Catch-up café at Gyodae Station, Seoul: warm butter babka — Mini Male

Today I had a get-together with friends near Gyodae Station in Seoul :) I searched hard for a café around the station with tasty coffee and a nice mood, and the place I found was Mini Male Coffee Roaster Gyodae Court Branch! Having visited, every dessert was really good and the coffee they roast themselves was excellent too, so I immediately understood why it comes up so often in Gyodae Station café recommendations 🤎

Where is Mini Male Coffee Roaster Gyodae Court Branch?

Mini Male Coffee Roaster Gyodae Court Branch is at 15 Seocho-daero 51-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor, right in front of Gyodae Station. It is open 08:00-22:00 (weekends 09:00-19:00), and takeout, Wi-Fi, delivery and easy payment are all available.

Access from Gyodae Station is great, so it is perfect as a meeting spot, and there are a few branches in Gangnam too, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Gangnam blind date café or a Gyodae café for a blind date 💕

Mini Male Gyodae Court Branch exterior and terrace

The outside of the Gyodae Court Branch has a sleek, upscale black-toned look that stands out even from far away 🖤 It isn't flashy, but it has a quiet atmosphere, so I was already looking forward to it before going in :)

There is also terrace seating at the front of the shop! On a nice day it looks like a great place for a casual cup of coffee 🌿☕

What is babka, Mini Male's signature dessert?

The signature of Mini Male is babka 🤎 They specialize in it! Babka is an Eastern European dessert, a butter dough twisted with things like chocolate or cinnamon and then baked :) It was a dessert I'd never seen before, so I was even more excited ✨

Mini Male Gyodae Court Branch interior and seating

Inside, it was really crowded, which makes sense for a famous Gyodae Station dessert café in Gangnam 👀

Some people were reading alone, and there were plenty of dates, friend meetups and families too!

The whole interior is black-toned, and it feels like they cut unnecessary elements to focus on the coffee and the mood of the space, so it was easy to relax :) I especially recommend it to anyone looking for a Gyodae café with a nice atmosphere, a Gyodae date café or a Gyodae blind date café 🫶

We settled into a cozy window seat! With the soft lighting added, the mood was really good ✨

Mini Male coffee and drink menu

They say Mini Male uses specialty beans that they source and profile themselves! You can feel a lot of thought and care in every cup ☕ I love coffee so much that a café with good coffee matters a lot to me, and on that point I was really satisfied 🤍

First, the coffee and drink menu! Besides coffee there are plenty of milk teas and teas, so even people who don't drink coffee can enjoy it 😊

Babka display and gift items

As a babka dessert café, one corner of the Gyodae Court Branch had an introduction to babka along with pretty images on display!

The dessert corner had many kinds of babka lined up by flavor 🤎 I honestly wanted to try every flavor, sob. Since it was a dessert I'd never seen before, I was even more curious about the taste!

On top of that, there are scones, handmade cookies, drip bag coffee and bottled drinks, so the range is wide. If you're looking for a thank-you gift or a small present near the Gyodae courthouse, it's worth a stop :)

They also sell Mini Male's own beans separately! Recommended for anyone who wants to enjoy specialty coffee at home ☕✨

What we ordered with friends: Helsinki Latte, peppermint tea, butter babka, Victoria scone

Ordering at Mini Male Gyodae Court Branch is by kiosk, and we ordered the signature Helsinki Latte and a peppermint tea, plus a butter babka and a Victoria scone for dessert 💕

The window seat had soft lighting, so photos came out really well 📸✨

After a short wait, the butter babka, Victoria scone, peppermint tea and Helsinki Latte came out!

The look alone was totally my taste 🥹🤎 The cups and plates were stylish and pretty too, so taking photos was fun!

How was the Victoria scone?

Mini Male's Victoria scone had raspberry jam and fresh cream inside. When I split it in half, the scone wasn't dry at all, and its soft texture was charming :)

The raspberry jam and cream combination went together really well 💕 The jam had a strong taste of real fruit, so the sweetness felt refined!

Is the butter babka served warm?

They warmed the butter babka right away, so it came out soft and warm ✨ The butter babka I'd been waiting for!! Even in the video you can feel how soft it is 🥹

The butter aroma is strong but not as heavy as I expected, and it was moist and soft, the kind of taste where you keep reaching for more 🤎

If you're looking for a great dessert café near Gyodae, please do try the babka!

Helsinki Latte and peppermint tea

The drinks went really well with the desserts ☕

Especially the signature Helsinki Latte! They say the owner recreated, in their own way, the memory of a rich latte they had while traveling in Helsinki, Finland :)

The nutty richness of the milk and the smooth coffee flavor are in harmony, and the bitterness isn't strong, so anyone who usually likes lattes will be really happy with it! 🤎 My personal strong recommendation 🤎

The peppermint tea didn't feel like a cheap tea bag either. The aroma was really cool and clean, so it was nice to have with dessert 🌿

Good for a long stay? Window-seat chargers and restroom

The window seats at Mini Male Gyodae Court Branch have chargers, so we could charge our phones while we stayed and talk with friends for a long time :) The cozy atmosphere is perfect for chatting away, so I can see why it's so often mentioned in Gyodae Station and Gyodae courthouse café recommendations ☺️

At the time of my visit, there was also an event giving a specialty drip bag for joining the review event, so if you're interested, you might want to take part!

And the restroom! It was so clean I was surprised 🥹 It even had a bidet, and everything was well kept, so it felt like they care about the small details!

Who I'd recommend Mini Male Gyodae Court Branch to

• A café with tasty coffee near Gyodae Station
• A Gyodae café for a blind date
• A great Gyodae dessert café
• A Gyodae café with a nice atmosphere
• A Seocho café recommendation

If those are the conditions you're using to look for a café near Gyodae Station, Mini Male Coffee Roaster Gyodae Court Branch is worth a visit 🤎