Konkuk University ramen, booked but still queuing: menma at Mentsuru

📍 Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch 394 Gwangnaru-ro, 1F, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea ⏰ Daily 11:00–23:00 ✔️ No parking

Looking for a proper bowl of ramen near Konkuk University? 🍜 I love ramen way too much,, and since I had somewhere to be near Children's Grand Park, I stopped by Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch close to Konkuk!

How do reservations work at Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch?

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch doesn't let you walk straight in just because you have a reservation. If there's a line on-site, you wait, and among those waiting, reservation holders get seated first. I visited during dinner and there were so many people there..! If you go expecting a typical reservation system, you might be a bit thrown off, so I'd recommend knowing this beforehand!

Bar counter, four-seat tables and an open kitchen at Mentsuru

The inside of Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch was bigger than I expected! Ramen shops usually have seats crammed together, but here there was a bar table as well as 4-person tables, which was nice. Good for eating alone, good for a date too. You can watch the cooking happen at the open kitchen, and your order comes out fast. Turnover is really quick!

Why you should add menma to your bowl

There's a wide range of ramen types, and you can switch to a spicy version too! There are plenty of add-on options like extra chashu, extra noodles, extra egg. The menma (bamboo shoots) that come as the default topping is a bit skimpy, so if you love menma, definitely add extra! I added it myself and it made the ramen so much more satisfying — totally recommend it,,!

Draft beer in 300ml or 500ml with your ramen

A ramen shop without draft beer would be a shame haha. It's great that Mentsuru sells both 300ml and 500ml! The draft was so tasty.. Eating ramen with a beer felt less like a meal and more like a mini trip to Japan,,

Shoyu ramen, 11,000 won: a clean clam and chicken broth

Shoyu ramen, ₩11,000. A light, clean ramen made with clam and chicken broth. The shoyu ramen's appeal was a broth that's clean yet full of umami. The salty seasoning blends well with the ramen's characteristic deep flavor, and once I started eating the noodles I couldn't stop. The chashu was so thin and tender it went perfectly alongside!

Tori paitan, 12,000 won: rich, milky chicken broth

Tori paitan, ₩12,000. A rich, thick ramen made by simmering chicken bones for a long time. It features a rich, smooth broth with chicken as the base, and the thick, milky broth was so delicious,, I usually love rich ramen so I really enjoyed this! Definitely a different taste from the shoyu ramen!

What I liked most was that if the seasoning wasn't quite to your taste, they'd fix it if you asked! Personally I think the broth seasoning is the most important part of ramen, so this kind of thoughtful service was really satisfying haha.

Free fried gyoza through the Naver review event

Join the Naver review event and you get a free drink or fried gyoza. Fried gyoza goes great with ramen, so if you visit, make sure to take advantage of the review event too~!

Is Mentsuru worth it? Final verdict

At Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, you can watch the cooking at the open kitchen, get your order fast, and try many different types of ramen. It's especially fun to order different styles like shoyu ramen and tori paitan side by side and figure out which suits your taste! Ramen has this appeal where the same noodle dish feels completely different depending on the broth, and since Mentsuru has such a wide menu, I felt like I could visit multiple times and pick something different each time. It's a good spot to split menu items with a friend near Konkuk, or to have a clean solo meal. If you're looking for a good ramen shop near Konkuk and Children's Grand Park, save Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch! 🍜