Euljiro ramen restaurant with chashu topping and draft beer: Mentsuru

What is Mentsuru Euljiro Branch, the ramen spot near Euljiro3(sam)-ga Station?

If you're looking for ramen in Euljiro, Mentsuru is worth recommending — a place where you can enjoy a clean yet rich broth alongside crispy side dishes. Located close to Euljiro3(sam)-ga Station, this ramen specialty restaurant has both bar table seats great for solo dining and regular tables, so it's comfortable to use whatever your dining purpose.

Mentsuru's ramen tends to look neat and clean in its presentation. This time, I chose the shoyu-based (soy sauce) ramen for something light and clean-tasting. The rich yet savory broth paired well with the thin noodles, which still had just the right bite, giving a nicely chewy texture.

The chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken) I ordered alongside the ramen was also satisfying. The combination of freshly-fried crispy coating and juicy meat inside was great, and personally, I found enjoying the karaage on its own — without dipping sauce — suited it better.

Add a Japanese draft beer on top and it makes for a nice light meal in Euljiro. If you're looking for a good ramen restaurant in Euljiro, this is worth a visit.

Mentsuru at 3pm on a weekday: the room and kiosk ordering

I visited Mentsuru, a ramen specialty restaurant in Euljiro.

I'd been once before — it has a bit of a cozy, chatty atmosphere, so it's a place that comes to mind whenever I need to eat alone in Euljiro.

You order through the kiosk at the entrance. Maybe because it was around 3pm on a weekday, the restaurant was fairly quiet. Since it operates with no break time, that seems like an advantage too.

Solo dining at the bar seats and the half-open kitchen

True to a ramen shop, Mentsuru Euljiro Branch has bar table seating, so solo diners won't feel out of place, plus regular tables for couples or groups. Some foreign customers were dining here as well.

It's also somewhat of a half-open kitchen, I'd say. You could see the dishes being cooked to some extent from your seat, which could be its own kind of content. The rising steam looked pretty cool.

How does Mentsuru's shoyu ramen taste?

The basic side dish is pickled radish, and it's refreshing and tasty, maybe because of the lemon in it. Here's the shoyu ramen I ordered — I wanted something light today, so I went with the soy sauce broth.

Every time I come to Mentsuru, I feel like the presentation is really pretty.

I'm not usually the sentimental type about food, but even I felt that way here. The broth was rich to the point of feeling chewy.

Since there's definitely no spiciness, the savory depth of the broth comes through even more clearly.

The noodles are thinner than at a typical ramen shop, so even though they soak up the broth well, they mysteriously retain some bite, giving a nice chewy texture.

Is the extra chashu topping worth it?

The chashu (braised pork) topping I added was satisfying too. Compared to belly-cut chashu, it had less fat, tasting light and clean, almost like Spam.

Chicken karaage tastes better without the sauce

Next up, the chicken karaage.

This is something I seem to order every time I visit Mentsuru. Maybe because it's freshly fried, the crispiness is still alive, and the moist texture unique to karaage is really appealing.

It comes with a sauce, but personally, I feel the original flavor comes through better without it. And whenever I order karaage, I always end up ordering beer too.

Asahi and Kirin Japanese draft beer at Mentsuru

These days, my little joy in life is sweating it all out on a run and then refilling with a cold beer.

Being a ramen shop, they have popular Japanese beers on tap like Asahi and Kirin. I usually drink Cass or Terra, but when visiting a place like this, it's nice to treat yourself a bit.

Anyway, it was another delicious meal today. Hope you all eat well too and have a happy day.

Mentsuru Euljiro Branch: hours, seating and parking

• Address: 26 Mareunnae-ro 2-gil, 1F, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Transit: About 247m from Exit 9 of Euljiro3(sam)-ga Station
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30 (last order 21:00)
• Parking: No parking on-site; nearby public street parking recommended
• Features: Ramen specialty restaurant, bar table and regular table seating, no break time