Gangnam Station ramen, a weekday 2pm solo-dining scout: Oreno Ramen

Finding a good solo-dining restaurant near Gangnam Station can be surprisingly hard. ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡ If a place is too crowded it feels awkward to walk in alone, but picking just any random spot doesn't feel satisfying either.

So I scoped out a few options with my husband ahead of time, for the day I'd inevitably need to eat alone near Gangnam [since I eat solo around there a lot]. This time we went to Oreno Ramen Gangnam, a place I'd wanted to try for ages.

Oreno Ramen Gangnam: location, hours and parking

Oreno Ramen Gangnam is about a 4-5 minute walk from Exit 11 or 12 of Gangnam Station. You head a little way down a side alley off the main street and it's on the 2nd floor of the building — the sign isn't super eye-catching on a first visit, so you could easily walk right past it!

• Address: 28-9 Teheran-ro 1-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 2F [5 min from Gangnam Station Exit 11]
• Hours: Daily, no break time, 11:00 AM - 8:30 PM [last order 8:00 PM]
• Parking: Nearby paid lots available; Yeoksam Culture Park No. 1 Public Parking Lot is cheapest

Is there a wait at 2pm on a weekday?

I'd heard there's usually a wait at lunch and dinner on weekdays, but since I went around 2pm on a weekday, I only waited briefly before getting seated. Staff at the entrance guided guests in order, and

the service was sooo friendly — great first impression!

Bar seats and an open kitchen for solo diners

Inside, the space was bigger than expected and had a clean, tidy feel overall. What I especially liked was how well the bar seats were set up. Plenty of solo diners were there too, so I never felt self-conscious — actually, it was the most comfortable layout for eating alone.

The kitchen was open, so it was fun watching the ramen get made — the staff moving around briskly behind the counter was impressive.

Only two ramen: tori paitan and kara paitan

The menu was simpler than I expected, which surprised me a bit haha. There are basically two signature dishes.

• Tori paitan — a rich, savory ramen made primarily with chicken
• Kara paitan — the same rich, savory ramen with spiciness added

You just add chashu or a soft-boiled egg on top, so the menu choice wasn't hard at all! We ordered one tori paitan and one kara paitan.

Every table had iced cold green tea ready, and there were even hair ties provided for guests with long hair — such a thoughtful touch. Little details like this really boost the overall satisfaction of a meal!!

With such a short menu, I got the sense this is a place that focuses on doing one ramen really well — which only built up my anticipation!!!

How does the tori paitan taste with tsukune chashu?

First up, the tori paitan. Its look was a bit different from typical ramen right from the start — a soft foam sat on top of the broth, giving it an almost cream-soup feel.

Taking a spoonful of the broth, it was incredibly rich yet savory. Rather than being heavy like tonkotsu, the distinct cleanness of chicken broth came through, so the finish was light and it never felt like too much even after several spoonfuls!!

The tsukune chashu (ground chicken meatball-style chashu) I added was also great! (っ˘ڡ˘ς) Unlike regular chashu, it's shaped like a chicken meatball, and the texture was really soft. It wasn't dry at all, stayed moist, and paired really well with the broth. I was glad I added it!

How spicy is the kara paitan?

If you like spicy food, I'd strongly recommend the kara paitan too.

It's the rich tori paitan broth with a spicy seasoning added, but it wasn't just aggressively hot — it kept the depth of the broth while adding a sharp, tingling kick. It's the kind of flavor that makes you keep spooning it up!?

The heat wasn't overpowering, so even people who don't handle spicy food well should be able to enjoy it. And the yolk of the soft-boiled egg stayed nice and runny, pairing perfectly with the broth!!

It tasted great whether you mixed it lightly into the ramen broth or ate it with the noodles. The noodles are thin and straight!! They're the kind that hold onto the broth well, so each bite brought up that rich broth flavor with it.

They didn't go mushy and kept a good bite, so it stayed delicious right to the last bite. The chicken breast topping was also way softer than I expected! It seemed sous-vide cooked, staying moist with barely any dryness.💗

Free noodle, broth and rice refills: finishing with rice in the broth

Another great thing about Oreno Ramen Gangnam is that noodles (half or full portion), broth, and rice are all free refills!! This is a really great perk for people with a big appetite.

Since the broth is so good, a lot of people mix rice right into it. ໒꒰ྀི⸝⸝ •̀⁠ _ •́⁠⸝⸝꒱ྀི১ Yep... I did it too, and because the broth was so tasty, it was amazing ㅠㅠ I want to eat it again!!

Mid-meal I suddenly wanted something fizzy so I ordered a cola, and they even filled the glass generously with ice ㅠㅠㅠ

Is Oreno Ramen Gangnam good for eating alone near Gangnam Station?

Around Gangnam Station, meal times mean crowds everywhere, so plenty of places feel awkward to eat at alone — but Oreno Ramen had none of that vibe!! Lots of solo diners, well-set-up bar seats, and I could enjoy my meal comfortably. Staff were friendly and the turnover was fast so I wasn't kept waiting long — very satisfying.

If you're craving good ramen near Gangnam Station, Oreno Ramen Gangnam is well worth another visit — I'm even thinking of going back by myself haha. Tasting it in person, it really hit me why it's been picked for the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand for 8 straight years!!

In particular, the tori paitan, with its rich but clean chicken broth base, has broad appeal and I'd recommend it to first-timers!! If you're looking for a comfortable solo meal, need a hearty lunch or dinner near Gangnam, or just love Japanese-style ramen, I think you'll be really satisfied.

+++Just everyday life+++

Walking out of Oreno Ramen after eating, we were both like 'ahh, so full!! That ramen was really good!!' hahaha. Outside the building, two ladies seemed to be debating what to eat, and then one said 'should we just get ramen? It's hot, let's go in' and in they went! Turns out we accidentally helped bring in customers... I bet they enjoyed their meal too lol ૮₍ ⌯ › ᗜ ‹ ⌯₎ა