Jung-gu ramen restaurant with handmade gara-age: Mentsuru City Hall

A ramen chain I trust every time

Mentsuru City Hall Branch

went and checked it out!

🍜🍜🍜

Where is Mentsuru City Hall Branch, and when is it open?

Mentsuru City Hall Branch sits right in front of Exit 10 of City Hall Station. It's super accessible, so it's perfect for office workers near City Hall Station or anyone grabbing a meal after seeing Gyeongbokgung's night opening.

Mentsuru City Hall Branch Hours Daily 11:00–21:30 Last order 21:00 Parking not available

You can smell a good ramen spot just from the outside

Mentsuru menu and how to order

There are 8 types of ramen & rice bowls ++ side dishes. When I arrived, the tsukemen was already sold out ㅠㅠ I really, really wanted to try Mentsuru's tsukemen...

Shoyu ramen (signature) ₩11,000 Spicy shoyu ramen (hangover ramen) ₩11,500 Handmade gara-age ₩7,000

Instead of tsukemen, I ordered these three haha

Is there a wait at 6pm on a weekend?

I visited on a Sunday at 6pm and got in with no wait at all. There were already quite a few tables eating. From solo diners to couples and families, it seemed to accommodate all kinds of parties.

Most ramen shops are actually kind of cramped, but Mentsuru City Hall Branch had a spacious interior with lots of seats — loved that. Even if there's a wait, it seems like it wouldn't take long since tables turn over fast.

True to a solo-dining-friendly spot, the bar table area was pretty spacious too

If you write a Naver review, you can choose between a drink or fried gyoza, so make sure to write one and claim it!

There are even phone stands, so you can watch YouTube while eating solo

How do the shoyu ramen and spicy shoyu ramen taste?

Shoyu ramen ₩11,000, Spicy shoyu ramen ₩11,500

Signature shoyu ramen & Hangover spicy shoyu ramen

The signature shoyu ramen truly lived up to its name — the deep, rich flavor of the clam and chicken broth was superb. Basic ramen usually gets heavy after a while, but since Mentsuru's shoyu ramen is based on clam and chicken broth, I could eat it all the way through without getting sick of it.

The generous noodle portion was totally my type haha

The spicy shoyu ramen was properly fiery and spicy, true to its hangover-cure reputation. By my standard it was spicier than Shin Ramyun but a bit milder than Buldak — closer to Buldak though, honestly a pretty spicy level. It gave that warming, hangover-clearing feeling!

And the soft-boiled egg, which I absolutely love~~~ Mentsuru City Hall Branch, I award you the pass medal. 😎

Handmade gara-age for 7,000 won, with free rice

Chicken gara-age ₩7,000

The chicken gara-age wasn't the gara-age I was used to.

With pieces this plump, isn't this basically just chicken?

Drizzled with the sauce and lemon juice that came with it, it was superb.

The gara-age comes fresh off the fryer and is super hot, so eat carefully! Having a bowl of ramen each plus the chicken gara-age to share made for a hearty, delicious meal.

+++ Mentsuru also gives you a free bowl of rice! I was already full after the gara-age so I didn't add one, but if you're still hungry, be sure to grab that rice too haha

Basement seating and the kiosk waiting system

I already thought the 1st floor of Mentsuru City Hall Branch was big, but turns out there's a basement floor too.

Just like the 1st floor, there were bar tables & group tables. Plenty of seats and generous sizes — seems like table turnover would be great.

Pretty spacious, right?

There are even two kiosks in the basement!!! I've never seen a place with this many kiosks — 4 on the 1st floor & 2 in the basement — lol

When it's full, the system is: order first at the kiosk, then wait outside and you'll be called in order.

If you're near City Hall Station looking for a place to eat solo, cure a hangover, or just find a great ramen spot, I highly recommend this ramen restaurant, Mentsuru City Hall Branch.