Gwangjin ramen shop, tori paitan ordered mild for a kid: Mentsuru

I took my son Hamin to Children's Grand Park over the weekend. After a good long run around, Hamin said "Dad, I'm hungry," and honestly I was craving something with broth too. So I searched for a Gwangjin ramen restaurant near Children's Grand Park, found a well-reviewed spot right by the station, and headed straight there.

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch! Bottom line first: it's a great spot to bring a kid, and the ramen quality exceeded my expectations :)

How to get to Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is really a 1-minute walk from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station. It's right near a crosswalk on the main road, so there's no way to get lost even on a first visit.

It's also about an 8-minute walk from the main gate of Children's Grand Park, so it was perfect for grabbing lunch right after playing. Sejong University and Konkuk University are close by too, so it seemed to be a well-known spot among students in the area :)

Inside Mentsuru: seating and facilities for children

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch really has that Japanese ramen shop look from the outside. The inside is much bigger than it looks from outside, and with the open kitchen you can see the whole ramen-making process, which felt reassuring hygiene-wise.

There are solo bar seats plus 2-person and 4-person tables, so it was easy to sit comfortably as a family.

Most of all, having baby chairs and kids' tableware ready was the best part for me, bringing a kid along 👍

It was a weekend afternoon so quite crowded, but the turnover was fast so we didn't wait long. Ordering was simple via the tablet at the table!

What we ordered at Mentsuru

You can also add toppings — seaweed, egg, chashu, whatever you like. Here's what we ordered, four things in total :)

• Tori paitan (mild)
• Handmade chicken karaage
• Hormone-don (daechang rice bowl)
• Small draft beer

① Tori paitan, made mild for a child

Mentsuru's tori paitan is a ramen with a thick, rich broth made by simmering chicken bones for a long time. Since Hamin and I were sharing, I ordered it without any spice, and that turned out to be a great choice.

The broth came out milky white — I thought, "is this baeksuk (whole chicken soup)?" — but one sip in, it's savory and clean-tasting all the way through. No gamey chicken-broth smell at all, and even though it's rich, it's not salty, so I kept spooning up more.

The noodles were cooked just right, slurping down nicely. Chashu and a soft-boiled egg were on top too — the chashu was tender and paired well with the rich broth. Hamin ate the noodles and egg well too haha. Not spicy at all, so it's perfect for sharing with a kid!

② Handmade chicken karaage

Definitely order this as a side with your ramen. They say they batter and fry raw chicken thigh to order, and it comes out piping hot and genuinely crispy. Crunchy outside, juicy inside — all that chicken thigh juiciness stayed intact.

It's not greasy, so Hamin ate it without any trouble too. Dipping it in the accompanying sauce adds a slight kick — that's how I ate it 👍 Perfect with beer, too, haha.

③ Hormone-don (daechang rice bowl)

Mentsuru's hormone-don is a rice bowl topped with woo-samgyeop (thin-sliced beef belly) and plump daechang (beef intestine) stir-fried in a sweet secret sauce. This turned out to be the sleeper hit of the day.

It comes topped with chili, wasabi, and scallions — mixed together, the wasabi cuts right through the richness of the daechang. It could easily be a heavy combination, but it wasn't overwhelming at all — I kept going back for more.

If you're eating this with a kid, scoop out their portion before mixing it all together! Since it has chili and wasabi in it :)

④ Draft beer, small glass

A cold draft beer alongside the ramen and daechang rice bowl completed the weekend afternoon, haha.

I ordered the small size and had just the one glass, but it did its job perfectly, resetting my palate between the rich broth and the karaage. By the way, they reportedly run a discount event on Asahi draft after 9pm, so if you're going in the evening, keep that in mind!

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch: pros and cons

Pros

• 1-minute walk from Children's Grand Park Station Exit 4
• Fully equipped with baby chairs and kids' tableware — great with kids
• Tori paitan broth is rich but not salty
• Menu variety beyond ramen — rice bowls and sides too
• Open daily, no break time
• Open kitchen lets you check hygiene yourself

Drawbacks

• No on-site parking lot (public parking nearby)
• Possible wait during evening peak hours

Recommended for :)

• Families looking for a ramen restaurant near Children's Grand Park
• Anyone who needs a comfortable place to eat with a kid
• Ramen fans near Konkuk or Sejong University

One-line verdict on Mentsuru

Getting to play with Hamin at Children's Grand Park and then eat this well right next door was the best possible weekend combo. The tori paitan broth was rich without being salty, which I loved, the karaage — Hamin ate more than half of it lol — and the hormone-don was my personal favorite of the day.

A Gwangjin ramen restaurant near Children's Grand Park, recommended for going straight to after playing

Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) / Price: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) / Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) / Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)

100% would come back. Next time I want to try the motsu ramen and fried gyoza!