Weekday 11:40am no-wait ramen with extra soft egg: Oreno Ramen Gangnam

I love ramen so I go hunting for famous ramen spots haha. I heard Oreno Ramen, known for its chicken broth base, had a Gangnam location too, so I went to check it out haha.

Location and how to get to Oreno Ramen Gangnam

It's about a 5-minute walk from Exit 11 of Gangnam Station!

Exterior

Oreno Ramen is on the 2nd floor, so keep that in mind when you visit!!

Inside the restaurant and the hair ties and aprons

Sometimes when you're eating ramen you get self-conscious about your hair touching the food, but the restaurant had hair ties ready, so even with long hair I could eat comfortably!! They also had aprons ready, so I didn't have to worry about broth or sauce splashing on my clothes while eating ramen haha. These little touches of thoughtfulness felt surprisingly nice :) Kudos to the owner 👍👍

Noodles, broth, rice and kimchi are all free refills, so it's great for people with a big appetite! It also felt like a place where you could visit alone and have a simple bowl of ramen without any pressure, so solo diners would find it easy to visit too!!

Menu lineup and prices

Along with ramen, I ordered the assorted tsukune (Japanese chicken meatball skewers) as a side, so I came back properly full haha. There's also a review event running right now, so keep that in mind!!

Basic table setting

They said they'll give you more side dishes if you ask, just so you know!

Kara paitan ramen — what toppings come on it?

Finally the kara paitan ramen I'd been waiting for arrived! 🍜 On top of the ramen were fried onions, wood ear mushrooms, a soft-boiled egg and various other toppings, and it looked really appetizing! I feel like ramen is better with a variety of toppings on top rather than just noodles alone — you get to enjoy different textures and flavors in one bowl haha.

The fried onions caught my eye first — the crispy topping added a fun texture alongside the ramen. Dipping it slightly into the broth softened it up and gave a totally different feel, which I enjoyed! Wood ear mushrooms are another topping that's essential to ramen. They have a chewy, crunchy texture, so eating them with the soft noodles created a nice contrast that tasted great.

I love soft-boiled eggs so I ordered one extra haha. The moist, soft egg went really well with the broth. Take a bite of the soft egg with a little broth and some chicken on top...? 🤤🤤🤤

The assorted tsukune we ordered as a side

The assorted tsukune we ordered with the ramen was one of the menu items I'd been looking forward to! Tsukune are Japanese-style chicken meatball skewers, and pairing them as a side with ramen turned out to be a better combo than I expected!! Tastes like it calls for a beer 🍻🍻 I almost had a daytime drink haha. Eating the warm ramen broth and noodles, then taking a bite of tsukune...! Switching between dishes let me enjoy a different flavor each time, which I liked haha.

It was so nice to be able to try several different kinds of tsukune together haha.

Overall verdict and weekday waiting times

This is a great place for ramen lovers, of course, but also for days when you want a hearty, satisfying meal! If you want to enjoy a bowl of ramen along with a side dish, I'd recommend ordering the assorted tsukune too! I left full and satisfied after enjoying both the ramen and the tsukune 🍜🤍 Next time I visit, I plan to try the tori paitan haha.

When I visited around 11:40am, I ate without any wait! By the time I left around 12:10pm, there was already a line. Keep that in mind when you go!