City Hall ramen restaurant for shio ramen: Mentsuru City Hall

A ramen spot near City Hall Station that is great for solo dining

The weekend weather was so lovely that, on my way out for a light outing around City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, I stopped by Mentsuru City Hall Branch, which is already getting plenty of buzz near City Hall Station. It is in a convenient spot not only for office workers but also for students from nearby Ewha Girls' High School and Yewon School, so I imagine lots of students come here too.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch occupies the first floor and basement level. The neat interior welcomes you as soon as you enter. With bar seating and standard tables arranged nicely throughout, I saw lots of people comfortably eating alone. I could see why so many people recommend it as a solo-dining spot around City Hall. I visited at weekend lunchtime, and of course it was packed with diners then too.

There was a short wait before I got in. But tables turned over quickly and the staff were so fast that my seat was ready in no time. You can also make a Naver reservation before visiting, so if you want to worry a little less about waiting, I recommend booking ahead!

Shio ramen and horumon-don chosen at the kiosk

There are two kiosks when you enter the restaurant. That is where you place your order.

As you would expect from a ramen favorite, there are lots of ramen choices, right? When you click into a menu item, you can add noodles or chashu, so choose exactly what you want and order it!💕

I ordered shio ramen with extra noodles and chashu, along with horumon-don.

Clear shio ramen with extra noodles and pork belly chashu

The first main dish was shio ramen (salt ramen), with its appealing clear, deeply flavored broth. I added noodles and pork belly chashu too, making it a wonderfully generous meal.

As soon as the bowl arrived, the subtle, fragrant aroma of the broth got my mouth watering. One spoonful of the clear, transparent shio ramen broth filled my mouth with deep umami, yet it was so clean that there was none of that heavy aftertaste. With the extra noodles, there was plenty to enjoy, and the rich broth soaked right into the chewy strands. They stayed delicious without getting soggy right to the end.

The extra pork belly chashu was especially melt-in-your-mouth tender! The savory juices burst out as soon as I took a bite, and it was a dream pairing with the shio ramen broth >< If you love chashu, I definitely recommend adding it.

Horumon-don loaded with spicy-sweet beef intestine

I thought ramen alone might leave me wanting something more, so ordering horumon-don (rice topped with beef intestine) alongside it was another huge success! Horumon-don is one of Mentsuru's popular dishes, haha. Their special spicy-sweet, umami-packed sauce soaked evenly into the rice and beef intestine, so it passed the visual test from the start, lol.

With every bite of the plump, springy beef intestine, rich fatty flavor popped all through my mouth. A full spoonful of seasoned beef intestine and rice with a little wasabi on top was so addictive that I could not put my spoon down.

It is absolutely loaded with beef and beef intestine.

Mentsuru's refreshing danmuji (yellow pickled radish) with lemon is such a highlight. I topped bites with the crisp pickles and enjoyed every mouthful.

A meal that pairs beautifully with a Deoksugung Palace walk

After filling up at Mentsuru City Hall Branch, the surrounding area is perfect for a light stroll too. The restaurant is close to tranquil Deoksugung Palace and the Seoul Museum of Art, where you can enjoy culture and art, making them ideal to combine with a meal before or after your visit. (I highly recommend the ongoing Yoo Youngkuk: Mountains Within Me exhibition💕) If you visit in the evening after sunset, you could enjoy a walk around beautifully illuminated Deoksugung Palace, then have a warm bowl of ramen—such a nice nighttime Deoksugung Palace dining course, right? (●'◡'●)