Solo dining at counter seats near Taereung, Seoul: Torikokoro tsukemen

Location and hours of Torikokoro Gongneung Direct Store

• 10 Gongneung-ro 35-gil, basement floor, Nowon-gu, Seoul
• 778m from Gongneung Station Exit 2
• 11:00 - 21:30
• Break time 15:15 - 17:00
• Last order 14:45 / 21:00

Right between Gongneung Station and Taereung Ipgu Station, I went for an early weekend lunch with my mom.

This time I visited Torikokoro Gongneung Direct Store in Gongneung-dong, Nowon-gu. It's known for tsukemen, and since every seat is counter-style, it felt pretty comfortable even eating alone. If you're looking for a good spot near Taereung Ipgu Station or somewhere to eat solo, this might be worth keeping in mind :)

Walk a little way down the alley and the shop comes right into view.

Four menu items, pay first at the kiosk

The menu is simpler than I expected. Just four options — tsukemen, karai miso tsukemen, mazesoba, and shoyu ramen — so there's no long deliberation over the menu board. It's a basement shop, so you have to go down stairs; if you're carrying a lot, be a little careful on the way down!

There was a CatchTable waiting machine set up at the entrance. Every time I see one of these, doesn't it make the place feel extra legit?

And here, you don't just sit down when you walk in — you order and pay at the kiosk first, and then staff show you to a seat!

This is what I ordered haha

12 counter seats, great for solo dining

The whole place is counter seating, seating around 12 people. Right after we sat down, a waiting line started forming. Good thing we timed it for opening haha. Still, turnover seemed fast, so even if there's a wait, it probably won't be long.

There were coat hooks and aprons set up in the back too~~

How to eat tsukemen, explained

While waiting for the food, I checked out the review event and also read the instructions on how to eat tsukemen. Apparently tsukemen is a Japanese noodle dish where you taste one noodle first, then dip the rest into the soup! I don't eat tsukemen often, so having the eating method written out was really helpful :)

On the table, water cups, kelp vinegar, and whole black peppercorns were all neatly arranged

There was also a water dispenser right in front of the table, so I didn't have to get up and walk back and forth for water — convenient

Overall, both the tables and the kitchen looked pretty clean!

While I was checking out the kitchen, some fresh chicken thighs waved hello at me (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) don't worry, I'll be eating you soon

And the chicken that goes on the order gets seared once with a torch — watching it get grilled right in front of you somehow makes it look even more delicious and builds up the anticipation, you know?

How was the niboshi shoyu ramen broth?

My mom's niboshi shoyu ramen came out first. The broth is based on niboshi (dried anchovies), and the first sip had a slightly salty edge. But as I kept eating, the umami really built up toward the end. It wasn't a heavy, greasy broth either, so my spoon kept going back for more without feeling weighed down. I don't usually drink ramen broth much, but I ended up finishing every last drop of this one.

The noodles were also more generous than I expected, with a nice springy texture. And rice isn't listed on the menu, but apparently they'll give it to you if you ask. Good to know if you like mixing rice into the broth!

Tsukemen: try the salt dip first

And then the tsukemen I'd been waiting for arrived. Doesn't it look amazing just from the visuals? With the noodles and sauce served separately, it feels different from a regular ramen haha

I first dipped the noodles lightly into this salt, and personally, this was genuinely delicious — even just dipping in salt, I could really taste the noodles themselves

Next, you dip the noodles into the sauce, and personally I found dipping about 2/3 of the noodle length in the sauce was just right. Dip too deep and the seasoning can feel too strong — at this level, the noodles and sauce flavors balanced out nicely

Adding chicken thigh chashu is a must

The chicken on top was also really tender. Especially the chicken thigh chashu I added — if you like chicken thigh, you have to add it!

In the end I finished it all... For some strange reason, wherever I go I always end up leaving just one strand of noodle, one last bite behind — is it just me? A small twinge of conscience, I guess... but my mom told me to stop doing pointless stuff, so I just ate it all in the end.

To sum up

It's located between Gongneung Station and Taereung Ipgu Station, so you'll have to walk a bit no matter which station you get off at, but having gone in person, it's a tsukemen place worth the trip. Since all the seats are counter-style, it's comfortable for a quiet solo meal, and it also worked fine for a family visit like ours. Both the tsukemen and the niboshi shoyu ramen were great, so if you're looking for ramen in Gongneung-dong, it's worth stopping by :) Next time I want to try the karai miso tsukemen or the mazesoba too! Muhaha