Saturday lunch ramen near City Hall Station, Seoul: Mentsuru tsukemen

September has brought crisp mornings and evenings, with clear blue skies and pretty sunlight during the day — the kind of autumn weather that makes you want to wander off somewhere.

After a busy week, weekends call for sleeping in and rewarding yourself with good food, right? So this Saturday afternoon I headed out lightly for the ramen I'd been craving for a while. I'd bookmarked this place on my food map forever, and the moment I walked in I was completely won over — this is Mentsuru City Hall Branch (멘츠루 시청점), and I think I've found a new regular spot. On weekdays it's packed shoulder to shoulder with office workers from the area, but visiting on a weekend afternoon meant I could enjoy the meal much more leisurely. And with so many people heading to Deoksugung Palace these days to soak up the autumn evening atmosphere, this makes for a great route too — a hearty meal here in the afternoon, some time at a nearby café, and then a stroll through the palace grounds in the evening.

How to get to Mentsuru City Hall Branch from City Hall Station

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is about a 3–5 minute walk from City Hall Station on Lines 1 and 2. Come out Exit 7 or Exit 8, cross the crosswalk, and walk a short way toward the main street of the Bukchang-dong food alley — you'll find it in no time. The accessibility by public transit is honestly some of the best I've seen. It's practically right there.

Even if you're not great with directions, just follow the alley with a map app open for a bit and you'll spot the wood-toned, cozy exterior that feels just like a quiet backstreet restaurant in Japan — you really can't miss it. It's such a genuine City Hall office-worker favorite that waiting is basically mandatory during weekday lunch and dinner hours, so getting in stress-free on a weekend afternoon really showed me the appeal of visiting on weekends.

Mentsuru's hours, break time and what the restaurant feels like

Mentsuru City Hall Branch runs generous hours, open daily from 11 AM to 9 PM. There's a break time from 3 to 5 PM in the middle for the kitchen to prep for the next round of service, and last order is at 8:30 PM — worth keeping in mind if you're planning a visit.

Step through the door and the clean, warm wood-toned interior quietly wraps around you with that lazy weekend feeling. Counter (dachi) seats wrap all the way around the open kitchen, and there are also facing table seats further inside — but personally, I was completely won over by the counter layout. You get to watch the chefs cook with real care while focusing entirely on the meal in front of you without any self-consciousness, which makes this one of the best spots I know for solo dining near City Hall. Ordering is simple too, just a quick tap on the kiosk by the entrance — couldn't be more convenient.

What we ordered: shoyu ramen, tsukemen and gyoza

True to its identity as a proper ramen specialist, Mentsuru's lineup is clean but clearly built on deep skill. Using my weekend appetite as an excuse, I ordered the shoyu ramen — Mentsuru's fundamental dish — the tsukemen, which is fun to dip and eat, and gyoza (dumplings) as a side, because skipping gyoza here would be a real shame.

Shoyu ramen: the broth and the sous-vide chashu

The shoyu ramen arrived first, and just looking at it made my mouth water. Taking a careful first sip of the clear, deeply flavored soy-based broth, the rich umami spread across my whole mouth and I honestly furrowed my brow — the genuine, involuntary kind.

The heaviness of the meat stock blended beautifully with the refreshing brightness of seafood, so the broth never felt greasy or tiring even down to the last sip. The thin straight noodles were boiled to perfection, with a satisfying springy bite, and the generous slice of sous-vide chashu on top was so tender it practically melted like cotton candy the moment it hit my mouth.

Tsukemen: thick noodles and rich dipping broth (jiru)

Next up, the tsukemen won me over with an entirely different, overwhelming charm from the shoyu ramen! It's thick noodles, chilled and rinsed for a springy, chewy bite, dipped into a steaming, thick jiru (dipping sauce). The sauce, deeply concentrated with the flavor of bonito flakes and other dried fish, clung tightly to the thick noodles and delivered an explosive burst of umami with every bite. The balance between the cold chewiness of the noodles and the warm, savory sauce was so good I couldn't put my chopsticks down.

Gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) as a side

Finally, ramen's soulmate — the gyoza we ordered as a side! I would've been thinking about it all weekend if we hadn't ordered it. The outside was properly crisp, and the moment I bit in, hot, savory meat juices burst out from the thin, chewy dumpling skin. It wasn't greasy at all, light but packed full inside — the perfect side to pair with the rich ramen or tsukemen.

Verdict on Mentsuru City Hall Branch and a Deoksugung walking course

This Saturday afternoon visit to Mentsuru City Hall Branch turned out to be a hidden gem that had it all — flavor that reflects real chef's skill, a cozy counter-seat atmosphere perfect for enjoying weekend solo dining at your own pace, and unbeatable accessibility. It's a fiercely competitive lunch spot for City Hall office workers on weekdays, with lines out the door, but visiting on a weekend afternoon lets you enjoy the food this relaxed. I've starred it on my map app as a solo-dining sanctuary near City Hall where you can fully enjoy your own meal without any awkwardness.

Best of all, walking out of the restaurant happily full, patting my satisfied stomach, and strolling slowly along the sunny Deoksugung stone wall path afterward made me feel like I'd spent the weekend really well. Eat here in the afternoon, chat over coffee at a pretty nearby café, then head off to enjoy the palace's night view once evening falls — doesn't that sound amazing just imagining it? If you're looking for a ramen spot to pair with the Deoksugung night opening this autumn, don't overthink it — come here, and it'll make for a perfect day out.