Children's Grand Park ramen with extra chashu and gyoza: Mentsuru

I had a rich, filling bowl of Japanese ramen near Konkuk University and Sejong University, so let me introduce Mentsuru, a Children's Grand Park Station favorite.

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch location and hours

• Address: 394 Gwangnaru-ro, 1st Floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00-23:00 / last order 22:30
• No parking (use nearby Gwangjin Plaza Public Parking Lot)
• Takeout available / good for solo dining, solo drinking
• Recommended for Sejong University and Konkuk University date courses

Mentsuru, well known among Konkuk foodies, sits on the 1st floor about a 2-minute walk from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station, so it's easy to find. No parking on site, so use the nearby Gwangjin Plaza Public Parking Lot.

It's also a great spot to duck into for a cozy bowl of ramen while on a date around Children's Grand Park or Sejong University.

Inside the kitchen, staff wore hairnets and masks, clearly very careful about cleanliness. Everyone was so friendly too, which made the visit even better :)

At night, it feels like a midnight diner

Apparently Mentsuru has a totally different vibe in the evening. It's not just a ramen-and-go place — at night it takes on a bit of a late-night diner feel, like an izakaya. Makes sense they also sell draft beer 🍻

There's a long bar counter, so it's easy to come alone, eat a quick bowl of ramen, and go — already known as a solo-dining favorite around Children's Grand Park and Sejong University, and a great spot for solo drinking too.

There are also table seats, so it's good for a relaxed meal with friends or a partner 🫧 Bring your date to Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch and you'll be a hero.

Open until 11pm, it's great for dinner or a late-night craving, and low-pressure for an after-work meal — somewhere I'd want to stop by for a solo drink now and then. I'd recommend it as a solo-drinking spot near Konkuk 🫶🏻

How long is the wait?

By day it's a clean, straightforward ramen spot; by night it turns into a relaxed izakaya-style place for solo drinking and dining with a glass of draft beer.

* Worth noting there's a wait at peak times, but turnover is fast so it clears in 15-20 minutes 🤗

What we ordered and the prices

Shoyu ramen ₩11,000 + extra chashu ₩2,500, extra egg ₩1,000 / Gyudon ₩11,000 / Fried gyoza ₩5,000

Shoyu ramen — chicken broth soy base

Can you see the color of the shoyu ramen broth? Mentsuru's shoyu ramen is a chicken broth soy base. The broth is so deep and clean that the first sip felt great.

The broth didn't taste just salty — the flavor came through gently, exactly our style. This was my first time at the Children's Grand Park branch, but all Mentsuru locations seem to taste about equally good 🙏🏻

The default amount of chashu felt a bit lacking, so we added extra — and honestly, ramen needs plenty of chashu to be at its best 😌 For ₩2,500 they pile on thick slices, so definitely add the chashu!

Soft and savory, it goes great with the noodles, almost like bossam (boiled pork wraps). Adding chashu to your ramen here is a must.

The noodles are thin, so you slurp through them fast and hit the bottom of the bowl before you know it. Extra rice is free at Mentsuru, so speak up if you want it! We skipped it this time to keep things light(?).

We also added an egg — dipping the soft-boiled, browned egg lightly into the broth makes it nutty and rich, almost like braised soy egg!!

We also cleaned up the meat that came standard with the bowl. I feel like I understand now why it's famous near Konkuk and Sejong University 👍🏻

+ that moment when someone neatly bundles up meat and noodles and hands you a bite 🐶

Gyudon — mix in the burst yolk

My pick of the day was the gyudon, with sweet-savory sauce and beef mixed beautifully into the rice. I'd had it before and it kept coming to mind — so good.

They top it with an egg yolk — burst it and mix everything together for a spicy-ish bulgogi rice bowl feel, and Mentsuru's gyudon is complete.

There's chili in it, so it's never greasy or heavy. This dish is the strongest menu item here. So they call it a serious ramen spot, but the owner clearly knows rice bowls too.

Good to share as a side when ramen alone feels like not quite enough, and if you love rice like I do, order a gyudon alongside and it'll disappear in no time. You have to try Mentsuru's gyudon!

Look how generously they pile on the meat 🤤 A great spot to grab a meal with kids after playing at Children's Grand Park too — the seasoning isn't too salty, so I'd recommend it as a kids' meal option as well.

Fried gyoza — crispy outside, juicy inside, exactly as the name says

Fried until crispy, exactly living up to its name — the poster child for crispy-outside, juicy-inside gyoza. I wondered at first if 'fried' meant it came with an egg, but it just means fried gyoza dumplings 🤭

Having a gyoza or two in between bites of the main dish worked really well. Especially great with a draft beer if you're here solo dining or solo drinking 🍺 — total drinking snack vibes!

From the broth to the noodles, everything satisfied me, and this has become one of my repeat spots — Mentsuru is a place I'd recommend if you're looking for good food or ramen around Sejong University and Konkuk.