Gangnam ramen restaurant lunch with juicy tsukune: Oreno Ramen Gangnam

I was looking for a good place to eat near Gangnam Station and ended up at Oreno Ramen Gangnam. If you like ramen, Oreno Ramen is probably a name you have heard at least once! This time, I tried the tori paitan and assorted tsukune together, haha.

Of everything I ate that day, the assorted tsukune was so delicious that it really stuck with me. It was a nice spot to visit on a day when I was craving ramen near Gangnam Station.

Getting to Oreno Ramen from Gangnam Station Exit 11

Oreno Ramen Gangnam is not far from Gangnam Station.

It is easy enough to find after walking out from Gangnam Station Exit 11. The restaurant is on the second floor of the building, so just head up the stairs and you will find it right away.

Because it was a weekday, I went in thinking, “Oh, surely there will not be a wait?” But of course... there was one. I think it was because it was lunchtime on a weekday near Gangnam Station, but since the menu is ramen, I got in after waiting about five minutes. I was startled to see the line stretching onto the stairs, but it moved quickly, thankfully..

Tori paitan and assorted tsukune ordered at the kiosk

Once inside, you order through a kiosk. After taking my time looking through the menu, I chose the tori paitan that day. And since ramen alone seemed like it might be a little lacking, I added an order of assorted tsukune too.

We ordered two things: tori paitan and assorted tsukune :) Oreno Ramen’s signature dishes are tori paitan and kara paitan, and this time I went with the standard tori paitan.

There were even hair ties at the table. And they were the kind that do not hurt your head! Such a thoughtful touch..!!

You can ask the staff for as much kimchi, cilantro, and ginger as you would like! Noodle, broth, and rice refills are free too!!

Mild, clean-tasting tori paitan

After ordering and waiting a little, the tori paitan arrived. The milky-white broth was topped with chicken, wood ear mushrooms, scallions, and egg, so it looked clean and neat from the start. I tried a spoonful of broth first and could taste that nutty, rich quality distinctive to chicken broth.

The broth was quite rich, but it was not as heavy as I expected and went well with the noodles. Tori paitan is mild without any spiciness, so I think it would be a good choice for anyone who prefers deep chicken-broth flavor to intensely seasoned ramen.

I ate the chicken topping with the noodles, then had some of the egg too, haha. Ramen always seems tastier when you enjoy every topping along with it.

The assorted tsukune side dish I remembered most

And here was the real star of the day!! The assorted tsukune. I honestly ordered it thinking it would just be a ramen side dish, but it was better than expected, which surprised me a little, haha.

Tsukune are a Japanese dish of grilled chicken meatballs. After one bite, I loved how soft and moist the chicken meatballs were. They were not dry at all and had a nice juiciness, which made them great with the ramen too.

The toppings on each one were different, which also made trying them one by one fun. A sip of ramen broth followed by a bite of tsukune was actually a pretty good combination. The assorted tsukune was my favorite thing I ate that day!! If I visit Oreno Ramen again, I will have ramen of course, but I think I will order the assorted tsukune again too, haha.

Ordering just one bowl of ramen for a quick meal is nice, but adding a side made the meal feel much more plentiful. Enjoying the tori paitan for its rich chicken-broth flavor, with a tsukune in between bites! This combination was quietly so good. The tsukune was especially tastier than I expected, so I came for ramen and ended up more interested in the side dish, lol.

They were great with ramen, and the tsukune itself was delicious enough that I would want to order it again next time. I think Oreno Ramen will come to mind when I want ramen near Gangnam Station :) Next time, I would like to try the spicy kara paitan too.