Yeoksam coffee shop for matcha ice cream and tiramisu: Mini Male

Another day floats on by 💙 Lately I've really been loving the breezy evening weather 🍃 haha. Since I was born at the start of winter, cool weather always beats hot weather for me.

Today I came to Gangnam for some errands and wanted a quiet spot to spend time alone before my appointment!

Where is Mini Male Coffee Roaster Yeoksam Branch, and what are its hours?

Mini Male Coffee Roaster Yeoksam Branch is a café tucked in an alley near Yeoksam Station, at 26 Teheran-ro 25-gil, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Hours are Mon–Fri 08:00–22:00, Sat 09:00–19:00, Sun 09:00–20:00, with separate shortened hours on public holidays and long weekends.

Walking briskly from Yeoksam Station and cutting through the alleys..

...a cute white sign reading Coffee, Bakery & Mini Male shows up.

A black sign with a sleek English logo — I admit I have a bit of a soft spot for these 🤭 Working all morning in Gangnam, exhausted but pushing through, then getting lunch and walking out of a chic café like this with an iced coffee in hand.. but the reality of working in Gangnam is.. even buying a coffee at a café takes stamina.. you really need the energy for it 😪

Mini Male Coffee Roaster says it aims to be a 'reasonable premium' Daily Special Coffee. [A harmony of Nordic sensibility and mid-century modern] They say it's a café built from inspiration gathered through café tours around the world, combining quality coffee with sensibility-driven design. As Mini Male's fourth branch, its mid-century modern atmosphere really stands out 😊

Even the ₩500 takeout discount sign by the entrance somehow looks this stylish..

Speaking as someone who's worked at a café before, I mean this sincerely.. whoever comes out to brew coffee first thing in the morning has real madness in them… and they're smiling? That's scarier than a Monday morning commute.

How busy were the seats on a rainy Friday afternoon?

Mini Male Yeoksam has outdoor tables too, and the day I went it was raining — humid, sure, but the mood was so good.

Inside, the space isn't as large as you'd expect, but it's a good spot to study or work alone 💻 On Fridays or weekends though, it gets busy, so don't expect a quiet atmosphere. I visited before 2pm on a Friday, and there were already no seats left — it was packed.

Kiosk ordering and the review event at Mini Male

Mini Male Yeoksam takes orders through a kiosk, and if you sign up for the review event they'll give you a cup ☕️ or points 🪙. It's supposedly worth almost ₩5,000, so leave a nice review and grab yours too.

There are plenty of basic coffee menu options, and the matcha ice cream 🍨 and Einspänner-style drinks looked tempting too! Personally I really love matcha, so I ordered coffee plus matcha ice cream 💚

Besides the kiosk, the staff will help you order directly if they're not too busy. Everyone was kind and explained the menu and desserts in detail when I asked! 🥰

Coffee beans and sizes each come in three options, with descriptions listed right under each menu item. Personally I prefer a written menu board like this over a kiosk, and the clean font made it easy to read 📝

Mini Male's three coffee beans explained

Here's the lineup of bean options.

• Dunkel — a heavy, nutty dark chocolate flavor, a Latin America blend
• Balance — pleasant acidity and a clean finish, an Ethiopia blend
• Daka (decaf) — perfectly balanced without the caffeine burden, from Colombia

These days everyone has their own bean preference. I liked that Mini Male lets you choose beans to match your taste, giving you more options.

With various discount events and a points system, I'd recommend this spot to anyone 💼 working near Yeoksam who wants to grab a coffee before work.

These are the packages available for purchase at Mini Male. Personally, that black tumbler you can get through the review event looked really sleek and pretty.

It looks like they make and sell their own beans and various goods directly. The black boxes and white shopping bags fit Mini Male's simple, modern vibe really well 🛍️

One interesting thing: at Mini Male, once you order a dessert, you take it yourself from the showcase next to the kiosk. Be careful when pulling the plate out since it might break. I ordered the tiramisu.

How do the Helsinki latte, matcha ice cream and tiramisu taste?

Ta-da! What I ordered at Mini Male Yeoksam was the signature iced Helsinki latte, matcha ice cream, and tiramisu. Doesn't it all go so well with a book 📚 and the rainy view outside.. such a good vibe.. 💚

Especially the color pairing between the desserts and the latte.. so pretty my eyes sparkled ✨ I was actually pretty down about the rain that day, but taking photos there with the rain outside.. it genuinely felt like a scene from a drama. Yeah, I admit I watched a lot of dramas growing up 😅

Matcha ice cream at Mini Male

It has a soft texture somewhere between soft-serve and sherbet. Bitter, but not astringent at all. I figured the ice cream flavor wouldn't be too strong so I ordered it alongside coffee, but this is not your average café ice cream. The scent and flavor linger strongly, so I'd recommend drinking your coffee first and ordering this dessert afterward!😇

The signature Helsinki latte

The nutty beans and the weight of the milk pair beautifully — the milk goes down smoothly without masking the beans' nuttiness, and a faint sweetness lingers at the end. Interestingly, it's not sugar's sweetness but the milk's own natural sweetness you notice.

Tiramisu at Mini Male

As you can see, it looks luxe 💎 Personally I'd recommend pairing it with an Americano instead. It's on the sweeter side as desserts go. If you're eating it, expect more sweetness than you'd think, so pair it with a drink ☕️ that cuts through the sweetness!

Is Mini Male worth a rainy-day visit in Yeoksam?

I really hate going out in the rain too, but that day, the view outside made up for all of it. A café like this, tucked in an alley in Yeoksam with this kind of atmosphere — I really do recommend it! If you work nearby, treat yourself to a coffee on a rainy lunch break — definitely worth a visit.