Seoul ramen restaurant with gyoza and spicy motsu: Mentsuru City Hall

If you're looking for lunch near City Hall Station, there are seriously so many restaurants packed with office workers! On this day I wanted a warm bowl of soup rather than rice, so while hunting for City Hall lunch spots I ended up at Mentsuru City Hall Branch! A bowl of ramen is great for a filling meal, and since there are seats where you can sit alone, I'd really recommend it for anyone looking for a solo-dining spot near City Hall!!!!

📍 Location: 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1st floor

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

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is located at 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul! It's close to City Hall Station Exit 10, so it was easy to reach by subway!

Especially if you work around City Hall Station, it's a good spot to walk to during lunch! When I visited there were solo diners eating ramen, and also groups of two or three eating together! Business hours are daily from 11am to 9:30pm, with last order at 9pm! If you're driving, parking is tricky, so it's more convenient to visit by public transport!

I walked in with my heart totally fluttering ><

• Address: 서울 중구 서소문로11길 2 1층 1호 (2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul)
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30
• Last order: 21:00
• Parking: Separate parking difficult
• Signature dishes: Tori paitan, shoyu ramen, shio ramen, motsu ramen, and more

Solo bar seats and kiosk ordering at Mentsuru

Once inside, I saw there were not only regular tables but also bar-style seating!

Ramen shops already tend to be low-pressure for solo dining, but having seats specifically for one person made eating alone even more comfortable!

On days when you have to handle lunch alone near City Hall Station, this kind of seating setup really matters!

It had a vibe where you could just order a bowl of ramen and eat without feeling self-conscious sitting alone at a big table! So if you're searching for a solo-dining spot near City Hall, this is worth keeping in mind!

You order through a kiosk, so you can take your time browsing the menu and pick the ramen you want! There are several types of ramen, from basic ones to rich tori paitan and spicy motsu ramen, so you can choose based on whatever style you're craving that day!

What does the tori paitan chicken broth taste like?

The first dish I had was the tori paitan ramen! Tori paitan is a milky-style ramen made from richly simmered chicken broth, so even the color looks pale and dense!

Taking one spoonful, the distinct savory flavor of chicken broth came through quite strongly!

If you're expecting a clear chicken broth, this one has enough body to feel a bit heavier than that, but it wasn't as heavy as a pork-bone ramen! If you like soft, savory chicken broth flavors, this style will suit you well!

Eating the noodles together with the broth, the thick broth clung between the noodle strands so every bite carried a strong hit of that soup flavor!

For me, eating the broth and noodles together was the best combination with the tori paitan!

This would suit people who prefer rich, savory ramen broths over aggressively spicy ones!

Spicy motsu ramen with beef tripe and brisket

The second dish was the spicy motsu ramen!

This ramen had a completely different vibe from the tori paitan! The spicy broth had beef tripe and beef brisket in it, so the broth itself felt richer and heavier!

The first taste hits spicy, and then the savory richness from the meat and tripe follows right after!

It's not just a spicy broth ramen — with tripe and brisket added, there's a chewiness to it too, and the whole bowl was pretty filling!

Especially if you like tripe, this style of motsu ramen would be more fun than a standard spicy ramen!

Picking up the noodles, tripe, and brisket all together in one bite, you get the soft texture of the noodles alongside the chewy bite of the meat!

Having both ramen bowls on this same day made the contrast really clear — tori paitan was soft and savory, while motsu ramen was fiery and heavy!

Gyoza on the side with the ramen

Just ramen alone felt like it wasn't quite enough, so I ordered gyoza (dumplings) too! They were a bite-sized portion, not too big, so they paired nicely with the ramen! The wrapper wasn't too thick and had a nice chewy texture, and the filling of meat and vegetables kept things light. Since the ramen broths were on the rich side, having gyoza in between gave the meal a different texture to keep things going!

Why Mentsuru works for an office lunch near City Hall Station

When you're grabbing an office lunch near City Hall, it's not just about taste — whether it's easy to eat alone, whether the meal is simple, and whether you can get back to work quickly all matter! On that front, Mentsuru City Hall Branch was great for settling a meal with just one bowl of ramen. Ordering through the kiosk and having solo seats made it low-pressure even visiting alone! Especially on days when it's awkward to match menus with coworkers or you just have to eat solo, something as simple to choose as ramen is really convenient!

Mentsuru City Hall Branch: overall verdict

I was seriously, seriously satisfied — this is easily in my top 3 ramen bowls recently..

This time I tried the tori paitan ramen, spicy motsu ramen, and gyoza together! The tori paitan centers on rich, savory chicken broth, while the spicy motsu ramen adds deep flavor from tripe and brisket to a fiery broth! The two ramen bowls go in clearly different directions, so it's worth choosing based on which broth you're in the mood for that day!