Konkuk University late-night ramen: shoyu vs motsu at Mentsuru

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

I was looking for dinner near Children's Grand Park and ended up at Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch! It's close to both Sejong University and Konkuk University, and easy to get to on foot from Children's Grand Park Station too.

Best of all, it's open every day with no break time, so it's great for those in-between hours when you suddenly want ramen. And apparently they run late-night ramen hours too, so it also seems like a good spot to finish off a night of drinks nearby.

Bar seats for solo diners and the mood inside Mentsuru

Walking in, the first thing that catches your eye is the bar-style seating wrapped around the kitchen. It's an open kitchen, so you can watch the ramen being made, and the setup didn't feel awkward for eating alone at all.

Overall the interior has a wood-toned, Japanese-inflected look — clean, but still carrying that classic ramen-shop atmosphere.

On the other side there are also tables that can seat several people, so it works well not just for solo dining but for visits with friends or a date too.

The three dishes ordered at Mentsuru

What I ordered was:

• Shoyu ramen
• Motsu ramen
• Karaage

Those three! Two bowls of ramen plus karaage on top made for a proper full meal.

Shoyu ramen: clean, savory broth

Mentsuru's shoyu ramen has a clear brown broth topped with chashu (braised pork slices), egg, menma (fermented bamboo shoots), and green onion — it looks exactly like a proper Japanese shoyu ramen. Taste the broth first and it's clean yet savory, and it worked really well eaten together with the toppings and noodles.

If this is your first visit to Mentsuru, I think this is a safe, easy pick.

Motsu ramen: rich and spicy broth

And then there's the motsu ramen, which looks completely different from the start. Where the shoyu ramen is clean-looking, the motsu ramen's red broth is much more intense from the get-go. The broth is packed with motsu (beef offal) and bean sprouts, topped generously with green onion — it looked really appetizing.

The rich, spicy broth combined with the distinctive savory flavor of the motsu gives it a completely different appeal from the shoyu ramen.

If you usually like spicy, rich broths or offal dishes like gopchang and daechang (grilled beef intestines), I'd recommend going for the motsu ramen!

It's also nice this way — adding pepper to taste.

This yuzu danmuji (pickled radish) was quite good, too.

Karaage: a generous side to share

It felt like too little to just have ramen, so I also ordered karaage on the side. The portion came out bigger than I expected.

Crispy outside, juicy chicken inside — perfect for popping a piece between bites of ramen.

Final verdict on Mentsuru ⭐

If you're craving proper Japanese-style ramen near Children's Grand Park Station or Sejong University, this place is worth a visit. Go for the shoyu ramen if you want something clean, or the motsu ramen if you like it rich and spicy — add karaage on the side and the combo is complete!

With bar seats good for eating alone and tables for larger groups, plus a clean, comfortable atmosphere, it was an easy place to visit. Recommended for anyone looking for a ramen spot near Children's Grand Park, Sejong University, or Konkuk University :)