Weekend venti Helsinki latte and NY cookies in Yangjae: Mini Male

Cover photo of Mini Male Coffee Roasters Yangjae Main Branch

Looking for a café in Yangjae to grab coffee and dessert together on a weekend afternoon, I ended up at Mini Male's Yangjae Main Branch near Yangjae Citizens' Forest. It was way busier than I expected — customers kept streaming in the whole time I sat there, and delivery orders never seemed to stop, so it clearly is a pretty popular spot in the area.

Exterior of Mini Male Coffee Roasters Yangjae Main Branch

Location and hours of Mini Male Coffee Roasters Yangjae Main Branch

📍 Address: 32 Gangnam-daero 10-gil, 1st floor, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
About 3 minutes on foot from Exit 3 of Yangjae Citizens' Forest Station (Sinbundang Line)
Hours: Mon–Fri 08:00–20:00 / Sat–Sun 09:00–20:00

Menu board of coffee and baked goods at Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch

Mini Male serves specialty coffee alongside its own baked goods, New York cookies, and sandwiches. You can choose your beans from Balance, Dunkel, decaf, and more depending on your taste, and the café's signature item is the Helsinki latte.

Mini Male's signature coffee in a bottle

Drink showcase at Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch

There's quite a range of signature drinks. They come bottled, too, which makes them easy to take out.

Dessert corner with scones and croissants

The Helsinki latte was apparently inspired by a latte the owner had while traveling in Northern Europe. There was also a good range of desserts — scones, croissants, New York cookies, and more. The problem was that by the time I visited, a lot of the popular desserts were already gone. Even though it was a weekend afternoon, plenty of items were sold out, so I figured I'd have to come earlier next time.

There are gift sets too, so if you're weighing options for Chuseok gift packaging in Yangjae, this could be worth a look.

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The vibe inside on a weekend afternoon

Interior of Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch

Café seating filled with weekend afternoon customers

I visited on a weekend afternoon and this café was clearly very popular. The place was fairly packed, and new customers kept coming in the whole time I sat there. Delivery orders kept coming through too, so it seemed like plenty of people were after the desserts and baked goods as much as the coffee.

Table seating at Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch

What I ordered

I ordered

Iced Helsinki latte
Ronnefeldt rooibos vanilla herbal tea
Plain scone
Homemade oatmeal raisin New York cookie

Mini Male's signature Helsinki latte

I ordered the Helsinki latte iced, in venti size! I liked that the amount of ice wasn't excessive for an iced drink. Usually when you order an iced beverage the ice fills the cup to the brim, but here there was relatively little ice, so I got a generous amount of the actual drink.

The Helsinki latte is made with special milk and espresso. It's sweet, but not the kind that's amazing for one sip and then gets tiring — I could drink it comfortably from start to finish. You could taste the nuttiness of the milk without the coffee flavor getting lost, so it was nice to sip slowly. I'm not really a fan of overly sweet lattes, so this level of sweetness actually suited me well.

Rooibos vanilla herbal tea, too

I liked that there was a tea bag option you can drink without worrying about caffeine. It's a nice option for people who can't drink coffee, or anyone wanting something light in the afternoon. Even though this is mainly a coffee-and-dessert café, having herbal tea options meant I could pick according to my taste.

Plain scone and oatmeal raisin cookie set

They warmed the scone up after I ordered it, so I got to eat it hot. Scones taste pretty different warm versus cold, and having it warmed right away meant better texture and a nicer pairing with the coffee.

It's a plain scone that's light yet dense at the same time. I got a nutty flavor with a subtle sweetness — a taste that was easy to enjoy without feeling heavy.

I also picked up a homemade oatmeal raisin New York cookie. It had that characteristic thick, chunky feel of a New York cookie, so even on its own it was a pretty filling dessert.

Thick homemade oatmeal raisin New York cookie

With the oatmeal and raisins, it tasted a bit different from a typical chocolate cookie, and it went well with slowly sipping coffee. Since most of the desserts were sold out that day, I didn't have many options, but what I did pick from what was left was still delicious. Next time I'd like to come when there's more dessert variety left and try some of the other baked goods.

Overall impression

Table set with coffee and dessert together

The café is stylishly decorated, so it's great for photos, and it was a nice spot to relax while enjoying coffee and dessert together. It felt lively with the crowd of weekend afternoon customers, and since the popular desserts seem to sell out quickly, arriving a bit earlier would let you enjoy a wider variety. If you're looking for a café near Yangjae Citizens' Forest for coffee and dessert together, I'd recommend it.