Baby-friendly ramen near City Hall, Seoul: Mentsuru shio and motsu

After watching trains with my train-loving baby in Seosomun and heading toward City Hall Station to catch the subway, we stopped by Mentsuru City Hall Branch. Deoksugung Palace happens to be doing its night opening right now, so while waiting to get in, here's a ramen recommendation for anyone visiting the Deoksugung night opening..!!

Getting into Mentsuru City Hall Branch: stairs mean leaving the stroller outside

Clean interior. You have to go up stairs, so you need to leave the stroller outside. The storefront has a Japanese feel to it.

Ordering at the Mentsuru kiosk, and how fast tables turn over

As soon as you walk in, there's a kiosk at the entrance where you order and pay for what you want first, then wait at the waiting area. There were quite a lot of customers during peak time, but the restaurant has more seats than you'd expect and turnover is fast, so you don't wait long before a seat opens up.

What is on the menu at Mentsuru City Hall Branch

The menu is roughly like this...

• Soy ramen (shoyu ramen) — Mentsuru's signature menu item, where the deep, clean soy-based broth pairs well with the house-made noodles.
• Shio ramen (salt ramen) — a clear, refined salt-based broth where you can taste both umami and a light, clean flavor at once.
• Tori paitan ramen — made by simmering chicken at high heat for a long time, giving a milky, savory, richly flavored broth.
• Motsu ramen (beef intestine ramen) — savory beef intestine deepens the broth's flavor with a spicy kick, and you get to enjoy the chewy texture of the intestine.
• Spicy ramen / aka ramen — made with a special spicy seasoning, good for hangover recovery and popular with those who enjoy a fiery broth.
• Tsukemen — a specialty ramen where thick noodles are dipped into a rich special sauce (jiru).
• Sides and options — toppings like chashu and ajitama (seasoned egg) can be added, and sides such as chashu don and karaage are also sold.

That's basically it.

Pickled radish is provided as a basic side dish to cut through the richness, and a Naver receipt review event is currently running.

Bar seats for solo diners, bench sofa seats for eating with a baby

The seating is mostly a long bar table (dachi-style seats) laid out spaciously, which looked perfect for eating alone near City Hall Station without feeling self-conscious. Besides the bar table, there were also roomy bench sofa seats available, so we could sit comfortably and eat.

We went with the baby and sat comfortably in the bench sofa seats, and they gave us a Pororo drink as a service, which really touched me...

Shio ramen and motsu ramen, with baby tableware at the table

The menu ranges from the clear, clean shio ramen to the rich, savory motsu ramen. We ordered shio ramen and motsu ramen. They gave us baby tableware.

We ordered it on a recommendation to eat with the baby, and they gave us the onions separately in a spoon, which touched me with how thoughtful it was... The broth was incredibly rich and delicious, and I scooped some out separately and diluted it with water for the baby haha.

The broth is completely rich... The toppings they add, like chashu and ajitama (seasoned egg), aren't excessive and feel refined, and the broth's flavor is savory yet clean, so it's easy to eat without getting tired of it right to the end.

The baby was going crazy asking for more.

Mild motsu ramen with extra chashu at Mentsuru

The motsu ramen was... just plain delicious. I ordered the mild spice level for my husband, and it really wasn't spicy at all, mild. If it were me, I'd bump it up a level. We added extra chashu to the ramen, and it was soft and really delicious.

They said they'd give us rice too if we wanted, so we got a little and gave it to the baby. The baby drank the broth right down too... (diluted with water, of course, haha).

Cleared.

Is Mentsuru City Hall Branch worth it with a baby?

Clean restaurant, friendly staff, delicious ramen. A good place to stop by when you're craving a clean bowl of Japanese-style ramen near City Hall Station or Deoksugung, or when you're looking for a decent place to eat solo after work or on a weekend. Seosomun Park seems better reached on foot from City Hall Station, so I plan to visit again often going forward.

Overall verdict: a good place to visit near City Hall Station when you want to taste deep, clean, authentic Japanese ramen. The combination of the springy house-made noodles and rich broth is excellent, making it just as good for a regular meal as for a date course after sightseeing at Deoksugung. The tidy bar-table-centered interior layout also makes it ideal for enjoying a relaxed solo meal without feeling self-conscious. With fast turnover and friendly service on top of that, I'd recommend it as a leading ramen restaurant near City Hall Station where you can always eat happily.