Gangnam café with a hidden room and milk tea: Selected Nicks

A Rooftop Dessert Café Near Gangnam Station

There are plenty of bars near Gangnam Station, but finding one genuinely nice café is surprisingly hard, isn’t it? Even when you finally find one, the seats can be packed in or the place can be way too noisy. Then I came across Selected Nicks (셀렉티드닉스), a large café divided across several floors, with an open rooftop and a wide range of desserts, so I went to check it out.

Selected Nicks Gangnam: Basic Information

• Address: 37 Teheran-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울 강남구 테헤란로4길 37 1층)
• Hours: Weekdays 08:00–00:00 / Weekends 11:00–23:30
• Private rental available: from private dates, blind dates, and meetings to exhibitions and seminars
• Maximum capacity: 60 people

Multiple Floors and Parking

Selected Nicks is conveniently walkable from the Bundang Line at Gangnam Station. Its outdoor area is so prettily arranged that it felt like stepping into a different space.

The space is divided from B1 through the first floor, second floor, eighth floor, and rooftop, making it one of Gangnam’s better-known large cafés. It also stays open late, so it is a nice place to visit when you want a café or dessert stop instead of another round of drinks near Gangnam Station. Ask the staff about parking availability; SUVs and large vehicles cannot park here.

The first floor has the elevator and stairs, as well as the ordering area; this is also where you return your trays. You can also sit at the outdoor seats you saw when entering.

The rooftop gives you a sweeping view of Gangnam’s cityscape, and it felt like a great place to enjoy the urban atmosphere in weather like this. Looking at the photos, it seems especially pretty in daytime and around sunset too.

The Second-Floor Gallery on a Humid Day

The weather was still humid that day, so I headed to the second floor, which also operates as a gallery. It had a clean white palette and paintings hanging along the walls, giving it a more atmospheric, leisurely feeling than a typical large café. The style of the paintings suited the café’s mood beautifully too, so they were fun to look at.

Even though it is right in the middle of Gangnam, it felt less overwhelmingly crowded and more like a place where you could sit back for a conversation or have coffee alone. Maybe that is why I spotted quite a few people on blind dates? The tables were well spaced too, so it looked good for everything from business meetings to blind dates without worrying about the people around you. There is also a hidden room like this, which you can enjoy privately by booking through Naver Reservation.

Tiramisu and Bakery Menu

As you would expect from a tiramisu specialist, Selected Nicks had quite a variety. There were classic, banana, chocolate banana, pistachio, raspberry, strawberry, carrot, and matcha options, so there was a wide range to choose from depending on your taste!

Beyond tiramisu, there were plenty of cookies and baked goods too, including trendy wagppu salt bread and dujjongku cookies. They can be used when you reserve the hidden room.

Pistachio Tiramisu and Drinks

Selected Nicks Gangnam has tiramisu with seriously impressive looks. My choice here was the pistachio tiramisu. I also saw the chocolate banana tiramisu ordered by the person ahead of me come out, and it looked so impressive that I was excited before even taking a bite.

There were finely crushed pistachios not only on top but all around the tiramisu, so I could enjoy the soft tiramisu, the nutty pistachio aroma, and that crunchy texture all at once. The cream was richer than I expected but still smooth, and its moistness never felt heavy or cloying. If anything, the generous toppings made the plentiful cream feel like a plus. It was a pistachio tiramisu dessert with a nutty flavor that was not overly heavy but definitely delivered on taste.

For drinks, I ordered milk tea and an Americano. You can switch the Americano to decaf, so it was easy to have even in the evening. Since the pistachio tiramisu is on the creamy side, I personally thought the Americano made the cleanest pairing. I wanted a sugar boost rather than coffee that day, so I also ordered the milk tea. Its extra smoothness went really well with the nutty flavor left in my mouth, so that was a good choice too.

Would It Work for a Gathering or Blind Date?

Selected Nicks, this large café near Gangnam Station, was not simply big—it blended a lovely atmosphere for gatherings or blind dates with tasty desserts really well. The tiramisu, with visuals you do not often see elsewhere, had so many toppings that I even felt it was good value for money. I recommend the rooftop on a nice day, or the second floor when you want to stay indoors and take in the artwork.