Tori paitan ramen with extra chashu at a City Hall ramen bar: Mentsuru
In short
Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a ramen restaurant in Seosomun-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, a short walk from City Hall Station Exit 10. On a weekday evening visit, the tori paitan (rich chicken broth ramen) came with extra gabri chashu for 2,500 won, alongside handmade karaage and draft Asahi, and the basement was full so the seating was at the first-floor bar table. The broth at Mentsuru is deeply rich and the karaage crisp outside and juicy inside, which explains why about half the customers were eating alone.
Good to know
- Location
- 1F Unit 1, 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (walk from City Hall Station Exit 10)
- Hours
- Daily 11:00–21:30, last order 21:00, no break time
- How to order
- Kiosk at the entrance
- Tori paitan (rich chicken broth)
- 12,000 won
- Extra gabri chashu
- 2,500 won
- Handmade karaage
- 7,000 won (4 pieces)
- Draft Asahi
- 6,000 won
- Seating
- First-floor bar table plus basement seating (guests are sent to the first floor when the basement is full)
- Extras
- Free bowl of rice, water, pepper, pickled radish and a phone stand at every seat, free drink for a Naver or Google review
- Price reference
- ₩12,000 ≈ $8.9 · ₩2,500 ≈ $1.9 · ₩7,000 ≈ $5.2 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 16, 2026
Today I'm writing up a review of Mentsuru, a place famous as an office-worker favorite near City Hall Station haha 😋😋
Where is Mentsuru City Hall Branch and what are its hours?
Mentsuru City Hall Branch is located a straight walk from City Hall Station Exit 10! Hours are daily 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., last order at 9, no break time.
Since it's known as an office-worker favorite near City Hall Station, I visited on a weekday evening and there were indeed a lot of office workers!! It's also well known as a solo-dining spot near City Hall, so about half the customers came alone.
Business hours Daily 11:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Last order 9:00 p.m. No break time!!
Kiosk ordering and the menu at Mentsuru
At this City Hall Station ramen restaurant, Mentsuru, you order at the kiosk near the entrance. There isn't just one type of ramen — there are several kinds, so it's easy to order whatever suits your taste 👍🏻
— Menu board — There are also rice dishes like chashu-don (rice bowl with chashu) and gyu-don (beef rice bowl), so if you prefer rice to noodles, a rice bowl works well too 🍚 They had shoyu ramen, spicy shoyu ramen, shio ramen, motsu ramen, gyu-don, tsukemen, and chashu-don.
— Drinks board — Fitting the Japanese theme, there were Japanese drinks too, and even draft Asahi haha 🍻
Solo-dining bar seats and the basement room
— Seating inside the restaurant — Mentsuru City Hall Branch has a bar table, making it a perfect spot for solo dining near City Hall Station!!
The restaurant isn't just this space — it also runs a basement floor! Since they guide you upstairs when the basement is full, the basement must have been completely full when I visited. With Deoksugung Palace's night opening happening these days, it might get even more crowded~
While waiting for my order and looking around, I noticed photos of famous celebrities like Lycien who visited this office-worker favorite near City Hall Station~
Every seat had water, pepper, and pickled radish. And a thoughtful touch — even a phone stand!!! They give out a drink if you write a Naver or Google review, so everyone should write a review and grab a drink~
Tori paitan rich chicken broth with extra gabri chashu
What I ordered: tori paitan (rich broth) ₩12,000 with extra gabri chashu ₩2,500, handmade gara-age ₩7,000, and draft Asahi ₩6,000. The food came out incredibly fast ✨✨ Such an appetizing-looking visual
Draft Asahi ₩6,000 Even places that serve draft beer can vary wildly in taste, but the draft beer at Mentsuru City Hall Branch is seriously delicious 💛💛 I almost never finish a whole beer I order, but today I drained it completely 🍻
Tori paitan (rich broth) ₩12,000 + Extra gabri chashu ₩2,500 Chashu comes included by default, and I added gabri chashu on top 🐷🐷 The broth looks rich and creamy-white just from a glance~
Taste-wise, need I say more~ It's ramen with a rich meat broth, so it's savory and clean-tasting — no lengthy explanation needed, just delicious 🍜
The noodle doneness was just right too
The extra gabri chashu was seriously delicious, and the default chashu was seriously delicious too 💖 Everything's just good, honestly
The broth is really rich and delicious!! Oh, and this favorite spot near City Hall Station gives out free rice refills, so after finishing your noodles, have some rice too 🍚 I was too full from the beer to eat it, and thinking back now I really regret it 🥲
Handmade karaage for 7,000 won
Handmade gara-age ₩7,000. Comes with four fairly large pieces 🍗 The essence of crispy-outside, juicy-inside!! The outside is crispy fried while the meat inside — seems to be chicken thigh — is tender, so I don't think anyone would dislike it
Is Mentsuru City Hall Branch worth a visit?
Mentsuru overall verdict [honest review] Even though it was a weekday evening, so many customers were dining solo that I wondered just how good it could be — and I was thoroughly satisfied !!💗 The ramen had a rich flavor that hit my exact taste, and the gara-age was so delicious my beer disappeared in an instant ㅠㅠㅠ Next time I'm near City Hall Station, I'll definitely come back again 🍜
Where it is
1F, 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 중구 서소문로11길 2 1층 1호
