Phone-stand bar seats for solo ramen near City Hall, Seoul: Mentsuru

After work I was trying to figure out where to have dinner, and since it's currently Deoksugung Palace's night-opening season, I looked for somewhere nearby to eat. There are plenty of great restaurants around Deoksugung, but that day I was craving ramen with a warm broth, so I went to Mentsuru City Hall Branch. It's not far from Deoksugung and already famous as a ramen spot, so I went in with high expectations.

Where is Mentsuru City Hall Branch, and what are the hours?

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is at 1st floor, unit 1, 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea — less than a minute from Exit 10 of City Hall Station Line 2. It's open daily 11:00–21:30 with last order at 21:00, and there's nearby public parking.

It's directly across from Goryeo Samgyetang, making it a great choice for dinner right after watching Deoksugung's night opening.

Two entrances at Mentsuru, two different kiosk menus

One notable thing about Mentsuru City Hall Branch is that it has two separate entrances — one leading down to the basement and one into the main hall on the 1st floor. Interestingly, the kiosks at each entrance offer different menus.

Menu

At the basement entrance kiosk, you can order tonkotsu ramen–style dishes. Tsukemen (dipping noodles), mazesoba (mixed noodles) and gyudon (beef rice bowl) are also on offer there.

At the 1st floor main hall kiosk, you can order shoyu ramen, shio ramen and the like. The system is order first, then get seated, and the staff kindly walked me through it.

Are the bar seats at Mentsuru good for eating alone?

Mentsuru's interior stands out with a clean design that captures the feel of a real ramen shop in Japan. Warm wood-toned tables and soft lighting made it a great atmosphere for a stop after a Deoksugung date, too.

The restaurant has a long row of bar seats, making it a City Hall Station spot that's comfortable for eating alone. Visiting on a weekday evening, I actually saw a lot of solo diners. There are also tables for groups of various sizes, so it works no matter how many people you're with.

I took a bar seat. Every seat comes with water, side dishes and pepper.

There was even a phone stand set up — the ultimate solo dining setup, haha.

What I ordered: motsu ramen 15,000 won and handmade gara-age 7,000 won

• Motsu ramen (beef tripe ramen) 15.0
• Handmade gara-age 7.0
• Zero-calorie cola 2.5

What I picked that day was motsu ramen and handmade gara-age. Motsu ramen is loaded generously with fresh beef tripe, and the broth is rich with a spicy kick added on top, making it more than qualified as a hangover-cure dish, too.

Honestly, I worried it might be too greasy, but the moment I took a sip of the broth, that worry turned out to be needless. The chewy texture unique to tripe blends really well with the rich broth, so anyone who loves tripe will especially enjoy this. There was plenty of tripe and beef brisket, so it was more than enough for a full meal.

I also ordered the handmade gara-age as a side. It's fried to order, so it was crispy outside and juicy inside, and it paired perfectly with the ramen broth! The meat was tender with no off smell, and it came with chili sauce and mayonnaise, so I enjoyed it to the last bite without getting tired of it.

Verdict: is Mentsuru a good dinner before Deoksugung night opening?

On days when I go see Deoksugung's night opening, deciding where to have dinner is always a bit of a puzzle. Mentsuru City Hall Branch was a great stop for when you're craving ramen around City Hall Station. It works well for an after-work dinner like this one, and just as well as a stop on a Deoksugung date course. If you find yourself craving a warm bowl of ramen near Deoksugung, try the motsu ramen and handmade gara-age combo.