Gangnam Station ramen bar seats solo diners first: Oreno Ramen

Oreno Ramen Gangnam is so famous among ramen fans that I'd wanted to try it for ages. I had to be in Gangnam alone on a weekday lunch, so I figured this was my chance and went straight there 🥹🥹

Weekday lunch at Oreno Ramen Gangnam: how long is the wait for one person?

Oreno Ramen Gangnam sits on Teheran-ro 1-gil near Gangnam Station, and I got there around 11:50am. As expected, office workers on their lunch break were already lined up.

But since I was dining alone, I got to go in the moment a single seat opened up. If you need to eat solo near Gangnam Station on a weekday, that's definitely an upside.

• Oreno Ramen Gangnam
• 28-9 Teheran-ro 1-gil, 2F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• Daily 11:00–20:30, last order 20:00

Is Oreno Ramen Gangnam comfortable for eating alone?

I figured a famous place like this might be a bit awkward alone, but not at all. There are seats set up specifically for solo diners, and plenty of people were clearly there eating alone at lunch.

So I'd say this is a solid pick for anyone looking for a solo-dining spot near Gangnam Station.

While waiting I looked around a bit, and there were hair ties set out for people with long hair — a small but nice touch.

There was also a spot where soft-boiled eggs are stored, and honestly it's kind of fun to check out little details like that at a ramen restaurant.

Kimchi comes standard on the table.

Tori paitan or kara paitan: which one to order?

At Oreno Ramen Gangnam, both tori paitan and kara paitan are ₩13,000, and this was my biggest dilemma before even arriving. I read through so many reviews, and both had great feedback, so I genuinely couldn't decide.

Tori paitan is the rich, savory base chicken-broth ramen, while kara paitan adds spiciness on top of that. Both ₩13,000! Since it was my first visit, I figured I should start with the most basic option, so I went with tori paitan. I also added a soft-boiled egg and tsukune (chicken meatball skewers).

Ramen absolutely needs a Coke Zero.

What the tori paitan broth at Oreno Ramen Gangnam tastes like

The moment the tori paitan arrived, the first thing that caught my eye was the foam floating on top of the broth. It looked a bit different from the Japanese ramen I'm used to, so I ended up taking photos first. Then I tried the broth, and it really is incredibly smooth and rich with concentrated chicken flavor.

To me it tasted even more concentrated than a regular chicken soup — like it had been compressed down further. The broth is a deep yellow color, and the savory flavor fills your whole mouth, so the first sip was pretty intense. It's not pork-bone like tonkotsu; the chicken broth flavor takes center stage, so it felt like a different experience altogether.

Inside were chicken, wood ear mushrooms, and a soft-boiled egg. The chicken breast in particular wasn't dry or chewy — it had a soft texture that paired nicely with the rich broth. The wood ear mushrooms had a satisfying, slightly crunchy bite here and there, adding texture to what's otherwise a very smooth bowl. I love soft-boiled eggs so I added an extra one, and the yolk was exactly the doneness I like 👅

When I ate the noodles together with the broth, I liked how the broth clung to the noodles and came along with each bite. After eating it, I understood why they recommend starting with tori paitan as the base.

Rich by the last bites: why the kimchi is essential

But honestly, to be fair, the first few bites are amazing, but because the broth is so rich and thick, by the end I started feeling it get a bit heavy.

That's when the kimchi becomes essential. A bite of kimchi followed by more ramen resets your palate and makes it go down much easier. You can ask the restaurant for kimchi, and noodles, rice, and broth are all free to refill!! Great for big eaters.

The chicken is sous vide so it's soft, and the soft-boiled egg in particular is really moist 👍🫶🏻

Tsukune (chicken meatballs) added as a side

I also added tsukune as a side. It's a meatball-style dish that came in two varieties, so it was fun switching between them bite by bite. Both were delicious, and eating a bite in between the ramen made the meal feel much more filling than ramen alone.

By the time I finished the ramen, egg, tsukune, and Coke Zero, I walked in for a solo lunch and walked out absolutely stuffed haha

Free refills of noodles, rice and broth

At Oreno Ramen Gangnam, you can get free refills on noodles, rice, and broth. That's a part I really liked.

If a bowl of ramen isn't quite enough, you can get more noodles, or mix rice into the leftover broth. I'd already eaten the tsukune and egg so I had no room left for a refill haha, but if you usually eat a lot, this is definitely a nice perk!!

Honest verdict on Oreno Ramen Gangnam

Since it was my first visit, I went with tori paitan first, and I think that was the right call! The rich, smooth chicken broth flavor that hits you on the first sip was clearly different from other ramen restaurants, and the toppings — chicken, wood ear mushroom, soft-boiled egg — worked well together.

That said, it did get a bit rich toward the end for me, and I probably would have struggled to finish it without the kimchi. So if you usually like rich broth, go for tori paitan; if you tend to get overwhelmed by richness like I do, kara paitan might suit you better.

Even at 11:50am on a weekday there was a queue of office workers, but going solo meant I got in faster than expected, and there were comfortable solo-dining seats too, so this is a place I'd come back to when looking for somewhere to eat alone near Gangnam Station. If you like ramen, the tori paitan is worth trying at least once, and next time I'm going straight for the kara paitan without hesitation.

Had the tori paitan, so next time I'm going spicy 🫪