# Basement bar seats and spicy motsu ramen near Deoksugung: Mentsuru - By Jaewon Yook (https://superchart.com/en/@siheung-narrow-stool/) - Written Sep 18, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Jung-gu, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written based on a sponsored store visit. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@siheung-narrow-stool/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@siheung-narrow-stool/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/index.md) ## In short Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a Japanese ramen restaurant near City Hall Station and Deoksugung Palace in Jung-gu, Seoul. With the first floor full, the writer took a basement bar seat and ordered shoyu ramen and spicy motsu ramen, whose thick, fiery broth packed with gopchang (beef intestines) made it the top hangover pick. Kiosk ordering keeps solo dining comfortable, and Mentsuru works well before or after the Deoksugung night opening. ## Good to know - **Location**: 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1st floor, Unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul (near City Hall Station and Deoksugung Palace) - **Ordering**: Kiosk ordering - **Seating**: First floor and basement, with bar seats for solo diners - **Dishes tried**: Shoyu ramen, spicy motsu ramen *as written by the visitor on Sep 18, 2026* ![Main photo of a ramen bowl at Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-01-efx45-1200.webp) Hi, it's Jamong 🍊 When I'm near City Hall or Deoksugung Palace, there's always that quiet dilemma of "so where do I actually eat?" There are so many offices around City Hall Station that weekday lunches get packed, and after visiting Deoksugung or its night opening, people are often looking for somewhere simple to grab a meal. This time I went to Mentsuru City Hall Branch, a great spot for a bowl of ramen near City Hall Station! From the photos alone, the rich broth topped with meat and egg looked so good I had to check it out in person :) ![Exterior of Mentsuru City Hall Branch near City Hall Station](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-02-1yd6o-900.webp) ![View near the entrance of Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-03-1dd5l-900.webp) It didn't feel intimidating to eat a simple meal alone here, and it seemed like a solid option for people working near City Hall Station to visit for lunch or dinner. If you're looking for a City Hall Station office-worker restaurant or a solo-dining spot near City Hall, keep this one in mind! ![View of the area near City Hall Station and Deoksugung, where Mentsuru City Hall Branch is located](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-04-1upew-827.webp) ## Where is Mentsuru City Hall Branch, and how close is it to City Hall Station and Deoksugung? Mentsuru City Hall Branch sits in an easy-to-reach spot near City Hall Station and Deoksugung Palace. There are lots of offices around, plus sightseeing like Deoksugung, so it's an area with heavy foot traffic from office workers to couples on dates. Especially now that the weather is starting to cool down a bit, sometimes you crave a warm, rich bowl of ramen broth — and pairing a Deoksugung visit with a bowl of ramen makes for a great little course. It's a good route for a hearty dinner before heading to Deoksugung's night opening, or for warming up with something hot afterward. So for anyone searching for ramen near Deoksugung's night opening, this could be a solid choice. ![View in front of Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-05-dd13x-900.webp) ## Ordering at the Mentsuru kiosk Once you walk into Mentsuru City Hall Branch, you can check the menu and order through a kiosk. Honestly, for ramen shops and places suited to solo dining, this kind of ordering system feels more convenient these days. Am I the only one who gets a little rushed picking a menu when someone's waiting behind me for staff? haha With a kiosk, you can take your time browsing and just select what you want, so even a first-time visit wasn't hard to order at. It was especially nice being able to order without having to flag down staff when I came alone. ![Kiosk ordering screen at Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-06-1664w-822.webp) ## Inside Mentsuru: Japanese ramen-shop mood, and the basement when the first floor is full Walking into Mentsuru City Hall Branch, the atmosphere was even better than what I'd seen from the outside. The wood-toned interior had that distinct Japanese ramen-shop feel. There were seats good for solo dining as well as space for groups, so it didn't feel intimidating even when looking for a solo-dining spot near City Hall. The area around City Hall Station has a lot of office workers, so there are often days you need to eat alone and quickly during lunch. Ramen is also a menu you can order, eat, and be on your way, which made it feel well-suited as a City Hall Station office-worker restaurant. ![Wood-toned interior of Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-07-1dxyu-900.webp) It was crowded, so I headed downstairs to the basement! The basement was surprisingly spacious too 🔥🔥🔥 ![Spacious basement seating at Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-08-1p2o8-900.webp) I sat at the bar seats and ate comfortably — seems like a great spot for solo dining haha ![Bar seats in the basement of Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-09-1t6ne-900.webp) ![View of the interior from the bar seats at Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-10-1gv94-900.webp) ![Vertical shot of the bar seats at Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-11-1vmdn-900.webp) ![Shoyu ramen topped with generous ingredients at Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-12-wns5i-900.webp) ## The shoyu ramen arrives 🍜 And then, the ramen I'd been waiting for showed up! A large bowl piled generously with broth, noodles, meat, egg, scallions, and more toppings — the visuals alone won me over the moment it arrived. Ramen really does feel better before you even take a bite when the toppings are piled on properly haha. The broth color was quite deep too, giving off the sense of a truly proper bowl of ramen just by looking at it. I took a sip of the broth first, then loosened up the noodles and ate them together. Slurping down the hot broth with the noodles was definitely filling. ### Tasting the shoyu ramen toppings one by one With ramen, the noodles and broth matter, but there's also the fun of eating each topping one by one. The egg was cut in half, so I ate the yolk together with the noodles, and paired the meat with the noodles as well. Adding in toppings like scallions along the way gave more variety in texture than just eating noodles and broth on their own. The toppings that looked so pretty for photos... get dismantled the second you start eating haha. Once I mixed the noodles well into the broth and ate them with the toppings, the bowl felt quite hearty. So for anyone looking for a warm, filling menu during lunch hour, this could work well as a City Hall Station office-worker restaurant too. ![A bowl of shoyu ramen with noodles loosened into the broth](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-13-xy8u8-900.webp) ## 🌶️ Spicy motsu ramen: gopchang and a deep, fiery broth What I ate was the spicy motsu ramen! The red broth catches your eye right away, and with the first bite, it was spicy yet deep in flavor, making my spoon keep going back for more. In particular, since it had gopchang (beef intestines) in it, the broth had a savory, heavier depth compared to typical spicy ramen. The added spiciness kept it from feeling greasy, so it was easy to eat all the way through. Slurp some noodles, sip the spicy broth, then eat it with the gopchang again haha — mixing in egg and other toppings along the way made this one bowl feel quite filling. And the first thought that came to mind while eating. > Wow, this is amazing as a hangover-cure ramen... You know that feeling of craving something spicy and rich the day after drinking? This tastes exactly like what you'd crave then haha. The hot, spicy broth felt like it woke up my stomach completely, so personally, this became my number-one pick for a hangover-cure ramen. If you're looking for a spicy broth near City Hall or prefer something a bit spicier than an average ramen, I'd recommend the spicy motsu ramen! Next time I'm near City Hall after a night of drinking, I think I'll come back for this one haha. Spicy + rich broth + gopchang lover = go for this menu 🌶️🍜 ![Close-up of the red broth in the spicy motsu ramen](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-14-ahyib-677.webp) The gopchang was seriously generous!!! ![Generous gopchang in the spicy motsu ramen](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-15-vfdh8-900.webp) ## Is Mentsuru comfortable for eating alone? When you work near City Hall Station, you don't always have lunch plans with coworkers — sometimes you just have to eat alone. On those days, I actually find a menu like ramen more comfortable. Since it's a complete meal in one bowl, it doesn't feel like a burden to eat solo, and ordering through the kiosk keeps the process simple too. The restaurant's atmosphere itself doesn't feel awkward to walk into alone, so anyone who searched for a solo-dining spot near City Hall and found this place should be able to use it comfortably. It felt like a place where lunchtime office workers near City Hall Station and evening visitors to Deoksugung or the City Hall area could both enjoy easily! ![A seat good for solo dining at Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-16-jp39y-900.webp) ## A ramen stop before or after the Deoksugung night opening Location-wise, Mentsuru City Hall Branch also seems great for pairing with Deoksugung's night opening. It can be awkward to eat dinner too early before heading to a night opening, but also a burden to eat something heavy late after the visit. In moments like that, a warm bowl of ramen is filling without requiring much deliberation over what to eat. Especially now that evenings are getting a little cooler, a walk through Deoksugung followed by hot broth sounds just right! If you're visiting Deoksugung as a date course, pairing it with Mentsuru City Hall Branch when looking for ramen near Deoksugung's night opening would be a good idea too. ![Evening view near Deoksugung close to Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-17-17pqq-900.webp) ## Final verdict on Mentsuru City Hall Branch - ✔️ A good place for a warm bowl of ramen near City Hall Station - ✔️ A filling ramen topped generously with meat, egg, and more - ✔️ Gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) that pair nicely with the ramen - ✔️ Kiosk ordering makes it easy to visit alone - ✔️ Wood-toned interior with a Japanese ramen-shop feel - ✔️ A good City Hall Station office-worker restaurant for lunch or dinner after work - ✔️ Recommended as a solo-dining spot near City Hall for a simple, hearty meal - ✔️ Close to Deoksugung, making it easy to fit into a meal course before or after the night opening - ✔️ A good pick when craving warm broth near Deoksugung's night opening There are so many restaurants around City Hall Station, but choosing somewhere to comfortably eat a hearty meal alone can still be a bit of a puzzle. Mentsuru City Hall Branch made it easy to order via kiosk and enjoy a bowl of ramen with gyoza on the side for a simple yet filling meal. If you're deciding on lunch near your office, check it out as a City Hall Station office-worker restaurant; if you're dining alone, consider it a solo-dining spot near City Hall. For dinner, it also pairs well with a visit to Deoksugung's night opening :) ![Final photo of ramen at Mentsuru City Hall Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen-18-1x5m8-900.webp) ## Where it is - Mentsuru City Hall Branch (멘츠루 시청점) - 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1st floor, Unit 1, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 중구 서소문로11길 2 1층 1호 - 37.5629944, 126.9731249 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EB%A9%98%EC%B8%A0%EB%A3%A8%20%EC%8B%9C%EC%B2%AD%EC%A0%90/@37.5629944,126.9731249,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@siheung-narrow-stool/menzuru-city-hall-spicy-motsu-ramen/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt