Euljiro ramen restaurant, no-wait Sunday solo motsu ramen: Mentsuru

Here's my solo dining report from Mentsuru Euljiro Branch, famous for its beef tripe ramen.

What kind of ramen restaurant is Mentsuru Euljiro Branch?

Mentsuru is a ramen specialty restaurant where you can enjoy authentic ramen, located between Euljiro and Chungmuro.

It's easily accessible — a 4-minute walk from Euljiro3(sam)-ga Station Exit 9, or a 5-minute walk from Chungmuro Station Exit 6.

The exterior looked like a little ramen shop in a small Japanese town. You order at the kiosk next to the entrance before going in.

Was there a wait at 8:20pm on a Sunday?

There's usually a wait during peak hours. When you order at the kiosk outside, a receipt prints out, and if there's a wait, the order number on the receipt becomes your waiting number. The sign says turnover is fast. I walked in at 8:20pm on a Sunday and got seated immediately with no wait at all.

Inside Mentsuru Euljiro Branch: seats and layout

The interior of Mentsuru Euljiro Branch is laid out in a long, narrow shape.

Right as you walk in, there's a bar table with 7 seats on the right.

Further inside, there are 4 tables for two and 1 table for four. The seats along the wall are connected sofa-style.

Mentsuru's menu and what one person can order

My order (for one):

• Motsu ramen (beef tripe ramen) ₩15,000
• Homemade karaage ₩7,000
• Total ₩22,000

I ordered only the best-seller items. Ramen with beef tripe — I was curious how that combination would taste.

There are menu descriptions posted, which made it easy to choose what to order.

The peach iced tea from the Naver review event

If you leave a Naver receipt review, you can choose a free item from soda, gyoza dumplings, yuzu-ade, or peach iced tea. I wanted the yuzu-ade, but they said it wasn't available since it was late, so I got the peach iced tea instead. Since there are a lot of foreign visitors in Euljiro, there's also a Google Maps review event for them.

I noticed yuzu syrup in the fridge for making the yuzu-ade! I heard it's delicious and really wanted to try it too haha. But the peach iced tea was tasty too — sweet and cold, it was great for cleansing my palate between bites of the motsu ramen and karaage.

What comes on the table at Mentsuru

Mentsuru Euljiro Branch's basic table setting.

They brought water and pickled radish. The pickled radish is served in a small dish on the table, and you help yourself to as much as you like.

And here comes the food!

The karaage came out first, and while I was eating a piece, the motsu ramen arrived.

Homemade karaage, 7,000 won: crisp outside, juicy inside

🍗 Homemade karaage: Japanese-style fried chicken, made from fresh chicken thigh battered and fried to order. Five large pieces of karaage came out with sauce.

It was crispy outside and tender inside, done right — the coating was thin but crunchy and soft at the same time, and the chicken thigh meat itself was especially tender. This is a must-order side dish. It also went really well with the beef tripe ramen. And honestly, one bite in and I really wanted a beer haha. It was too late for that, but this side would be great paired with a beer.

Motsu ramen, 15,000 won: how much beef tripe is in the bowl?

🍜 Motsu ramen (beef tripe ramen): a spicy hangover-curing ramen loaded generously with beef tripe and beef brisket. A ramen and beef tripe-plus-brisket combination — as described, it was packed generously with beef tripe and brisket. There was even tripe left over after I finished all the noodles. There was so much tripe I was surprised they could give away this much — it's genuinely a great-value menu item.

The beef brisket was savory, and as you can see, the tripe is packed with fat. Some of the fat cooked out into the broth as it mixed with the ramen, but overall they seem to use tripe that's naturally rich in fat.

The noodle portion was generous too, and nicely chewy. The bean sprouts were crunchy, giving good texture.

I was worried it might be too spicy, but even as someone who can't handle spice well, I could eat it fine — just spicy enough to have a kick. The ramen and beef tripe combination felt like it had always belonged together.

🥤 Peach iced tea: sipping this between bites of hot ramen cooled everything down so nicely. This was the one I got from the review event, and it seemed identical to the regular item. The portion was generous and it came in a highball glass, which somehow made it taste even better haha. There was plenty of it, so I never ran out.

Salty broth and free rice: why Mentsuru works for solo dining

The ramen broth was a bit too salty for my taste, so I added a little water to it. Eating it alongside the karaage and drink made it even better! It also helped cut the spiciness now and then, and having a bite of the side dish in between somehow made everything taste even better. I got so full from also eating the side dish that I couldn't finish the rice, but rice is provided for free. Maybe I should have skipped eating beforehand to come here on an empty stomach haha. It's a meal you can eat until you're overflowing full 👍 I was hungry and it was so delicious that I finished it in no time. The dishes come out fast and all you have to do is slurp it down, so it was great for eating solo.

I want to eat this again already...

Restroom at Mentsuru Euljiro Branch

The restroom is inside, one unisex stall. It's clean.

Final verdict on Mentsuru Euljiro Branch

• A great ramen restaurant close to Euljiro3(sam)-ga and Chungmuro stations
• A charming exterior that feels like a small Japanese town
• A distinctive menu item — motsu ramen (beef tripe ramen)
• Great mains and sides to pair with drinks like highballs, beer, and sake
• A good spot for eating solo