Oreno Ramen Seoul

Oreno Ramen 오레노라멘 in Seoul

[Non-halal] In our last two trips, we’ve eaten nothing but Korean food in South Korea.

This round, we decided to check out other cuisines – and Oreno Ramen 오레노라멘 appeared on our radar as it was close to where we were in Hongdae.

And we enjoyed the ramen a lot!

Oreno Ramen 오레노라멘 in Hongdae

Helmed by chef Shin Dong-woo, Oreno Ramen 오레노라멘 has been listed on the Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2019.

Eating Japanese food in Korea might seem a bit strange – but Oreno Ramen is known for its authentic Japanese tori paitan ramen, which is a chicken-based noodles that’s popular with both locals and tourists. The noodles and stock are prepared fresh daily to yield the best bowls of ramen.

Oreno Ramen has five outlets nationwide, but we visited the store in Hongdae – which is the original location that first gained recognition.

Worth the wait at Oreno Ramen

Oreno Ramen occupies a small space with only 10 tables, and also bar seats where all the cooking magic happens.

We had to queue for about 5 minutes when we arrived for lunch at 1pm.

While waiting for your turn, you have to first make your order on the kiosk machine at the front.

Four offerings of ramen here

There are only four main dishes to order, which keeps things simple: Tori Paitan Ramen, Kara Paitan Ramen, Shoyu Ramen, and Shio Ramen.

The most popular dish here has to be the Tori Paitan Ramen, which is a creamy chicken-based stock topped with noodles, spring onion, mushrooms, fried shallots/onions, chicken, and ajitama egg.

The Kara Paitan Ramen is essentially the same with added chilli oil.

The Shoyu and Shio Ramen are made with chicken and seafood stock, with soy sauce and salt added, respectively.

There are also options to add pork belly slices and egg.

Tori Paitan Ramen

The Tori Paitan Ramen was delicious!

Made with chicken stock, the broth was creamy and rich with umami. We liked that it served slightly foamy for texture and the addition of fried shallots really elevated the flavours.