While planning my trip to Seoul, I came across an interesting video. The author talked about a place called the Ramyun Library — a grocery store that stands out from most local shops because it features several shelves of Korean instant noodles that you can prepare and eat right there.
Ramen or Ramyun?
I told several friends about this place, and they were often confused about why I was saying ramyun instead of ramen. To be honest, I didn’t know these were two different things either. According to culinary websites, Korean ramyun differs from Japanese ramen in that it’s typically spicier and made with powdered broth instead of fresh stock.
It’s believed that ramyun originally came from China. It later made its way to Japan and then to Korea. Instant noodle production began in 1958.
The store I visited is one of the branches of the South Korean convenience store chain CU. As I mentioned earlier, the Ramyun Library looks like a typical grocery store. What makes it unique is a set of shelves offering a huge variety of instant noodles. The “library’s” collection includes around 105 types of ramyun, 90 of which are made in South Korea.
You can either take the noodles with you or cook them on-site. In the center of the store, there are several cooking stations. Here's how it works: first, you pay for the bowl and the noodles, then scan the barcode at the cooking machine, place your cup inside, and the machine fills it with water and cooks your noodles. Be warned — many varieties are very spicy, and the heat level is usually indicated on the package. You can also add extras like sausages, which are sold nearby.
The noodles are quite affordable — I picked up three packs for 5,500 KRW (about 1,800 KRW per pack). Unfortunately, I didn’t note the exact price of the cooking container, but online sources say it costs around 900 KRW.
On Seoul’s official tourism portal, there’s even a ranking of the best noodles you can try at the Ramyun Library. The top three include noodles in bone broth, chicken broth, and sesame broth.
How to Get There
The address on Google Maps is 367-13 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu. You can also search for it as “CU Ramyun Library.” The nearest metro station is Hapjeong — it took me about 10–15 minutes to walk to the store from there.
As I mentioned, CU is a common convenience store chain in Seoul, but I didn’t notice similar noodle-cooking facilities at other branches. One more place where I did see the cooking machines was a 7-Eleven store across from Lotte World Tower — I’ll talk more about that building in my next article on Seoul.
Have a nice trip!
