Free rice and every topping added at Okagura Ramen, Itaewon

Location and parking near Itaewon Station

There's a ramen restaurant in Itaewon that's bursting with confidence in its own tradition. I went to check out the famously popular Itaewon ramen spot, Okagura Ramen, to see what all the fuss was about.

Okagura Ramen is near Itaewon Station, so it's best reached on foot since it's right by the subway. There's no dedicated parking lot at Okagura Ramen. If you're driving, you can't park there, but the Yongsan-gu Office has a large parking lot nearby, so you can park there and walk over.

The Itaewon favorite Okagura Ramen has a traditional Japanese restaurant vibe right from the entrance.

Solo seats, group tables, and the table setup

The interior has stylish design and clearly separated solo seats and group tables, so anyone can have a comfortable meal no matter who they come with.

There's a table guide at Okagura Ramen. There's a pot of warm oolong tea, and five sauces — chili oil sauce, moto-tare sauce, kelp vinegar, shichimi pepper, and black pepper. The side dishes are raw garlic and danmuji (pickled radish).

Okagura Ramen menu and prices

Here's the Okagura Ramen menu. There are three most popular dishes — tonkotsu ramen at ₩13,000, umakara tonkotsu (spice level 2) at ₩13,000, and mazesoba (takes 15 minutes to prepare) at ₩14,000.

You order through the QR code on the table, and each dish lets you add chashu, egg, or bamboo shoots. Japanese ramen tastes better the more loaded it is, so if it's on the menu, try adding everything.

The owner is really generous. A full bowl of rice and a half bowl of rice are both free. If you're a big eater, ordering one alongside your ramen costs you nothing extra. ^^

A drink to pair with tonkotsu ramen

Soda is fine, but try ordering ginger ale or club soda instead. When eating Japanese ramen, especially tonkotsu ramen, you often need something cold and refreshing to wash it down. If you only eat the ramen straight through, you can't finish much — it's just too delicious not to pace yourself. ^^

We ordered ginger ale first. Packed with ice, cold and fizzy — it was so good.

Raw garlic you crush yourself with a garlic crusher

The side dish to go with the ramen arrived. There's raw garlic served with a garlic crusher. You can crush your own garlic and add it in to taste. It was my first time using a garlic crusher, and it was fun — plus the garlic smells even better freshly crushed right before you eat it.

Ramen loaded with chashu, egg, and bamboo shoots

The umakara tonkotsu (spice level 2) arrived. With chashu, egg, and bamboo shoots all added, it looked incredibly hearty.

The tonkotsu ramen came out right alongside it. You could feel how rich the tonkotsu broth was just looking at it. I was hungry, and my mouth was watering nonstop. ^^

Tasting the tonkotsu broth and chashu

Okay, I'm hungry, so no more photos — time to dig in.

First, a spoonful of the tonkotsu ramen broth. Wait, what is this? It's so good — better than the broth I've had at ramen shops in Japan itself. There must be some secret sauce behind how this traditional broth got localized here.

Next up, the chashu. It's incredible. It's the king. The absolute king. Honestly, it's the best chashu I've ever had among all the Japanese ramen I've eaten. The cold egg is also a nice touch. Turns out there was an amazing hidden gem in Itaewon all along. ^^

How spicy is umakara tonkotsu level 2?

How's the umakara tonkotsu, then? Even better. That's just not fair — they're too good at this. ^^ I ordered it at spice level 2, a bit spicier, but it wasn't that hot. My spice tolerance is average, and this was a nice sharp, satisfying level of spicy.

Bite-size gyoza and yuzu liquor

In case we got bored between bites, we also ordered the bite-size gyoza. I also make dumplings using both water and oil at home, but Okagura's bite-size gyoza take it up another level. Genuinely delicious gyoza.

If you're coming to Okagura Ramen for an Itaewon date, try the delicious yuzu liquor. I had driven, so I couldn't have any, which was a bummer — but it's something I really want to try someday. Adding a drink makes the meal even more enjoyable.

Who should go here

The whole restaurant at Okagura Ramen was full of smiles. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood eating such delicious food — couples on Itaewon dates, moms out for a rare outing, students craving Japanese ramen. It felt like a happy moment for everyone there.

A restaurant that makes its own noodles in-house

Itaewon favorite Okagura Ramen makes its own noodles in-house. They pull the noodles themselves, which probably explains why the noodles taste different here.

Today's Itaewon date was a success. Okagura Ramen in Itaewon, tastier than the real thing in Japan — I enjoyed it so, so much. ^^