Gangnam ramen restaurant Saturday 11am couple visit soft egg: Oreno

One sip of the broth and I thought, 'Wow, this place really deserves its Michelin listing.' A ramen-loving couple was properly impressed at Oreno Ramen Gangnam, which has held a Michelin listing for eight straight years since 2019.

*No parking support — you'll need to use a nearby public parking lot (Yeoksam Culture Park No. 1 Public Parking Lot recommended).

Exterior and interior vibe — when does the weekend wait start?

Oreno Ramen Gangnam is on the 2nd floor. We went a little early on a Saturday, around 11am, right before lunch hour, and got in fairly easily. But after finishing our ramen and stepping out around 11:40am... whoa, there was already a massive line outside haha. Guess you can always tell a place is good once lunch hour hits!!! So if you're planning to visit, I'd recommend going a bit before lunch or deliberately avoiding the peak lunch window!!

Even when we walked in, there were already a lot of customers, and we got the last table! There's a bar table as well as regular tables.

Only two items on the menu

Oreno Ramen's menu was really simple! Basically there are just two options: tori paitan, the classic chicken broth, and kara paitan, a spicy chicken broth base.

• Tori paitan ₩13,000
• Kara paitan ₩13,000

The basic side dishes and free refills

A really simple set of side dishes to go with the ramen, and they even give you cilantro — so happy haha. Also, noodles (half or full portion), broth, rice, and side dishes are all free refills, just so you know!

The classic chicken broth: tori paitan

First up, my husband's order — tori paitan! And this was honestly the most memorable dish for me at this place, this basic chicken broth ramen. It's chicken broth, but not the usual milky chicken broth flavor you're used to — it's really deep and rich, with a hint of ox bone-soup flavor too, a taste I hadn't easily found at other ramen restaurants!!

Wow, this is genuinely insanely good... now I get the Michelin thing.

We both reacted like that the moment we took our first bite of ramen lol

The noodles hadn't gone soggy at all and had that nice chewy bite, and above all, the chicken breast was apparently sous vide — it was so moist and packed with broth, truly delicious!! I've been to quite a lot of ramen restaurants, but a place that left such a strong impression from the very first sip of broth is rare. I completely understood the crowds and the wait after that one bite.

The spicy chicken broth: kara paitan

I was craving something spicy that day so I ordered the kara paitan, and honestly, this was really delicious too. It was spicy while still keeping the deep flavor of the chicken broth alive, so it wasn't just aggressively spicy — more like a spiciness layered over a deep flavor you kept noticing?! (And it wasn't spicy at all, honestly!!)

Generous toppings and fantastic noodle texture as always — and look at this chicken breast. The staff explained it was sous vide chicken breast, and honestly this is the first time I've been impressed by chicken breast at a ramen restaurant lol. Close-up bite shot.

Took a bite of the delicious wood ear mushroom with the chicken breast, then another bite with my beloved cilantro haha.

Saved the best for last: the soft-boiled egg

And of course you save the tastiest thing for last!!! The soft-boiled egg!! It was a perfect execution of Japanese hot-spring egg style, and honestly, out of all the soft-boiled eggs I've had at ramen restaurants lately, this was hands down number one. Not just soft-boiled — the inside had this jelly-like, sticky, moist texture ㅠㅠ It's just incredibly good, everyone. No wonder they've held Michelin status for eight years straight.

Final verdict

I've been to quite a lot of ramen restaurants, but one that stuck in my memory this strongly from the very first sip of broth is rare!! The deep, rich tori paitan chicken broth was especially impressive, and the kara paitan was also satisfying with its spicy yet flavorful profile. (If you want to fully experience the deep flavor, I'd personally recommend the tori paitan!)

With refills available too, it's filling and great value — nothing lacking in taste, portion, or price!!! The wait can get long during lunch hour, so I'd recommend visiting a bit earlier. If you're looking for a genuinely delicious ramen restaurant in Gangnam, this is a place worth visiting at least once — solo dining is comfortable here too. Huge praise for Oreno Ramen Gangnam, really and truly!!!