Gangnam ramen restaurant 15 minutes before last order: Oreno Ramen

Today I'm introducing a Gangnam Station ramen favorite — Oreno Ramen Gangnam! The flagship is in Hapjeong, and there are also branches at Jamsil Lotte World, Songpa, Eunpyeong, and Insa-dong!

I got there about 15 minutes before last order and walked right in with no wait, though I think this place usually does have a wait! Honestly, I originally wanted something other than ramen, but that place had already closed for the day ㅠㅠ so this was my backup plan — and I came away super, super satisfied! Highly recommend!

Where is Oreno Ramen Gangnam, and its parking and hours

Oreno Ramen Gangnam is behind the CGV near Exit 11 of Gangnam Station. Just head up to the 2nd floor of Seongeun Building! For parking, you'll need to use the nearby paid lot (Yeoksam Culture Park Public Parking Lot No. 1)!

Hours are daily from 11am to 8:30pm, with last order at 8pm.

The menu: tori paitan or karapaitan

Most ramen restaurants sell tonkotsu or shoyu ramen, but Oreno Ramen's signature dish is tori paitan ramen (chicken broth)!

The menu is this simple! There are only two ramen options — tori paitan and karapaitan. We ordered one spicy and one mild, and since we were hungry, added a soft-boiled egg to each. We also got the mixed tsukune (meatballs)! haha

Inside Oreno Ramen Gangnam: solo-dining zone and table setup

Aprons are provided. There are some on both sides.

The hall was pretty spacious, and the tables were spaced quite far apart!

This is the solo-dining zone! The interior was really pleasant and sparkling clean. I loved it lol

The side dishes are kimchi and pickled ginger — the kimchi was somehow mild but nutty and really tasty!

That box had something like pickled radish in it, and next to it there were hair ties too. And how did I not take a photo of the barley tea,, ㅜ the ice-cold barley tea packed with ice was so good!

What the mixed tsukune (chicken meatballs) taste like

Meatballs! Garlic mayo and what seemed like cheddar cheese, soft and delicious!

It had exactly that soft, bouncy texture you'd expect from meatballs haha

Spicy karapaitan: how much chicken breast is on top?

This is the spicy ramen! They gave way more chicken breast than expected, so protein intake was fully covered lol The staff explained it's topped with fried onion, scallion strips, and wood ear mushroom!

Such generous protein.... lol The chicken breast was really tender and delicious!! The noodles are thin and cooked just right. Bouncy 1, chewy 2, soft 7 — easy to slurp down.

The ramen was... genuinely much tastier than expected. There's a light foam on top of the broth that's really smooth, and the spicy version wasn't a 'whoa, that's hot!' kind of spicy — more of a warm, enveloping heat. It stayed delicious all the way to the end without getting tiring.

The soft-boiled egg had a light seasoning on the white, and the yolk doneness was spot on. The yolk was thick and chewy but still slightly runny!

When you stir it, the foam clears and the broth's red color shows through!

Mild tori paitan and its rich chicken broth

This is what I ordered — the mild one! This one suited my taste a bit better haha The richly concentrated chicken broth was both smooth and clear, which I liked. It had such a nutty, deep flavor — absolutely amazing!! Refreshing it with the seasoned kimchi and pickled ginger once in a while was perfect! The portion was pretty generous too!

I'd only ever had wood ear mushroom in the round shape you find in mala tang or sweet and sour pork, but this long shape was a first — really crunchy and springy, and delicious!

Wait, isn't ramen supposed to be salty?? I've never drunk this much broth at a ramen restaurant before, but here I kept spooning it up. I don't know how many times I said 'why is this so good' while eating lol

Free refills of noodles, broth, rice and kimchi

While wondering why something so simple tasted this good, I discovered it's in the Michelin Guide.. ah.. so that's why it's this good... no wonder...

Oreno Ramen even offers free refills on noodles, broth, rice, and kimchi!!!!

Someone who hadn't eaten all day even made a broth-and-rice bowl out of it

They also finished off a whole extra serving of noodles and drank down a good serving of broth too. Respect.. I added meatballs, extra noodles, and a soft-boiled egg, and still left a small bit of noodles and about one piece of chicken breast. The portions are not small,, not at all,,

Is Oreno Ramen Gangnam worth a visit?

I left 15 minutes before closing, and the staff next to me were cleaning up really thoroughly lol No wonder the place is so spotless haha Having worked part-time jobs myself for a long time, I felt a bit self-conscious knowing they probably wanted us to leave quickly, but the staff were friendly from start to finish, so I could finish my meal comfortably!

I think I'd come back here if there's no wait! It's been a while since ramen left my stomach feeling this light! Recommended!!!!