Jung-gu ramen bar dinner for two at 11,000 won a bowl: Mentsuru

We were trying to figure out dinner near City Hall Station and ended up revisiting Mentsuru City Hall Branch after a while! The gyudon (beef rice bowl) surprised me last time I came, so I really wanted it again — this time my husband and I properly ordered three menus: gyudon, chashu don, and shio ramen! Haha.

Spoiler first: all three were satisfying again, haha! I'm not usually a huge fan of Japanese-style ramen, but the light shio ramen was easy to eat without feeling heavy, and being able to finish with free rice mixed into the broth was great — hearty enough for hungry guys too, love it~♥

And honestly, the reason to keep coming back is just... it's good, that's it, haha! Everything here tastes great, so it's a real find for City Hall office workers, and I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for a City Hall lunch spot where you can eat comfortably alone too, haha!

Where is Mentsuru City Hall Branch, and what are the hours?

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is really easy to reach — about a 1-minute walk from City Hall Station Exit 10. The address is 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1F, Jung-gu, Seoul.

• Address: 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, 1F, Jung-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30, last order 21:00

The exterior really gives off Japanese ramen shop vibes, and it's usually packed at lunchtime with nearby office workers. Still, there's plenty of seating downstairs too, so the place is actually bigger than it looks from outside — no worrying about waiting, you can order and eat quickly, and the food comes out fast too, which was great!

Is Mentsuru easy for solo diners?

Mentsuru City Hall Branch has quite a lot of long bar seating, plus separate tables, and a good number of solo diners too — so anyone looking for a solo-friendly spot near City Hall can visit without feeling awkward at all!

Especially at this City Hall office-worker favorite, every seat has a phone stand like in the photo above for solo diners — such a thoughtful touch for a solo-dining restaurant~♥

Personally, when I judge a solo-dining restaurant, whether it feels awkward walking in alone matters a lot to me, haha. This place just has a 'come eat alone!' atmosphere, so I never felt self-conscious — really nice~ haha.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch menu and prices

Since Mentsuru is a ramen specialty shop, you'd think the menu is mostly ramen, but they have shio ramen, shoyu ramen, spicy shoyu ramen, as well as rice bowls like gyudon, chashu don, and horumon don (offal rice bowl)! So it works even if one person in your group loves ramen and another loves rice bowls.

We ordered gyudon at ₩11,000, chashu don (chashu rice bowl) at ₩11,000, and the light shio ramen at ₩11,000 — all the same price, which felt reasonable given what a lunch near City Hall Station usually costs these days!

Gyudon, 11,000 won: still a safe bet

First up, gyudon! The amount of meat was generous again this time, which won me over the moment I saw it!

Pop the egg yolk and mix it all up with the well-seasoned meat and rice — the salty seasoning softens a bit and gets even richer, really tasty. If you're torn on what to order, I'd recommend the gyudon~♥

The meat-to-rice ratio was well balanced so I could eat meat with rice right to the last bite, and it wasn't too intense or salty, which makes it a solid office lunch choice too~^^~

Or visit as a couple and split — one person orders ramen, the other a rice bowl! I'm greedy, I want to try everything, so being able to have both is such a win! And of course, solo diners can add a mini rice bowl side for just ₩4,000, which is another plus!

Chashu don, 11,000 won: for anyone who likes a smoky char

Next, chashu don at ₩11,000! Even in the photo you can see the chashu surface grilled to a golden brown — the visual alone was on point! If the gyudon is sweet, salty and soft, the chashu don definitely has more of that grilled, smoky char flavor.

Honestly there was a slight gamey note, but the chashu was fairly thick with a good mix of fat and lean meat, and eating it together with the soft-boiled egg, onion and green onion cut down the gaminess a lot — not bad at all if you like pork~:)

Shio ramen, light broth, 11,000 won

And the shio ramen (light) at ₩11,000, which I tried for the first time here! The broth is clear and clean-looking from the start, true to its name — very light, but with just the right saltiness, and I really enjoyed it!

I usually struggle with ramen that has a super thick, oily broth like tonkotsu, but this shio ramen was light without feeling heavy, and the broth had just enough umami to taste great! The aftertaste wasn't heavy at all, and with toppings like chashu, soft-boiled egg, green onion and onion, it felt like a good composition for ₩11,000 — really recommend this one!

The noodles also weren't overly soft — they kept a nice, springy texture, which I liked, and the light broth was refreshing! So if rich Japanese ramen feels like too much, I'd suggest starting with shio ramen like I did~^^~

Free rice after the ramen, soaked in the broth

And what I really loved... free rice, haha. At Mentsuru, after finishing your ramen, you can get a free rice refill! They even said to just let them know if the seasoning wasn't quite right while eating, and then they give you rice too — really nice. After a bowl of ramen you're fairly full, but if the broth is delicious, it feels like a waste to just leave it!

That's when getting a bit of warm rice to mix in turns out to be a hidden gem, haha! It's a different feel from eating the noodles — the broth soaks right into the rice, and it was great being able to eat heartily until the very end!

Final verdict on Mentsuru City Hall Branch

If you're normally on the hunt for a City Hall office-worker favorite, a City Hall lunch spot, or a solo-dining place near City Hall, I think Mentsuru City Hall Branch is well worth a visit — that's my honest review, done!