Sinnonhyeon study café with mattress seats and 5 beans: Selecto Coffee

There's a café near Sinnonhyeon that's open 24 hours, so I went to check it out. I'd never heard of Selecto Coffee before, but turns out it's a franchise. Here's the review.

Where is Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon and when is it open?

Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon Branch 24 Auto Brew Cafe is a 3-minute walk from Exit 1 of Sinnonhyeon Station. It's open 00:00-24:00 with no days off.

• Mon-Fri: 08:00-22:00 (staffed) / 22:00-08:00 (unstaffed)
• Sat-Sun: 10:00-21:00 (staffed) / 21:00-10:00 (unstaffed)
• 🚘 Paid parking at Eongubi public parking lot, ₩900/30min, additional ₩150 per 5 min, max ₩43,200

What the Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon storefront looks like

The store is really big and long. The exterior is white-toned with orange accents. Let's go inside.

Five bean choices for one americano

As soon as you walk into Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon, you see the kiosk and counter, and you can choose from five types of americano beans. There's quite a variety of menu items.

Five different americano beans — this café is perfect for americano lovers!! Of course there are other drinks too, but usually places only offer 1-2 bean options plus maybe decaf, so being able to pick the flavor you like is really nice.

Are there salads and sandwiches too?

Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon also sells salads and sandwiches. Check out the recommended dressing pairings.

Sandwiches and salads in the open fridge by the counter. When I first arrived it wasn't very full like in the left photo, but by closing time it was stocked up like the right photo. If a menu item isn't in the fridge, they'll make it fresh for you on request.

They also sell cookies and snacks.

Solo study seats with a 2-hour limit

I sat at a solo study seat. There's a power strip so you can charge devices, and a mirror right next to it so you can check your appearance.

Pretty roomy for a solo seat, and the sofa and backrest were soft, which I liked.

The solo study seats are popular, so there's a 2-hour usage limit. There's a notice that they're not responsible for lost belongings, outside food isn't allowed, and you should clean up the table when you're done.

Even though the store is big, it stayed busy the whole time. The study seats were full too.

Delivery orders kept coming in too. The staff looked really busy.

Mattress seats and the late-night self-service kiosk

Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon has small window-side tables, group seating, and even oddly specific mattress seating haha. There's also bar table seating up front.

Lastly, there's a dedicated kiosk for unstaffed hours. I'm guessing there might be a vending machine hidden somewhere in the back, like at unmanned cafés.

Geisha Blend vs. Mocha Blend: how did they taste?

I ordered an Iced Americano Geisha Blend (₩3,800) and a Chicken Sandwich (₩7,000).

The beans had acidity, and it tasted a lot like plum. I do like acidic beans, but this one wasn't exactly my taste.

The chicken breast sandwich had chicken breast, lettuce, onion, and cherry tomatoes.

I'd just eaten meat right before, so I planned to have the chicken breast sandwich for dinner instead.

I'd nearly finished my first iced americano, so I ordered the iced americano with mocha beans too.

It had a solid, dark roast flavor. No acidity, just a moderately nutty, slightly bitter taste.

Personally, I liked this one better than the Geisha.

Now I'm curious what the other beans taste like.

Is the ₩7,000 chicken sandwich filling?

Night fell and I got hungry, so I opened up the chicken sandwich. The lettuce felt a bit sparse — I wish there'd been more.

Sandwiches definitely taste better with plenty of lettuce.

It was cut into two pieces, so I tore off the paper and tried one half.

It tasted exactly as expected. There seemed to be a slightly tangy white sauce, and the bread was surprisingly soft, so it went down easily.

It was tasty, but the chicken breast was only in half the sandwich, so overall the portion felt a bit lacking. I wish they wouldn't just put it in the visible parts — please put it all the way down to the bottom too 🥺

Is Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon worth a late-night visit?

Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon Branch 24 Auto Brew Cafe is good for studying or working with a moderate level of noise, and having salads and sandwiches means you can grab a simple meal along with your coffee. Since it's open 24 hours, it's a great option for anyone with nowhere else to go late at night, or who just wants to pass the time.