Weekend open-run ramen and chashu don in Mokdong, Seoul: Gyedan Ramen

I finally visited Gyedan Ramen Mokdong Branch. It's in a shopping building near Mokdong Station that I pass by often, so it was easy to find. It's been a while since I had such deep, rich Japanese-style ramen broth, plus a side dish — chashu don — that was good enough to be sold as a main menu item. This might be the first ramen place I've ever cleaned my bowl so thoroughly that you wouldn't even need to wash it, haha.

Gyedan Ramen Mokdong Branch

Gyedan Ramen Mokdong Branch near Omokgyo Station: what are the solo seats like?

Gyedan Ramen Mokdong Branch has solo booth seats set up. Since it's near a broadcasting station with plenty of office workers around, it's a great spot for solo dining in Mokdong or Yangcheon-gu.

Arrive at weekend opening time and walk in with no wait

Even though it's in the basement, Gyedan Ramen Mokdong Branch was easy to find right away. Seeing a waiting list set up out front, I can only imagine how packed it gets on weekdays! I got lucky visiting early on a weekend morning right at opening time, so I got in immediately, but if you're planning to visit, I'd recommend going early since you may have to wait.

Ordering Gyedan Ramen 11,000 won and Motsu Ramen 12,000 won, both rich broth

Gyedan Ramen ₩11,000 Motsu Ramen ₩12,000

We wanted to try both kinds, so we ordered one gyedan ramen and one motsu ramen, and chose the rich option over the basic broth.

The atmosphere felt so Japanese — clean and tidy, exactly the vibe I love.

We ordered through the kiosk at each seat, and the food came out quickly.

How the rich broth tastes, and why the motsu ramen bowl came back empty

I'm not sure what the basic broth is like, but I'm so glad we chose rich. The deep flavor of the wood ear mushrooms and chashu was completely dissolved into the soup, so the gyedan ramen was really delicious. Even the motsu ramen with fried pork intestines had a broth so deep my husband couldn't put it down, finishing the soup completely — the depth of flavor was hard to even measure.

Mini chashu don 5,000 won: too good to be just a side

We ordered the chashu don side dish to share, and the meat was so tender it melted the moment it hit my mouth. Instead of mixing it into the rice, we placed it right on top of plain white rice, and it was so, so good.

The mini chashu don was good enough to be added as a main dish rather than a side — the sauce, meat, and rice went together perfectly.

The ramen noodles were also nice and chewy, great texture. Mash in the soft-boiled egg and it's a perfect finish 🤍🫶 For a Mokdong lunch, a Mokdong meal, or a Mokdong family outing, I definitely recommend trying this combo of gyedan ramen, motsu ramen, and chashu don.

Gyedan Ramen Mokdong Branch menu and prices

Tonkotsu ramen

• Gyedan Ramen (basic/rich) — wood ear mushroom, chashu, egg ₩11,000
• Motsu Ramen (basic/rich) — wood ear mushroom, chashu, egg, fried pork intestine ₩12,000
• The richness of the broth is a difference in thickness and saltiness
• Noodle firmness can also be requested from staff
• Toppings you don't want can be excluded if you mention it when ordering

Mini rice bowls

• Tamago don ₩3,000 — a rice bowl topped with egg omelet and pork
• Chashu don ₩5,000 — a rice bowl topped with Japanese-style pork belly and special soy sauce

Add-ons

• Extra noodles ₩1,000
• Extra chashu ₩1,500
• Extra egg ₩1,500
• Extra pork intestine ₩1,500
• Rice ₩1,000

Drinks and alcohol

• Cola/zero cola ₩2,000, cider ₩2,000
• Ramune ₩3,000, melon soda ₩5,000
• Earl Grey milk tea 300ml ₩5,000
• Highball ₩6,000
• Draft beer 400ml ₩6,000 / 200ml ₩3,000 (Sapporo beer)

Gyedan Ramen Mokdong Branch