Post-lunch café with a friend in Yangjae: Tomatade, babka, Mini Male

After lunch with a friend at Yangjae Citizen's Forest, we both suddenly wanted a cup of coffee. While looking for a café with desserts near the forest, we stopped by Mini Male Coffee Roasters (미니말레 커피뢰스터) Yangjae Main Branch, which is close to the station.

Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch is known as a great coffee spot in Yangjae for its signature Helsinki latte, and you can pick out bakery items in the same place too, so it was a nice spot to rest after lunch. The atmosphere was relaxed and the coffee was much better than I expected, so I'm leaving a review.

Where is Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch, and can you park?

Mini Male Coffee Roasters Yangjae Main Branch is about 374 m from Exit 3 of Yangjaesiminuisup Station, roughly a 3-minute walk. There is no dedicated parking lot, only a brief stop in front of the shop, so public transport is the easier way to go.

It's close to the Yangjae Flower Market and the Yangjae AT Center, so many people drop in after looking at flowers or attending an event. This was Mini Male's first shop, which is why it's called the main branch, and the brand has since grown to seven shops.

A white and black interior

The exterior has a black sign, so even on a first visit I didn't get confused. The facade was clean and no-fuss.

Inside is a modern space done in white and black. Light comes in through the big windows, so even though it isn't huge, it didn't feel stuffy, and the tables are spaced generously, which made it easy to chat with my friend. You order at a kiosk.

The inside is bright and tidy, a space neatly done in white and black.

Mini Male's menu, bean choices and bakery lineup

The menu at Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch is split into coffee and non-coffee, and the signature is the Helsinki latte marked BEST. You can choose from Balance, Dunkel and decaf beans, and lattes use Dunkel beans by default.

Dunkel has the nutty richness of milk chocolate, honey and almond, while Balance has the sweetness of citrus and fruit. Balance costs ₩200 extra and decaf ₩500. Switching to low-fat or oat milk was also possible for an extra ₩500.

Display case of financiers, babka and New York cookies

Near the counter there were handmade New York cookies, financiers, babka and butter salt bread on display. The plain financier was ₩2,800 and the butter babka ₩4,500.

They say the cookies are mixed and baked fresh every day at their Bakery Lab in Gaepo-dong. Coffee beans are also sold packaged, so you can take your favorite ones home.

There was a variety of beans and handmade New York cookies too, starting from the Original Levain at ₩4,500.

The 4 items we shared with a friend, and their prices

At Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch we ordered 2 drinks and 2 bakery items, four things in all, and shared them with my friend.

☕ What does the ₩5,400 Helsinki latte taste like?

I ordered Mini Male's signature Helsinki latte hot, regular size, with Dunkel beans. On the first sip the milky richness came first, and then the deep flavor of the espresso rose up behind it.

It wasn't too sweet and went down smoothly, so it was just right after lunch. They say it's a latte the owner met on a trip to Northern Europe and turned into their own recipe, and you can taste why it's the signature.

🍅 Tomatade ₩5,600

For a non-coffee drink I picked Mini Male's Tomatade (tomato ade, a sweet-tart tomato drink). The sweet-sour tomato flavor felt refreshing, and alternating it with the Helsinki latte left my mouth feeling clean.

I think it would suit people who can't drink much coffee, or anyone looking for a light drink after lunch.

🍪 Handmade New York cookie, Original Levain ₩4,500

The Original Levain cookie is thick, so it was perfect to split in half with my friend. The inside was moist and hearty, and even one bite was filling.

Eating the sweet cookie and then drinking the Helsinki latte reset the sweetness, so I thought ordering the two together was a good call.

🥐 Butter babka ₩4,500

The butter babka is a plain babka made by twisting brioche dough and baking it. The outside was baked to a glossy finish and had a strong butter aroma.

The dough was soft, so it was easy to tear apart by hand along its layers, and eating it with the Helsinki latte, the rich flavors went well together.

Why I recommend Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch as a café near Yangjae Citizen's Forest

I recommend Mini Male Yangjae Main Branch to anyone looking for a café with desserts near Yangjae Citizen's Forest. A single Helsinki latte was reason enough to visit, and with the cookie and babka on the side, I got both Yangjae café coffee and Yangjae bakery treats in one stop.

It was a great place for a light chat with a friend after lunch.

One warm cup warms the afternoon