City Hall ramen restaurant for motsu and highballs: Mentsuru

After work, Gongjju and I were looking for a good restaurant for office workers around City Hall Station, and we finally went to Mentsuru City Hall Branch for the City Hall ramen I’d had my eye on!

With the weather getting cooler and lots of people heading to the Deoksugung Palace evening opening lately, I thought this would be in a pretty great location for anyone looking for dinner on a Deoksugung date. Maybe because this neighborhood is packed with offices, there were seriously so many restaurant options from lunchtime through after work.

We had motsu ramen, hormon-don, and—you know ramen calls for highballs, right..? We made a proper meal of it, highballs included hahaha.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch, close to City Hall Station

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is very close to City Hall Station

There are so many offices around here, so being close really matters at lunch, you know. Mentsuru City Hall Branch is near City Hall Station, so it wasn’t hard to find. It’s a one-minute walk from the station, making it a convenient spot for office workers looking for a City Hall Station restaurant.

Being so close to the station is especially a plus when you need a solo lunch around City Hall Station. There are seats in the basement as well as on the first floor, so you can get in quickly even during a busy lunch rush. Protect my tiny, precious lunch break at all costs..!! It is also fairly close to Deoksugung Palace, so it would be nice to pair a meal here with a visit to the evening opening.

Comfortable seating for solo diners or two

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is comfortable for a solo office-worker meal or a visit for two

Gongjju and I came as a pair, but the layout looked easygoing for solo diners too. On days when you need to wolf down lunch alone, or when you’re a City Hall Station office worker tired of coordinating a menu with someone every day, this is a good solo-lunch spot to come to.

The individual bar seats are a particularly convenient touch! Of course, there are plenty of tables for two like us too, so keep it in mind if you’re looking for City Hall ramen on a date.

Kiosk ordering and a varied menu

There is a kiosk right at the entrance of Mentsuru City Hall Branch, which made ordering easy. I liked being able to see menu photos and prices at a glance without holding a menu and agonizing forever. A system for precious-lunch-break office workers to choose quickly at the kiosk and eat in a flash hahaha. If you’re looking for a City Hall Station office-worker restaurant, you cannot waste time choosing!

The signature choices include shoyu ramen, paitan, motsu ramen, hormon-don, and gyudon. Side dishes such as takoyaki (octopus balls), chicken-skin gyoza, and karaage make it nice for sharing too. There is plenty to choose from, including ramen, rice bowls, and drinks.

Today Gongjju and I ordered motsu ramen and hormon-don, and because we visited via a Naver reservation, we also received complimentary takoyaki. Ramen alone can feel a little plain, but picking one up here and there was just right! Hahaha.

If you plan to reserve before visiting, check the events through Naver and make the most of them :) There is also a review event on the table, so it could be fun to join in on the various offers!

When you’re looking for a City Hall Station office-worker restaurant, how quickly the food comes matters because of lunch hour. With easy ordering and choices from ramen to rice bowls, it was a good place for a quick, filling meal.

Rich motsu ramen like gopchang hot pot

I ordered the motsu ramen! Honestly, the moment I saw “signature menu: motsu ramen!” on the menu, I had already decided. Anyone who likes gopchang (beef intestines) can’t just pass this by...♥

It comes piled with green onions, plus the beef intestines distinctive to motsu and thinly sliced beef brisket. They melt into the broth, making it rich, savory, and spicy. Like... gopchang hot pot..🤤

True to its identity as a hangover ramen specialist, it is also my top recommendation for a hangover meal. If you normally love gopchang hot pot, the flavor feels familiar yet different. If you’re after rich, savory City Hall ramen, I recommend trying Mentsuru City Hall Branch’s signature motsu ramen first!

On a chilly autumn evening, it is perfect for warming up with a bowl after work, and it would be filling as a solo meal around City Hall Station too. A bowl of rice is free if you need one. If ramen alone does not feel like enough, make sure to fill up with rice too!

Hormon-don that goes beautifully with egg rice

Gongjju’s pick was the hormon-don.

Gongjju has been really into Japanese food lately, and here is her hot tip: mix the egg yolk into the rice, top it with daechang (beef large intestine) and thinly sliced beef brisket coated in Mentsuru City Hall Branch’s special sauce, then take one huge bite—whoa! It went especially well with the egg-mixed rice.

Finding a City Hall Station office-worker restaurant after work, then adding a highball to ramen, really made it feel like I was off work at last. Following the lead of the cool ladies beside us made me feel good too...

A ramen date before Deoksugung Palace’s evening opening

A warming bowl of ramen before the Deoksugung Palace evening opening

If you have plans for the Deoksugung Palace evening opening, you often make a restaurant date nearby instead of just seeing the palace and calling it a day. Mentsuru City Hall Branch is close to both City Hall Station and Deoksugung Palace, so the route is easy. If you visit with Gongjju on a date: first have City Hall ramen, walk along the stone-wall road, then take in the Deoksugung Palace evening opening.

On weekdays, it works as a City Hall Station restaurant for office workers; when you come alone, as a solo-dining spot; and on date day, as part of a Deoksugung Palace evening-opening date. Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a ramen restaurant worth visiting in all sorts of ways whenever City Hall Station comes to mind.