Gwangjin ramen with wagon stroller parking: shoyu ramen at Mentsuru

I'm writing about Mentsuru's Konkuk University branch, a ramen restaurant we visited for dinner after a day with the kids at the Children's Grand Park zoo and Sangsang Nara 🍜

My family loves ramen — I've posted about it several times, and we can put away two or three bowls each. But ramen shops are usually so cramped that we haven't been able to go often since having kids.

Mentsuru's Konkuk branch, though, has a nice roomy space, and we went there. Once again it proved that when you're going somewhere with kids, comfort matters as much as taste. If you're at Children's Grand Park looking for somewhere to eat, this is worth keeping in mind as a Children's Grand Park restaurant recommendation. It also works well for a date, or for eating alone comfortably, so here's my review :)

Where is Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, and can you park a wagon stroller?

Mentsuru's Konkuk branch sits right on the main road at Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station.

There's a wide open space out front, which made parking the stroller easy. With two kids we go around with a big wagon stroller, and finding somewhere to park it is never simple — but with all that space right at the entrance, I could park the wagon without worrying about being in anyone's way 👶🏻🛒

A ramen restaurant with roomy space between tables

The first thing I liked as soon as we walked in was that, despite being a ramen shop, the place didn't feel cramped. Ramen shops usually mean bar-style seating packed tightly together, the kind of place where you feel like you should eat fast and leave. But Konkuk Mentsuru had much more seating space than I expected, which was really comfortable.

I like to eat at ease, so the usual tight ramen-shop layout can be a bit much for me. Mentsuru's spaciousness meant I could eat comfortably. The tables weren't crammed together, so I barely noticed the people next to us while eating.

Baby chairs and baby dishware at Mentsuru

As a parent, what I really appreciated was that there were plenty of baby chairs. Whenever we eat out with the kids, the first thing I check before even looking for good food is 'do they have a baby chair?' Ramen shops in particular often don't have them, or the space is too tight to bring a child in comfortably. Konkuk Mentsuru had baby chairs to spare and enough room to spare too, which made eating with the kids much easier.

So I'd recommend this as a Children's Grand Park restaurant option for families looking for somewhere to eat nearby after a day out with the kids. These small conveniences really boost satisfaction when eating out with children. There are about three baby chairs, and baby dishware too ^_^

What we ordered: two soyu ganjang ramen and a gyudon

We ordered two soyu ganjang ramen and a gyudon (beef rice bowl).

They give you a free drink for leaving a Naver review, so definitely do that if you go 🥤🥤🥤🥤🥤

Soyu ganjang ramen you can order mild or salty

And now, the important part — the ramen! If you're looking for a good Konkuk ramen spot, there's one feature you'll especially like: the salt level is adjustable. A lot of ramen lovers still find overly salty broth a bit much, right? I love ramen too, but if the seasoning is too strong I get sick of it quickly, so being able to adjust the salt to taste was a big plus.

Eating it with meat and scallion toppings made it even better.

You know how good a soft-boiled egg is, right? A soft-boiled egg in ramen is basically the truth ❤️🤍🧡

Everyone has a different preferred broth strength, and it's a real advantage not to be locked into one fixed seasoning but to choose what suits your own taste. We ordered one bowl on the milder side and fed it to the kids. Our five-year-old polished off a whole bowl by himself — ate more than his mom, ha.

Whether you like rich, salty ramen or something a bit lighter, you can enjoy it your way, which was great.

I love ramen broth too, so I kept sipping it as I ate — the crisp onion topping went really well with the broth.

Gyudon with cheongyang chili peppers

We wanted some rice too, so we ordered the gyudon, and it had cheongyang chili peppers in it, giving it a spicy kick that was really tasty. A real standout dish.

Nom nom nom

Staff service and aprons for kids

The staff were genuinely kind, and with thoughtful attention to detail, there were plenty of aprons ready as well. Eating out with kids means having to worry about a lot of things, so places with friendly staff really stick in memory — the service here was easygoing and warm, which made for a pleasant meal.

As a customer, taste matters, but the atmosphere and service you feel in a restaurant are just as important in deciding whether to come back. On that front too, this was a satisfying Konkuk restaurant.

Is Mentsuru comfortable for solo dining?

One more thing! The atmosphere is relaxed enough that solo diners would feel comfortable too, so it should suit anyone looking for a solo-dining spot near Konkuk University. It doesn't feel like a place you need company for — coming alone for a bowl of ramen doesn't feel awkward at all. Ramen itself is a great solo-dining dish anyway, and the comfortable atmosphere seemed like it would work well for local office workers or students grabbing lunch nearby.

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch: the verdict

To sum up, Konkuk Mentsuru checks all the boxes: generous seating, baby chairs available, adjustable salt level, kind staff, and a comfortable atmosphere for solo dining. It's a good place to visit with kids, a good spot for lunch with a friend near Konkuk, and a nice casual bowl of ramen for a Konkuk date too.

If you're wondering where to eat with kids after an outing at Children's Grand Park, this is worth adding to your list of Children's Grand Park restaurants. I'd also recommend it to anyone who's been put off by the typical cramped, hectic ramen-shop atmosphere — having room to sit and eat comfortably turned out to be a bigger perk than I expected.

Whenever you're craving a good bowl of ramen in Konkuk, looking for a restaurant to bring the kids to, or just need somewhere to eat alone without any pressure, Konkuk Mentsuru comes to mind. A comfortable space where you can enjoy a bowl of ramen adjusted to your own taste, salt level and all! 🍜