Gwangjin ramen restaurant for a couple's lunch, two bowls: Mentsuru

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch A Konkuk-area lunch date

I was out near Konkuk recently and wanted ramen for lunch, so I searched for good spots nearby and ended up at Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, which had a wide range of ramen types and great reviews :D

Hours 11:00 - 23:00 * Last order 22:30 Availability Group seating, takeout, reservations

How close is it to Children's Grand Park Station?

This Konkuk-area favorite, Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, is located in the building next to KFC, just a 1-minute walk from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station, so it's easy to find even on your first visit ˖˚ ͙ෆ

🅿️ If you're driving, they said calling ahead lets the staff guide you to parking!

Interior and seating — good for solo meals or dates

The inside was bigger than it looked from outside, clean overall, with that distinct atmosphere of a Japanese ramen shop :D With bar seats, 2-tops and 4-tops, it seemed just as good for eating alone as for coming with a friend or a date 🙂

Plus, the open kitchen let me watch the ramen being made, which gave it an even cleaner, more hygienic feel!

Ordering is easy with the tablet set up at each table, and

What's on the Mentsuru menu

The menu at this Konkuk-area favorite starts with the signature shoyu ramen, then spicy shoyu ramen, shio ramen, tori paitan, motsu ramen, abura soba and more — plenty of variety to choose from depending on your mood. Beyond ramen, there are also rice bowls and side dishes like handmade karaage, so there were lots of options ⸝⸝⸝⸝◟̆◞̆♡

If you leave a Naver photo review you can get a free drink or fried gyoza (dumplings), so make sure to take part. 🤍

There was pickled radish on the table, which was nice to pair with the ramen throughout the meal!

Order details

• Shoyu ramen (₩11,000)
• Spicy shoyu ramen (₩11,000)
• Handmade chicken karaage (₩7,000)

The basic shoyu ramen — a light chicken-broth soy sauce soup

Mentsuru's signature shoyu ramen caught my eye with its clear brownish broth and generous toppings ·͜· ❤️ It's a chicken-broth ramen seasoned with soy sauce as the base — Japanese-style ramen usually brings to mind a rich, salty broth, but Mentsuru's shoyu ramen was a style you could eat without any heaviness!

Taking the first sip of the broth, it was lighter and cleaner than I expected! The salty umami of the soy sauce came through clearly, but it was followed by the light savoriness of the chicken broth, making it the kind of broth that keeps pulling your spoon back in 🤤

The noodles and broth paired well too — slurping the noodles brought just the right amount of broth along, spreading that distinct shoyu umami through the mouth, and with the toppings mixed in along the way, I didn't get tired of it even by the end of the bowl..! 🤍🤍

Big chashu and a soft-boiled egg

The generously sized chashu (braised pork) sitting on top of the ramen really caught my eye — it was a solid size, giving the whole bowl a hearty look right off the bat! Biting in, it was tender, with the moist, savory flavor typical of chashu, and it went well with the salty shoyu broth, pairing nicely with the noodles bb

The soft-boiled egg on top was unmissable too — cutting it in half revealed a runny, appetizing yolk! The bouncy white and the soft, rich yolk went well with the salty shoyu broth, making it fun to enjoy little by little throughout the meal :)

How spicy is the spicy shoyu ramen?

The spicy shoyu ramen adds heat to the basic shoyu ramen, and the red color alone gave off a clearly spicy vibe!

Tasting the broth, it had the same salty umami as the basic shoyu ramen but with a sharp spiciness added on top — not just heat for heat's sake, but a broth that keeps the base shoyu flavor while the spiciness follows right after, and it tasted amazing.. ❤️ If you like spicy broths, you might actually prefer this over the basic shoyu haha

As you keep eating, the heat quietly builds up, but it pairs so well with the umami of the broth that I kept spooning up more — even on days when a heavy, greasy ramen feels like too much, the spiciness cuts through it so it ends up feeling surprisingly clean to eat! It also seemed like the kind of dish you'd crave as a hangover cure the morning after drinking ^^!

The handmade chicken karaage we ordered as a side

Two bowls of ramen alone felt like it might not be quite enough, so we also ordered the handmade chicken karaage as a side — and to cut to the conclusion, I was glad we added it 🌀

Fresh out of the fryer, the karaage had a crispy outside and juicy inside, and the texture contrast was great! Biting in, the crispy outside gave way to tender meat inside, making it hard to stop reaching for more ㅜㅜㅜ The moist, savory flavor of the chicken thigh really came through, so it was delicious on its own, and even more satisfying alongside the ramen 🙂

Wrap-up

Close to the station and easy for a solo meal, this ramen favorite, Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, was a great place to enjoy the clean, light shoyu ramen, the spicy shoyu ramen, and the crispy handmade karaage all together