Seongsu ramen shop: tomato mazesoba vs Osaka tomato ramen, Menya Pomo

Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch: location and opening hours

Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch (멘야포모 성수점) is at 37-17 Yeonmujang-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the basement level. It is open every day: weekdays 11:00–20:30 (break time 15:30–17:30) and weekends 11:30–20:30 (last order 20:00). There is no parking.

I went to Seongsu on a holiday weekend, and it was even more crowded than usual, which is saying something! After wandering around, lunchtime had passed and I was hungry, wondering what to eat, and then I spotted Menya Pomo nearby, which serves tomato ramen!

I had tomato ramen once on a trip to Osaka and loved it. So I walked in with high hopes, excited to have tomato ramen again after so long, haha.

Menya Pomo Seongsu atmosphere and seating: is it OK for dining solo?

Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch has solo-diner tables, tables for two and tables for four, so it's easy to eat here alone or with a friend. The moment I opened the door, the Japanese-style interior caught my eye.

The seating ranges from solo-diner tables to tables for two and four.

The layout makes it easy to just walk in and eat, so I thought it would work perfectly well as a solo-dining spot in Seongsu.

There's also a self-serve bar on one side, and the rice is free with unlimited refills…!

Menya Pomo Seongsu menu

What two people ordered: Hanwoo katsu tomato ramen set and tomato mazesoba

At Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch, the two of us ordered a Hanwoo (Korean beef) katsu tomato ramen set, tomato mazesoba, chicken fresh salad and 2 pieces of yakitori. The tomato ramen was the main event!

• Hanwoo katsu tomato ramen set (choices: spice level 1 Shin Ramyun / cheese risotto rice / zero cola)
• Tomato mazesoba (spice level 1)
• Chicken fresh salad
• Yakitori, 2 pieces

We ordered quite a spread for two… I came for one bowl of tomato ramen, kept adding things, and it turned into a proper full table, haha.

Menya Pomo spice level 1: how spicy is it?

Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch lets you choose from 5 spice levels, and level 1 is labeled "Shin Ramyun spiciness." But even for a total wimp with spice like me, level 1 honestly felt closer to plain tomato sauce!

Kids could probably eat it...? If you want at least some real heat, I think you'll need to order level 3 or higher to be satisfied!

A pleasant surprise: chicken fresh salad and yakitori

The dish that surprised me most that day at Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch was the chicken fresh salad. Fresh vegetables with chicken, so refreshing and nutty, it reset my palate and really got my appetite going.

I should have ordered two.. if you go to Menya Pomo, the salad is a must-have side…

The golden-grilled yakitori (skewered chicken) was also nicely salty and a great little extra to share!

Hanwoo katsu tomato ramen vs Osaka tomato ramen

The Hanwoo katsu tomato ramen at Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch had slightly thinner noodles than the tomato ramen I ate in Osaka, and the flavor was more mainstream, tuned to Korean tastes. The Hanwoo katsu looked great from the start.

Since it's a cutlet sitting on top of ramen, I assumed it would be just a small add-on, but the quality was better than I expected.

The meat was tender and the coating crispy, and it went really well with the tomato ramen.

The noodles were a bit thinner than the tomato ramen I had in Osaka, and the taste felt slightly different too. If the Osaka bowl felt more like authentic Japanese food, Menya Pomo's tomato ramen felt a little more adapted to Korean tastes. Overall, it was a more mainstream flavor!

Tomato mazesoba and the cheese risotto rice finish

The tomato mazesoba (brothless mixed noodles) at Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch was a mainstream style leaning slightly toward Korean-style tomato pasta. If you go expecting the rich, salty punch typical of mazesoba, it may feel a little different.

That said, I figured even people trying tomato ramen for the first time could enjoy it without much risk of disliking it.

The cheese rice at the end is the real kicker, haha. Even if you're full, you have to finish with this.

Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch: overall verdict and visit tips

Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch felt less like "wow, so unique!" and more like a familiar, crowd-pleasing tomato ramen shop that's simply tasty.

If, like me, you tried tomato ramen in Osaka and are going because you miss that flavor, it may taste different from what you had there. Seongsu has so many places to eat that people pick restaurants by purpose, like ramen, solo dining or a date. In those cases, tomato ramen could be a slightly different choice.

We visited well after lunchtime, and it was fine at first, but after a little while the place suddenly filled up;; It's more popular than I expected.

If you want ramen in Seongsu, if you're looking for something a bit different from ordinary tonkotsu ramen, or if you simply like tomato ramen,

it's worth jotting down Menya Pomo Seongsu Branch! 🍅🍜