Mapo-gu — home to Hongdae, Sinchon, and Hapjeong — is Seoul's youth and arts district, defined by its university population, live music venues, and creative energy. The food scene is diverse, affordable, and experimental: trendy cafés, late-night pojangmacha, global street food, and boundary-pushing restaurants all compete for attention in this perpetually buzzing neighbourhood.
What an incredible bowl of jiro ramen, absolutely love this place. The broth is delicious and indulgent, the noodles are perfectly cooked, the chashu is plentiful and super soft. Plus importantly, that garlic sauce on the top packs in so much incredible flavour. A really special meal. Be sure to remember that it is a rather heavy bowl of ramen. I made the mistake of choosing 300g of noodles rather than 200g. Given my huge portion of beansprouts and chashu, 200g would have been more than sufficient! Definitely want to revisit this awesome ramen shop. We visited on Saturday night (2 people) and had to queue for a while but it was totally worth the wait!!
The surprise upon first receiving the dish piled high with bean sprouts was very similar to what I'd experienced in Japan. The texture and flavor of the noodles are also comparable to those in Japan. However, the broth's saltiness was a bit milder than I expected, which was disappointing for me, who was hoping for a tingling intensity. The chashu, while also expected to be juicy and flavorful, ended up being relatively soft and mild. The bean sprouts were fresh and plentiful, making them a perfect accompaniment to the noodles. The balance between the broth and toppings was stable, but those expecting extreme intensity might find it a bit bland. While the overall quality was high, it felt like it lacked some unique touches. The fact that it offers a similar experience to the local ramen is a positive. Connoisseurs who prefer intense saltiness and rich chashu might find it a bit disappointing. Nevertheless, the fundamentals and ingredients are well-balanced, making it a solid ramen option.
This place is so famous that if you search for "Jiro-kei Ramen" in Hongdae on Google, it's the only one that comes up. I visited on a weekend evening, and the wait was almost two hours... Despite having visited Japan many times, I'd never tried Jiro-kei ramen before, so it was quite refreshing and delicious. The noodles are incredibly thick and chewy, so even eating them alone is filling. Plus, they're topped with bean sprouts, meat, and garlic, so you'll be full even without ordering a large portion. In fact, the portions are so generous that you won't be able to eat more. It's also nice that you can just click on the kiosk to order without having to bother with the hassle of selecting your toppings.
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