Sinnonhyeon café before a meetup: Blue Mountain & ricotta, Selecto

Where is Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon?

Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon Branch is a big bakery café about a 200m walk from Exit 1 of Sinnonhyeon Station. I'm having a great time visiting Seoul, and today I had business in Seocho. I had a little time left before my appointment, so I dropped into Selecto Coffee near Sinnonhyeon Station.

A 24-hour café near Sinnonhyeon Station: good for laptop work or meetings?

This is a 24-hour auto brew café, and the inside is really spacious, so it's perfect for laptop work or get-togethers. There are solo seats too, so it seems great for studying or some time to yourself, a nice hangout near Sinnonhyeon Station!

Since it's such a good laptop café, there's also a 24-hour unmanned print zone! You can print, copy and even scan. It's really hot and humid these days, so spending time in a cool café like this sounds like a good idea.

An outdoor terrace with a camping feel

Besides the indoor space, the outdoor terrace has seats with a camping vibe. It was too hot in the summer daytime, so nobody was using it, but they say it's a lovely, relaxed spot in the evening after sunset, or in spring and fall. There's lighting too, so it seems especially nice at night.

What are the seasonal menu items?

Spring season is a bit past, but you can still get the spring menu's Matcha Strawberry Blossom Latte and Matcha Peach Blossom Latte! There are also summer drinks that suit the season: the Red Boost with hibiscus and the Red Black Ade. They're refreshing on a hot summer day, so they'd be nice to try as seasonal drinks.

How varied are the bakery items and drinks?

Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon is known as a great bakery spot near Sinnonhyeon Station. With bagels, sandwiches, salt bread (salted butter rolls), cakes and more, it works for a light meal or for dessert with a drink.

The drinks are really varied too: coffee, lattes, signature drinks, short coffees, juices, ades, blended drinks and tea. From americanos to cream lattes, there are basics and trendy drinks alike, so it seems like a place you could visit again and again.

Choose your americano from 5 kinds of beans

When you order an americano at Selecto Coffee, you can pick your favorite from 5 kinds of beans.

• Mocha: cherry-like chocolate notes and a heavy body
• Blue Mountain: fruity sweetness and a juicy body
• Ethiopia: subtle acacia notes and fruity acidity
• Geisha: the bean called the coffee given by the gods
• Sugarcane Process: decaf

Sandwiches made to order

Selecto Coffee is famous for its sandwiches too! There are many kinds of fresh sandwiches that are simple yet filling for busy modern people. They're made as soon as you order, so they taste extra fresh. Some aren't in the display case, but you can still order them.

How are the seats, outlets and restrooms?

The window seats have outlets, so they're good for laptop work. The seats are well spaced, so it feels comfortable, and the restrooms are inside, separate for men and women, and clean, which made this café really convenient. It's good for studying alone and handy for laptop work.

Order at the kiosk, and there are cup bingsu too

You order at a kiosk, where you pick your drinks and bakery items once more. They had a variety of cup bingsu (shaved ice dessert) that would be great on a hot day like this, but since this is a café with so many kinds of beans, I decided to choose from the coffees.

What are the opening hours?

The hours are split into staffed and unmanned periods. Monday to Friday it's staffed 08:00–22:00 and unmanned 22:00–08:00; on weekends it's staffed 10:00–21:00 and unmanned 21:00–10:00. It's a staffed café from morning to evening and unmanned from night to dawn, a 24-hour café you can use at your ease.

How do the Mocha and Blue Mountain americanos and the ricotta cheese sandwich taste?

• Mocha americano ₩3,800
• Blue Mountain americano ₩3,800
• Ricotta cheese sandwich ₩7,600

After some thought, I ordered a Mocha americano, a Blue Mountain americano and a ricotta cheese sandwich. The Mocha americano is a rich cup with notes of chocolate, cacao, honey and cherry, and the Blue Mountain americano has notes of milk chocolate, dried plum and almond.

Since the two coffees use different beans, the aromas were varied and I could really enjoy the coffee. There are many kinds of sandwiches, but the fresh ricotta cheese sandwich seemed best to eat with coffee. Go find your own coffee and sandwich combo, everyone~

The ricotta cheese sandwich was packed with crunchy vegetables, soft, slightly sweet-and-sour ricotta, and a sauce that ties everything together, and it was really delicious! It's not too heavy, so it was easy to eat.

And the bread here is special: mild and not tough! It's nutty and mild, and chewy rather than tough, so anyone could enjoy it. It comes out quickly after you order, so it would be fine to stop by during the busy lunch rush too.

A Sinnonhyeon Station café I want to spend time at on the terrace next time

Next time I visit Seoul, I want to come when it's not so hot and spend time on the outdoor terrace. The atmosphere is lovely, and it seems like a place to relax without worrying about other people's eyes.

Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon, the bakery spot near Sinnonhyeon Station! During staffed hours, enjoy fragrant coffee from Selecto's special beans, and during unmanned hours, enjoy it the easy way~