Sunday lunch tsukemen and spicy shio ramen: Mentsuru City Hall

On a Sunday you've gotta eat something good, right? My friend and I met up near City Hall Station on the weekend and were trying to figure out what to have for lunch, so we went for ramen, which I love.

This time we went to Mentsuru, which I found while searching for good restaurants near City Hall Station.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch

Sunday 2pm, and the first floor was already full

We visited around 2pm on a Sunday.

Since it was well past lunch peak, I figured the place would be a bit quiet. But nope — there were way more customers than I expected!

Even after the weekend lunch peak, the first floor was already full. Since the first floor was full, we were guided down to the basement to eat. There was a separate dining space downstairs too, and I liked how clean and tidy it felt.

What we ordered and the prices

• Tsukemen + basic flavor (₩13,000)
• Shio ramen + spicy flavor (₩11,500)
• Fried gyoza 6P (₩5,000)

One thing I found interesting was how many customers were eating alone! Since there are bar seats, solo dining is easy and comfortable here.

Every table had chopsticks, kimchi, and tissues set out.

Everything we ordered came out at once. I guess because it's ramen, we barely had to wait!

Tsukemen in the basic flavor, noodles and sauce served separately

The tsukemen looked appetizing right from the start. Several slices of chashu were piled on top of the noodles along with egg and green onion. Seaweed came alongside too, so it looked hearty just from the visuals. Since the noodles come in a separate bowl, you could really feel their springy, chewy texture even more.

Tsukemen (noodles served with dipping sauce on the side) has a whole different vibe from regular ramen since the noodles and broth are separate.

I dipped the noodles deep into the tsukemen sauce. The sauce was on the rich side, so it clung well to the noodles. One bite in, the noodles were chewy and the sauce had a really savory depth — delicious. I personally love this style of tsukemen where you dip the noodles into the sauce, and eating it again after a while, it really hit the spot!!

Shio ramen, ordered spicy

Shio ramen also comes in basic or spicy, and since the basic version can feel a bit greasy, I went with spicy!

The noodles sat in a warm broth topped with chashu, egg, and green onion. I ordered it spicy, but it wasn't overwhelmingly hot! Even drinking a lot of the broth, it didn't feel greasy at all.

Slurping the noodles in the warm broth, especially with the meat, gave it a different charm from the tsukemen. When two people each order a different dish, you can share bites back and forth — I think ordering different menus like this is a great idea!

Fried gyoza 6P as a side

And the fried gyoza 6P we ordered together! You know you've gotta order at least one side when you're having ramen, right? The gyoza came out fried to a golden brown, with a crispy exterior that was really tasty!

Picking one up with chopsticks, the outside was crispy while the inside had a moist dumpling filling, which went great with the ramen. Six pieces was just the right amount to order as a side for two people.

Order different dishes with two, grab a bar seat if solo

Even visiting around 2pm, past the lunch rush, there were so many customers that the first floor was already full — but thanks to the basement being available, we luckily didn't have to wait at all. There were a lot of solo diners too, so it seemed like a fine spot to visit alone, and I'd also recommend going with a friend like we did and ordering a variety of dishes to share. That's my lunch review of Mentsuru, a City Hall favorite among office workers.