Gwangjin Japanese restaurant, gyudon with extra egg: Mentsuru

Where is Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, and what are its hours?

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is a ramen and rice bowl restaurant at 394 Gwangnaru-ro, 1st floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul — just 30 seconds on foot from Children's Grand Park Station. It's open daily 11:00–23:00 (last order 22:30), no days off, no break time, so I could stop by even at an awkward hour in the afternoon. There's no parking on-site, so if you're driving, the paid Gwangjin Plaza public parking lot across the street works fine.

Went to Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch! Access is great. I was thinking, surely I'll be the only one there,,? but nope, packed with people;

A clean-looking exterior just a short walk from Children's Grand Park Station

Window bar seats at Mentsuru: the view, the seating and how to order

At Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch you order via a kiosk near the entrance and an order pad at each seat. My first impression was so good — looking from inside the restaurant toward the entrance, this is the view you get. The weather was really clear that day too, so looking outside was so pretty.

There's a kiosk near the entrance and a separate order pad set up at each table. And there's the cat that always greets you at ramen shops🐈🐈‍⬛

The order pad at the bar table! Above it, ice water, paper cups, and chopsticks were set up for self-serve use.

This outer bar table has such a good view that I really loved this spot👍👍

There was also a half-moon-shaped bar table facing the kitchen, but customers kept coming in, so I just admired this one from a distance haha

Hormone-don sold out at Mentsuru, so gyudon it was

Checking out the Mentsuru menu👀 I remembered loving the motsu ramen (beef tripe ramen) here last time, so today I came for the hormone-don (grilled beef intestine rice bowl) — but what, temporarily sold out🫢 So disappointing, but gyudon (beef rice bowl) soothed the letdown.

Also scanned the drinks and alcohol menu. It's Japanese food, so oolong tea it is🤔

If you leave a keyword review on Naver, you can get a free drink or fried gyoza on the house!

A cute cat decoration placed at every table😻

Mentsuru's gyudon with extra egg: is the chili topping too spicy?

Here's what I ordered at Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch that day.

• Gyudon (+extra egg)
• Fried gyoza
• Oolong tea

Popping that gorgeous yolk🍳🍳 hahahahahaha

The extra egg was so so so good!! You should add two!! It was a soft-boiled egg seasoned just right, so it went down smoothly. Mentsuru's gyudon was really delicious too. I'm a spice wimp so I was worried about the chili topping, but it was only mildly spicy, so piling meat, onion, and chili topping onto the rice was so~ good~

Fried gyoza at Mentsuru: 6 pieces, just right as a side

Mentsuru's fried gyoza comes in 6 pieces, which was just the right amount as a side. And my beloved dumplings, dumplings — the gyoza's outside was crispy and the inside was packed with meaty juices, giving it a great bite,,! The tangy soy sauce underneath cut through the greasiness of the fried batter, so I could eat it all the way through without getting tired of it. I ordered it as a side, but I would've regretted not ordering it😋 Topping it with scallions made the texture even better. Careful, it's very hot fresh out haha

Still busy in the late afternoon: book ahead at Mentsuru

The cat I ran into on my way out. Bye kitty, I ate so well, I'll come back again😘 Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch still had quite a few customers when I visited in the late afternoon, well past lunchtime, so during peak hours the wait is probably substantial — booking ahead seems like a good idea. That way you can enjoy it more comfortably!

Overall the food was clean and the portions generous, so Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch was satisfying! Ordering one main from the ramen or rice bowl menu along with the fried gyoza as a side seems like a great way to have a filling meal. There's also a wide variety of menu items, so it was easy to pick based on your taste👍 If you're looking for a solid meal near Children's Grand Park or Sejong University, this place is worth a visit. Next time I'll have to come back for the hormone-don I missed out on this time😉