softness, which paired well with the cold ramen.

The signature dongpo pork ramen in a double portion

And then, Menya Seoul's signature char siu ramen. It comes with two big chunks of char siu (dongpo pork), plus jambon and ajitama egg too, so the toppings are extremely generous.

Look at the thickness of that char siu, Guwol-dong ramen fans... I think this is truly the real deal among Incheon Lotte Department Store restaurants. The broth is also so, so rich and delicious. The jambon is a bit salty too, which pairs well with the clean broth.

Look at that thick, rich broth...♡ Ordering extra rice and mixing it in means a carb + carb combo, so the calorie guilt is real, but it's just so good.

Bar seats that make solo ramen in Incheon easy

And since there's bar seating, it's also a great choice menu-wise for solo dining in Incheon.

The small chicken rice bowl ordered on the side

This is the chicken rice bowl we ordered on top. It's got a sweet soy-based sauce, karaage fried chicken, seaweed flakes, and finely chopped pickled radish on top — mixed together, it tasted amazing~~~

It went surprisingly well with the cold ramen too? I used to only ever order the char siu ramen whenever I came here, but on days when I'm extra hungry, I think adding the chicken rice bowl works great too. That's my review of the ramen at Menya Seoul, an Incheon Lotte Department Store restaurant. For anyone in Incheon eating solo or grabbing a bite after shopping, I recommend Menya Seoul Incheon Branch.