Soupless mazesoba at a Japanese restaurant in Incheon: Menya Seoul

Today I'm sharing my trip to Menya Seoul, a great spot in Lotte Department Store Incheon for when you want to shop and eat a good meal at the same time!

When you're shopping at Lotte Department Store, you get hungry and start thinking "what should I eat today?" 🤔 That's how I ended up at Menya Seoul — I was looking for something simple but filling inside the department store.

I usually like ramen, but that day I wanted something a little different from soup ramen, so I ordered the pork belly mazesoba. 🍜🥩

To cut to the conclusion — the noodles and meat worked together better than I expected, and the atmosphere wasn't awkward at all for solo dining, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a solo-dining spot. 👍

Where is Menya Seoul in Lotte Department Store Incheon, and what is it like?

Finding Menya Seoul on basement level 1 of Lotte Department Store Incheon

I liked that Menya Seoul is inside the department store, so you can shop and eat in one trip. Eating inside Lotte Department Store Incheon also means it's easy to get around even on cold or rainy days. ☔️

It's a nice place to visit with friends or family, but personally I thought it also worked well for solo dining. It seems like a good pick for days when you think, "I just want something simple and tasty by myself today!" 😊

Friendly staff at Menya Seoul

When you visit a restaurant, how the staff treat you matters almost as much as the food itself. The staff at Menya Seoul were friendly that day, which made for a pleasant meal. 😊

Ordering felt relaxed, and overall the meal didn't feel like a hassle, even on my first visit. These days good food matters, but friendly staff really do make the whole dining experience feel better. 💕

What is pork belly mazesoba? Noodles served without broth

What I ordered was the pork belly mazesoba! Unlike regular soup ramen, mazesoba is a style where you mix the noodles with sauce and toppings instead of eating them in broth.

With pork belly piled on top too, it looked pretty hearty. 😋 The first thing that caught my eye when the dish arrived was, of course, the big chunks of pork belly on top! With various toppings and sauce over the noodles, it looked delicious from the very first glance.

How to mix mazesoba: the key is mixing it thoroughly

If you're trying mazesoba for the first time, you might think "how do I even eat this?" All you need to do is lift the noodles from the bottom with your chopsticks so the sauce and toppings mix evenly throughout. 😊

At first, each ingredient sat separately on top, but after mixing it well, the sauce coated the noodles evenly and it looked much more appetizing.

Then I took a bite. Since it's noodles without broth, I thought it might taste a bit plain at first, but the flavor of the sauce came through better than expected. The noodles had a nice chewy texture, which made them fun to chew, and eating them with the various toppings let me taste a different flavor with each bite.

Pork belly and chewy noodles: how the combination tastes

I think the biggest charm of the pork belly mazesoba has to be the pork belly itself. ❤️

The big pieces of pork belly are good on their own, but I liked eating them together with the noodles even more. Taking a chopstick of noodles with a piece of pork belly together, the savory flavor of the meat blended really well with the rich mazesoba sauce.

The taste felt different eating the noodles alone versus with the pork belly, so it was fun to switch back and forth. Most of all, having meat in the bowl made just one bowl pretty filling. 👍

If you normally like noodle dishes but sometimes think "noodles alone feel a bit lacking," the pork belly mazesoba would suit you well.

Is Menya Seoul a good spot for solo dining in Michuhol, Incheon?

One thing I personally liked was that eating alone at Menya Seoul didn't feel awkward at all. These days plenty of people shop alone and eat alone too.

When I'm looking for somewhere to eat by myself, I tend to prefer places where the food comes out fast and I can eat comfortably alone. Since Menya Seoul serves noodle dishes, the meal was relatively quick, and it felt fine to go in alone, eat a bowl, and head out. 🍜

The staff's friendly service in particular meant that even dining solo, I didn't feel any discomfort and could eat comfortably. So I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a solo-dining spot in Lotte Department Store Incheon! 😊

It's a place you could visit with a friend for good noodles, with family after shopping, or alone like I did, to enjoy a leisurely solo meal.