Seosomun-ro ramen restaurant with egg and chashu toppings: Mentsuru

Hi, this is Bangyi! Today's post is about the time I had motsu ramen with extra egg at Mentsuru City Hall. I've been really into Japanese ramen lately, and honestly I've been eating at Mentsuru branches way too often haha.

I went to Mentsuru City Hall Branch for dinner with a friend near City Hall. We each ordered a different ramen that day — I got motsu ramen with an egg added, while my friend went for the deep-broth tori paitan with both extra noodles and extra chashu. Ramen is fun to order because the broths and toppings vary so much, and this time it was even better since we each tried something different.

Where is Mentsuru City Hall Branch?

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a great pick when you're craving ramen near City Hall Station. It's a solid choice if you're looking for a place to eat around the station or want a warm bowl of soup for lunch.

When you arrive, you check the menu and order first — lunchtime gets busy since a lot of nearby office workers stop by.

If you'd rather eat at a relaxed pace, it might be worth timing your visit a bit outside the lunch rush.

Interior and seating at Mentsuru City Hall Branch

The space has a cozy, easy-to-eat-in vibe. There are both counter seats and table seats, so it works fine whether you're eating solo or with a friend.

Ramen doesn't take long to come out once you order, so it's also good for a quick lunch.

Deciding what to order ahead of time can save you some deliberating once you're at the table.

Menu lineup at Mentsuru City Hall Branch

Mentsuru is genuinely a great Japanese ramen spot! It's a ramen restaurant centered on Japanese-style ramen, offering a variety of broths and noodle dishes. The lineup ranges from familiar options like shio ramen and shoyu ramen to the deep-broth tori paitan, motsu ramen, and tsukemen — plenty of choice depending on your taste.

Beyond the ramen itself, you can add toppings like extra noodles or chashu (braised pork) to make it more filling, and it's a great place to eat solo or to order different dishes with a friend and compare. It's a nice ramen spot to visit around Jongno when you're craving something warm and brothy. I ordered the motsu ramen with an added egg.

Motsu ramen with extra egg

Motsu ramen is different from regular ramen, so I was curious, and this was my chance to try it. It's a Mentsuru menu item with a rich broth and chewy noodles. I added an egg to make it more filling.

Adding an egg to the base ramen made it nice to pair alongside the noodles and broth.

If you like egg toppings on your ramen, adding one is worth it. The noodles are the heart of any ramen, perfect for slurping along with the broth. Motsu ramen has great harmony between noodles and broth, and one bite naturally leads to the next. My friend's tori paitan with extra noodles was extra filling too.

If you're like me and enjoy adding one extra topping to a base dish, egg is a safe choice. Enjoying the moist soft-boiled egg together with the broth was really nice!

Tori paitan with extra noodles and extra chashu

My friend ordered the deep-broth tori paitan, adding both extra noodles and extra chashu — a great option for anyone who wants plenty of toppings.

Tori paitan is a dish that'd appeal to anyone who loves a deep broth, and my friend made the bowl even more filling with the added noodles and chashu. Tori paitan is a Japanese chicken-broth ramen — 'tori' means chicken, and 'paitan' refers to a milky-white broth, so it's characterized by a rich broth made from long-simmered chicken. Simply put, think of it as a milky, rich chicken-broth ramen rather than a clear-broth one.

It was also nice that I picked motsu ramen and my friend picked tori paitan, so we got to try two different ramens.

Satisfaction with ramen really depends on your broth preference, so if it's your first visit, it's worth reading the menu descriptions and picking the style you like. If you want more noodles or chashu, using the extra toppings is a good option.

Who is Mentsuru City Hall Branch good for?

Mentsuru City Hall Branch, visited for lunch with a friend around Jongno. I added egg to my motsu ramen, and my friend added extra noodles and extra chashu to the deep-broth tori paitan. Ordering different dishes each meant we got to taste a wider variety than sticking to one ramen.

If you've been curious about motsu ramen or like a rich, deep broth, it's worth checking out the menu and stopping by. Like my friend, adding noodles or chashu makes for a more filling meal, and if you love egg toppings, feel free to add one like I did.

City Hall has so many lunch options that choosing can actually be tricky, but ramen is a solid choice on a day you're craving something warm and brothy. It was nice visiting with a friend and each picking something different, and next time I'd like to try other ramen menu items I haven't had yet. A good place to keep in mind when you want a bowl of ramen near City Hall.