Solo gyudon and takoyaki near Seoul Museum of Art: Mentsuru City Hall

While looking for things to do in Seoul over the weekend, I found the Yoo Young-kuk exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Art and ended up visiting Mentsuru near City Hall Station again after a while. While everyone else was off watching the Han River fireworks, I was out for a Deoksugung stroll and an art exhibition instead 😊 Mentsuru City Hall Branch is where I go whenever I'm craving good Japanese-style ramen or gyudon (rice bowl).

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

📍 Location: 54-2 Seoseomun-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul / 93m from City Hall Station Exit 10 ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30 (last order 21:00 / no break time) ✔️ Takeout, reservations, group bookings, wifi ✔️ Separate men's/women's restrooms, waiting area

It was great how close this is to City Hall Station — just 93m, or a 1-minute walk, from Exit 10, which is why it's also well known as a City Hall Exit 10 restaurant. It's also just 5 minutes on foot from Deoksugung Palace and 1 minute from the Seoul Museum of Art, so it's a perfect spot to look up before or after visiting the museum or a Deoksugung date. Another plus about Mentsuru City Hall Branch is that it's open year-round with no break time.

Solo bar counter upstairs, group tables in the basement

The moment you walk into Mentsuru City Hall Branch, it's full-on Japanese vibes 🌸 It feels like you've stepped into a ramen shop in Japan. With the wood-toned interior and a long row of solo bar seats facing the open kitchen, there were a lot of solo diners. ✨ Recommended as a solo-dining spot near City Hall Station! 👍🏻

There's seating both on the ground floor and in the basement, with 4-top tables and group tables set up, so it would work well for couples, office dinners near City Hall, or group gatherings. Plenty of celebrities have stopped by too — I noticed a handwritten letter that made me wonder if LE SSERAFIM had eaten here!? 🎀

⭐️Mentsuru City Hall Branch event⭐️ Write a Naver photo review or Google review and get a free drink or fried gyoza♥

Menu, kiosk ordering and the free bowl of rice

Mentsuru City Hall Branch menu (source: Naver Map). You order via kiosk, and while the default spice level is roughly Shin Ramyun-level 🍜, you can adjust both the spice and salt level, which is great. Also, rice refills are free, making Mentsuru City Hall Branch a great value spot near City Hall! ♥️ Their signature menu includes a huge variety of ramen — shio ramen, shoyu ramen, tori paitan, motsu ramen (beef intestine ramen), abura soba, and more. They also have rice dishes like gyudon and hormone-don (offal rice bowl), and I could see why this place is known as a City Hall lunch spot.

There are chopsticks, water cups, and tissues in the table drawer.

Gyudon basic flavor, 11,000 won: seasoned just right

Gyudon (rice bowl) basic flavor, ₩11,000. It's a beef rice bowl made with beef belly slices in Mentsuru's own special sauce, and it comes with egg by default. I didn't make any special requests, and the basic flavor was seasoned just right for me — I could eat it all the way through without getting tired of it!

There was plenty of green onion and onion in it, which balanced out the richness nicely so it never felt greasy.

Handmade gara-age 7,000 won and takoyaki 5,000 won

Handmade gara-age, ₩7,000.

This is Japanese-style fried chicken made from fresh chicken thigh meat, battered and fried right after ordering, and as expected, it was delicious. Recommended as a beer snack! 🍺

Takoyaki, ₩5,000. Piled high with bonito flakes and just the right amount of sauce, so it wasn't too salty and was really tasty. Mentsuru, a takoyaki must-try spot ✨👏🏻

Why Mentsuru fits a Deoksugung and Seoul Museum of Art day

Ramen spot Mentsuru City Hall Branch is just a minute from the subway station and also carries a variety of alcohol like sake, highballs, and beer, so I'd recommend it for a City Hall Station date course, a restaurant near Deoksugung, an office dinner spot near City Hall, a meal near the Seoul Museum of Art, or solo dining near City Hall Station! 💌

Since it's a restaurant in Seoseomun-dong right by City Hall Station, it's a great location for anyone looking for a spot for office workers near City Hall Station. A great value restaurant near City Hall 😊💕 If you're looking for a restaurant on Jeongdong-gil or a good ramen spot, I recommend Mentsuru City Hall Branch, a restaurant near City Hall, Seoul!