Jayang-dong ramen shop: rich broth vs thick mazesoba at Sonoki Ramen

Why I went for hot ramen in Konkuk Univ.: Sonoki Ramen main branch

Sonoki Ramen Konkuk Univ. main branch is a ramen shop in Jayang-dong near Konkuk Univ. Station, and I ordered both its signature Sonoki Ramen and the mazesoba (brothless mixed noodles). It's getting chilly lately, and it's just the season when you crave something hot and soupy!! I was wondering what to eat in Konkuk Univ., wanted a steaming bowl of ramen, and ended up at Sonoki Ramen Konkuk Univ. main branch :)

That day I ordered the signature Sonoki Ramen plus the mazesoba, which you mix up with no broth and eat thick and saucy. One is hot, rich broth and the other is nutty, thick mixed noodles, so the two taste totally different and it was so good to order them together haha. It's close to Konkuk Univ. Station and lots of people come to eat alone, so I'd recommend it to anyone in Konkuk Univ. looking for ramen or a solo meal! Here's my review of both Sonoki Ramen and mazesoba, let's go~

• Location: 88 Dongil-ro 20-gil, 2nd floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul
• Hours: daily 11:00-21:00 (last order 20:30)
• Parking: no dedicated parking, so use a nearby public car park
• Reservations: walk-ins welcome, no reservation needed

How to get to Sonoki Ramen Konkuk Univ. main branch

Sonoki Ramen Konkuk Univ. main branch is about a 2-minute walk from Exit 6 of Konkuk Univ. Station, so it's easy to find right after you get off the subway. It's also not far from the Konkuk Univ. food alley, so it works well for lunch or dinner when you're meeting someone around Konkuk Univ.

Konkuk Univ. has so many good restaurants, but when you want to eat alone it's sometimes surprisingly hard to decide where to go, right? haha Sonoki Ramen is the kind of place where you can neatly finish a bowl of ramen and head out, so it was a Konkuk Univ. Station restaurant that felt easy for solo dining.

Sonoki Ramen Konkuk Univ. main branch: atmosphere and seating

The shop has tables for 2 and for 4, and each table has sauces and vinegars ready. Inside it's small and clean overall! With its wood tones it feels like a cozy Japanese ramen shop, a nice fit for a bowl of warm ramen.

Customers range from solo diners to couples, and the sauces and vinegars on the table can be used with the ramen or mazesoba, so you can start with the basic flavor and change it up to your taste halfway through, which is nice~

Sonoki Ramen Konkuk Univ. main branch: menu and prices

There were about five ramen and noodle dishes, starting with Sonoki Ramen, which shares the shop's name, priced between ₩11,000 and ₩12,500. Please see the prices below :)

• Sonoki Ramen ₩11,800
• Miso ramen ₩12,000
• Mazesoba ₩12,500
• Maze rice bowl ₩12,500
• Hangover ramen ₩11,000

There are also sides that go well with ramen, like soy sauce egg rice, a mini maze rice bowl, chicken karaage and pan-fried gyoza, so if you usually eat a lot, a set could be a good idea!

The signature Sonoki Ramen: how was the broth?

Sonoki Ramen (₩11,800) is a ramen with a rich broth that the shop says it simmers in-house, plus thin noodles. Today's star, Sonoki Ramen! Just looking at it, the broth looks quite rich, and I thought it would be perfect on a chilly day, that kind of vibe, you know? hahaha

It was rich yet had no off smell, and even when I chose the Shin Ramyun-style broth, it was only medium spicy, so it was easy to eat.

Eating the noodles and chashu (braised pork slices) together is the golden rule~ If you like a broth that's somewhat rich and hearty rather than a ramen that feels too light, this one will probably suit you better. That said, it doesn't push hard on intensity from start to finish; it's a ramen style that's easy to slurp down with the noodles, with a rich broth and thin noodles!

It comes with several toppings, like chashu, ajitamago (marinated soft-boiled egg) and scallions, so instead of just eating noodles, it's fun to mix in the other ingredients along the way. Put noodles on a slice of chashu and slurp it up with the broth~

How do you eat brothless mazesoba?

The mazesoba (₩12,500) at Sonoki Ramen Konkuk Univ. main branch comes with toppings and sauce sitting on the noodles without any broth, and you mix it well from the start. The second dish is mazesoba! It's the complete opposite of ramen. If it's your first time with mazesoba, take your photo quickly first, then mix the sauce and toppings thoroughly through the noodles, that's the key hahaha

Once it's well mixed, the sauce coats the noodles thickly and the look changes completely; the point is to eat noodles, sauce and toppings in one bite. Recent reviews of Sonoki Ramen's mazesoba say its signature is the combination of nutty, savory-salty sauce and chewy noodles.

Some places make mazesoba too strong or salty, so you get sick of it after a few bites, but according to recent visit reviews, Sonoki Ramen's mazesoba is relatively not overly salty and easy to eat with the sauce and toppings together! There's fun in slurping noodles coated in thick sauce, a totally different charm from broth ramen!

Can you get a seat at Sonoki Ramen without a reservation?

Even without a reservation, getting a seat right away was fine. Maybe because lots of people eat alone around Konkuk Univ. Station, turnover seems fast!

Visit on a day you're craving thick mazesoba in Konkuk Univ.~ Rich Sonoki Ramen plus thick mazesoba is a great combo :)