Seoul ramen near Children's Grand Park Station: chili gyudon, Mentsuru

If you want to go for a walk in Children's Grand Park and get a great meal in too, this is the place I'd recommend! It's 'Mentsuru,' right in front of Children's Grand Park Station. It only opened recently but it was already packed with customers, so I went to check it out.

The space had a clean, Japanese-style feel with an open kitchen, so you could watch the food being made — good for solo dining or a date. There was a good spread of ramen, rice bowls, and side dishes too, haha. It's also great to go for a walk in Children's Grand Park right after eating ramen, so if you're looking for a ramen spot near Children's Grand Park, this one's worth stopping by :)

Where is Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch, and when is it open?

• 📍 Address: 394 Gwangnaru-ro, 1F, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea (57m from Exit 4, Children's Grand Park Station)
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00
• ✔️ Reservations: Via Naver Reservations

Right outside Exit 4: inside the Mentsuru dining room

Mentsuru is right by Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station, so it's super accessible. You can find it almost the moment you step out of the station, which also makes it convenient as a meeting spot. There are actually a lot of Sejong University and Konkuk University students around, so it seemed like a lot of them come here too!

The storefront has full glass windows so you can see the interior from outside — clean and with a slight Michelin-restaurant vibe 🥰

I visited around 7pm on a weekend and it was already buzzing with customers! The interior was clean overall, and we sat at the counter seats.

Because it's an open kitchen, you can see the food being made, which honestly made me trust it more.

You order easily through a tablet right at the table.

There was also a Naver review event going on — write a review and you get a drink or fried gyoza, so if you visit, be sure to grab that too!

Ordering spicy shoyu ramen, gyudon and takoyaki at Mentsuru

At Mentsuru we ordered spicy shoyu ramen (extra pork belly), gyudon (extra cheongyang chili), and takoyaki.

The side-dish container at the table had, instead of the usual yellow pickled radish, one with yuzu (I think?) in it. I actually liked this better than the yellow kind!

Spicy shoyu ramen: a clean clam and chicken broth

First I tried the spicy shoyu ramen, and the broth was less oily than expected — light and clean.

Since it uses clam and chicken broth, it had savory depth without feeling heavy! I usually love this kind of clean broth, so it was totally my type >_<

Adding cheongyang chili gave it a spicy kick that would work great as a hangover cure too, and the meat — plus the extra pork belly — was generously portioned, so it felt filling.

The noodles were chewy and delicious too.

Gyudon with extra cheongyang chili was the smart move

The gyudon (beef rice bowl) had yellow, red, and green ingredients all mixed together, so it was colorful even just visually.

I popped the egg yolk and mixed it all together, and adding the cheongyang chili was genuinely a genius move!

With the beef pork belly, cheongyang chili on top, and rice all together, it just kept going down without any greasiness... They said it's made with a special seasoned sauce, and the seasoning was so good I actually wanted to know the secret!

Takoyaki to finish the meal

Lastly, the takoyaki had that familiar food-truck-style feel, so after the ramen and gyudon it was nice to pop them one by one like a dessert. Soft outside, hot inside — the perfect finishing menu!

Who should eat at Mentsuru?

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is easy to find right in front of Children's Grand Park Station, and with its clean interior and varied menu it's great for groups too, since everyone can pick something to their own taste! The spicy shoyu ramen especially, with its light, clean broth plus a spicy kick you can add, suited my taste perfectly, and I'd recommend trying the gyudon with extra cheongyang chili too.

If you're looking for a lunch spot, a ramen restaurant, or a date spot near Konkuk University around Children's Grand Park, this could be a great course to follow with a walk around the park right after eating 🌳🍜