Gangnam café for mango ade and financiers: Selected Nicks

When you look for a café in Gangnam, it can be surprisingly~ hard to find one that suits your taste! Especially around Yeoksam or Gangnam Station, where there are so many people, I tend to look for somewhere spacious and comfortable enough to stay for a while rather than just popping in for coffee. This time, I visited Selected Nicks, a large café within easy walking distance of Gangnam Station. It occupies several floors, so each area had a slightly different atmosphere—and most of all, I loved that it even has a rooftop.

A large café close to both Gangnam Station and Yeoksam

Selected Nicks is at 37 Teheran-ro 4-gil in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It is right between Gangnam and Yeoksam, I would say! It is an easy walk from either area, so it is a good place to stop by before or after plans. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary city café, but I was a little surprised by how large it was once I went in. It uses several floors from the basement up, which is a real plus because you can still look for a seat even when it is busy.

How is each floor different?

A different atmosphere on every floor

Selected Nicks’ biggest feature is definitely that each floor has its own atmosphere.

The basement level felt relatively calm, making it look nice for quietly having coffee or chatting, while the first floor is where you order and where the café’s main activity happens, so it had a livelier feel with people coming and going.

There is also a gallery space on the second floor, which made it feel a little different from a café where you simply drink coffee.

Being able to look around the exhibition for free was also a quietly fun touch. If you want a more secluded space, the upper floors would be a good option too.

And on a nice day, the rooftop seats are naturally the most popular... It felt special to drink coffee while looking out over the open city view in the middle of Gangnam. It was full when I went, but if you go earlier, especially on a weekday, you should have more room..!!

Tiramisu and baked treats

A place known for tiramisu

Selected Nicks is particularly known for its tiramisu. There were so many varieties, from plain to pistachio, raspberry, banana, and chocolate banana. They said the tiramisu is made and sold the same day, so I thought I absolutely had to try one next time.

This time, baked treats like financiers, madeleines, and cookies caught my eye as soon as I entered, so I chose a financier instead of tiramisu.

The Choco Salty financier and drinks I ordered

What I ordered

My order that day was simple: a Choco Salty financier, café latte, and Tropical Mango Ade—three things in all. I was going to order just one coffee and a dessert, but I was curious about a refreshing drink too, so I added the mango ade.

Selected Nicks menu

The café latte was smooth overall. I prefer a nutty, easy-drinking latte to coffee with very strong acidity, and this one suited my taste just fine. A bite of financier followed by a sip of latte made the sweet dessert flavor blend with the coffee and finish cleanly! I really think lattes and baked treats are a combination that never fails, haha.

I also tried the Tropical Mango Ade, which I ordered because coffee alone felt a little insufficient. Its characteristic mango sweetness and cool fizz made it enjoyable in a completely different way from coffee. If you visit on a hot day, I thought a fruity drink like this could be a good choice instead of an iced Americano.

Taking a slow break in the heart of Gangnam

A great place to relax leisurely in the middle of Gangnam

As I sat in the café, I understood why some people prefer large cafés. The area around Gangnam Station is so busy and crowded, but here the floors are divided up, so it was nice that you can choose a space with the atmosphere you want. It would be good for meeting a friend and chatting, and it does not seem bad for visiting alone to take a short break either.

Most of all, because there is even a rooftop, it was fun to look around the café slowly rather than having one coffee and leaving right away. I tried the Choco Salty financier and drinks this time, but if you visit Selected Nicks, it would feel like a shame to skip the tiramisu. There are so many varieties—not only plain, but pistachio, raspberry, banana, and chocolate banana—so I am thinking of choosing one next time. Especially on a nice day, it would be lovely to have a coffee on the rooftop while looking at the Gangnam cityscape. On my next visit, I am definitely going to check out the other floors and finally try the tiramisu I missed this time :)