Bar seat solo ramen lunch near Euljiro3(sam)-ga: Mentsuru Euljiro

Ramen near Euljiro3(sam)-ga station: Mentsuru Euljiro Branch

Mentsuru Euljiro Branch

I was craving ramen in Euljiro and went looking, which led me to Mentsuru Euljiro Branch~ It seemed like a good lunch spot near Euljiro station, and true to a Japanese ramen specialty restaurant, the exterior already had that Japanese atmosphere going on.

Solo bar seats and an open kitchen

Walking inside, the wood-toned interior and Japanese-style props caught my eye right away!! There were bar seats great for solo dining along with tables for 2–4 people.

The kitchen was open so you could watch the ramen being made right there, and overall it was kept impressively clean!

Kiosk ordering and the waiting system

At the entrance there was a usage guide for Mentsuru posted up. It explained that after ordering at the kiosk, you wait outside and get called in sequentially. Since ramen restaurants tend to have good table turnover, even if there's a wait it seemed like you'd get in fairly quickly~

Menu lineup

The menu had a variety of ramen, rice bowls, and side dishes~ The main ramen options included shoyu ramen, shio ramen, tori paitan, motsu ramen, tsukemen, abura soba, and more. There were quite a lot of ramen types, so it was easy to pick based on your taste haha

After sitting down at the table, the first thing I did was the review event haha. You could choose between ade, gyoza (dumplings), or a drink, and since I love dumplings so much, I picked the gyoza!! Pepper and yuzu pickled radish, good for adding to the ramen, were also set out on the table~

Tori paitan — rich, nutty chicken broth

After much deliberation, we ended up ordering tori paitan, shoyu ramen, and karaage~~ The table was set with a generous spread!

The tori paitan arrived in a bowl with a milky broth topped with thinly sliced chashu, a soft-boiled egg, green onion, and minced onion. Just visually, the broth already looked really rich!

The broth had that distinctive nutty, rich flavor of chicken stock simmered for a long time. But it wasn't just heavy — the minced onion added a crunchy texture here and there along with a subtle sweetness!!

The chashu was sliced thin too, making it easy to eat together with the noodles! The soft chashu paired well with the pepper and green onion, and matched nicely with the clean chicken broth~ One advantage of Mentsuru as a lunch spot near Euljiro station is that the ramen isn't overly salty~~

Shoyu ramen — clean umami from clams and chicken broth

The shoyu ramen we ordered alongside had a completely different vibe from the tori paitan~~ On top of a clear, dark-colored broth sat chashu, a soft-boiled egg, green onion, and onion, giving it a much cleaner profile.

The shoyu ramen's characteristic was its clean yet umami-rich broth made using clams and chicken stock. Going from the rich tori paitan to the shoyu ramen made the difference between the two even more distinct haha

The soft-boiled egg in particular had a yolk cooked to a moist, jammy texture. Dipping it lightly in the ramen broth added a smooth, nutty flavor!!

Lifting up the noodles, they were soft and held the broth well, making every bite even tastier. Grabbing a big chopstick-full of noodles together with the chashu, you could really feel the combination of the rich broth and the noodles~~

Sides: karaage and gyoza

Mentsuru's hidden gem menu item has got to be the karaage. Large chunks of fried chicken came piled generously on a plate, served with lemon and sauce! The outside was fried crispy while the inside stayed juicy ㅜㅜ It was also easy to cut into bite-sized pieces, and made the perfect side to go with the ramen~

Even though the gyoza was fried, it was still packed with juicy filling inside~ It was so good that I'd want to order it again even without the event haha

Which ramen should you pick?

Mentsuru Euljiro Branch was a good place to visit when you want clean Japanese-style ramen in Euljiro!! If you like rich, nutty broth, I'd recommend the tori paitan, and if you prefer clean and light broth, the shoyu ramen!! There are plenty of spicy ramen options too, so I'd recommend trying a variety haha