Friday night ramen and offal rice bowl in Euljiro3(sam)-ga: Mentsuru

I've been really into hunting down ramen spots lately haha, so this time I went to Mentsuru in Euljiro, where you can get ramen and hormone-don (grilled beef intestine rice bowl) together!

I made a Naver reservation and visited on a Friday, and since it was dinnertime there were already quite a lot of customers there..!! That tells you how good Mentsuru was, so let's get right into the review!

Mentsuru Euljiro Branch: hours, prices and reservations

• 📍 26 Mareunnae-ro 2-gil, 1F, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🕐 Daily 11:00–21:30
• ⏰ Last order 21:00
• 💰 Tori paitan ₩12,000 / Hormone-don ₩15,000
• 📅 Visit after Naver Reservation
• 🚗 No parking

How to walk from Euljiro3(sam)-ga Station to Mentsuru

Mentsuru is between Euljiro Station and Chungmuro Station, about a 7-minute walk from the exit! The exterior already gives off that Japanese ramen shop vibe haha.

Out front there were photos of the signature menu items posted up, so you could see what was on offer before ordering! I visited around 7:30 on a Friday and there were quite a lot of customers, so I'd recommend booking ahead if you're going for dinner 👍

You order at the kiosk when you go in, and if there's a wait you check your spot with your receipt number! Since it's noodle food the turnover is fast, so it doesn't seem like you'd wait too long haha.

Inside Mentsuru Euljiro Branch: bar counter or table?

The inside wasn't as cramped as I expected — there's a bar table facing the kitchen in particular, which looked like a good spot to eat ramen solo!

There are also separate 2-top and 4-top tables, so it seemed like a good spot for coming with a friend or for a meal on an Euljiro date haha. Overall the place was clean, and the Japanese ramen shop interior suited the mood well :)

What is on the Mentsuru menu and how much does it cost?

The menu could be seen on the kiosk, ranging from ramen to rice bowls to sides. There were quite a lot of ramen types — shio ramen, shoyu ramen, spicy shoyu ramen, tori paitan, motsu ramen, cold tsukemen, and more. And everything was under 15,000 won so it's easy on the wallet too!

After some deliberation we ordered two things to share: 🍜 tori paitan for ₩12,000 and 🍚 hormone-don for ₩15,000 haha.

Tori paitan, 12,000 won: how is the broth and the noodle texture?

After about 10 minutes the food came out quickly. First up, the tori paitan ramen! Even from the look of it the broth was rich and milky-white, so I had high expectations haha. Tasting it, the broth was quite rich yet clean at the same time, which I loved! I worried it might be too salty or greasy given how rich it looked, but it had just the right clean flavor, easy to eat.

And when I eat ramen, I think how well the noodles are cooked matters a lot..!! haha If they're too soft the texture is disappointing, but if they're too undercooked that's not my taste either. Mentsuru's tori paitan noodles were cooked just right, not leaning either way, so they went great with the broth 👍🏻

For toppings there were bamboo shoots, onion, and about four slices of chashu, and even split with a friend I felt full without feeling shortchanged haha.

Hormone-don, 15,000 won: grilled daechang rice bowl with wasabi

Next up, the hormone-don!! Personally, of the two dishes this one was a bit more to my taste 🤤 It wasn't just daechang (grilled beef intestine) on top of rice — there was also meat, an egg yolk, onion, and cheongyang chili on top, so the composition was more varied than I expected.

Daechang can turn out chewy and greasy if it's not grilled well, but here it was grilled nicely, and the seasoning wasn't too spicy or too sweet, which I liked! Since daechang itself is a fatty food, if the seasoning is also too sweet or too intense you can get sick of it fast, but this hormone-don wasn't like that, so it was easy to eat all the way through.

Especially with the wasabi served alongside, it cut through the richness completely, so definitely try adding wasabi on top like this haha. If you like daechang, I'd recommend ordering a ramen and a hormone-don and splitting them!

Later I just mixed everything together and topped it with only wasabi, and the daechang seasoning naturally coated the rice, which actually made it even tastier haha. It was easier to eat that way too!

For two at Mentsuru: one ramen, one rice bowl, shared

Mentsuru, which I visited wanting ramen in Euljiro! The tori paitan's rich yet clean broth and perfectly cooked noodles, and the hormone-don's well-grilled daechang and seasoning that wasn't overly spicy or sweet — thinking about it now makes me want to eat it again haha.

Ramen and rice bowls each have their own charm, so if you're visiting with someone, I'd recommend ordering one of each to share 🙌🏻 Whether you're eating solo in Euljiro or looking for a spot for a meal with friends or a date, this place is worth considering!