Gangnam ramen restaurant with 7 roomy solo seats at 1:30pm: Oreno

I've loved Oreno Ramen ever since it first opened in Hongdae years ago!! I stop by the Hongdae and Anguk branches now and then, and this time, after getting my hair done in Gangnam and feeling hungry, I looked for something good for solo dining and headed to Oreno Ramen Gangnam for the tori paitan, their chicken-broth-based ramen.

I went around 1:30pm on a weekday, past the peak crowd time, so there weren't many people and the place felt spacious and comfortable — I could eat quietly, quickly, and deliciously by myself! It's not just good for solo dining either; the seating is generous enough for groups of up to 8 to sit together. Gangnam Station is pricey and there aren't many places to eat around here, so if you want something quick and simple, I'd recommend Oreno Ramen Gangnam!

Finding Oreno Ramen Gangnam from Gangnam Station

Oreno Ramen Gangnam isn't far from Gangnam Station. Walk up the alley a little and the entrance comes into view! Go up the outdoor stairs by the standing sign to the 2nd floor, and you're right at Oreno Ramen.

The 2-item ramen menu, kara paitan at ₩13,000

Ordering at Oreno Ramen Gangnam is easy via kiosk. There are just 2 types of ramen on the simple menu! If you like something mild and savory, go with the base broth tori paitan; if you want it spicy, go with kara paitan. In Japanese, tori means chicken and karai means spicy.

I've tried both at other branches, and they're both good — the kara paitan isn't that spicy either! I was debating what to order but felt like something a little spicy today, so I went with the kara paitan. It's 13,000 won. I was thirsty so I also ordered a Zero Coke.

7 solo seats, and a spacious hall with generous spacing

Ramen shops are usually pretty cramped, but Oreno Ramen Gangnam is spacious, so it feels like a breath of fresh air haha. The place is quite big and there are plenty of table seats!! The hall itself is wide, and up to 8 people can sit together. It'd also be good for office workers around Gangnam Station having lunch.

There are also 7 solo seats, but bar seats can be uncomfortable if you're crammed right up against the next person, right? Here they're not packed tightly together — the spacing between seats was generous, which I liked.

They've set up plenty of chairs so people can wait comfortably when it's busy, and there's a coat hanger too. The restroom is inside the restaurant and was kept quite clean. They even had sanitary pads stocked, which felt thoughtful.

And since it's an open kitchen, you can see the whole cooking area, and everywhere I could see was very clean, which I liked. Most of the staff were young, but they were lively, really quick, and friendly.

How does the kara paitan taste, and how spicy is it?

My Oreno Ramen kara paitan came out quickly!! They gave kimchi and pickled ginger as side dishes, but I basically only ate the ramen haha. It's topped with wood ear mushroom, scallion, fried onion, soft-boiled egg, and boiled chicken!

I really love these thin ramen noodles... they're cooked just right, and being chicken-broth based, it tastes cleaner than pork-broth tonkotsu ramen. I like tonkotsu ramen too, but sometimes I crave a chicken-broth-based ramen.

Kara paitan is a broth mixed with spicy chili oil-like oil. But it's not very spicy! It felt similar to Shin Ramyun or maybe a bit milder.

Toppings – wood ear mushroom, chicken, soft-boiled egg

The long brown topping is wood ear mushroom, and since I like its crunchy texture, I was happy. The meat looks like chicken breast or tenderloin, but it wasn't dry — it was soft! There's also a soft-boiled egg on top, though it was closer to medium-boiled rather than soft-boiled, with the yolk running out — I think it could've used just a bit more cooking haha.

Is the portion enough? Free refills available

Finished it all haha. I usually prefer the toppings and tend to leave some broth. If the portion feels a bit small, you can get free refills of half or a full portion of noodles, broth, or rice — but as a woman in my 30s with a moderate appetite, the portion was just right even without a refill!! I think I'll come back here again whenever I want something simple to eat around Gangnam Station.