Evening Sinnonhyeon café, ube Basque cheesecake: Upper and Under

I was looking for a good café near where we had dinner, somewhere to sit and chat, and found Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더). It's a well-known Gangnam Station dessert café that I visit fairly often, so I was happy to go again haha

Where is Upper and Under, and how big is the café?

Upper and Under is about a 5-minute walk from Exit 6 of Sinnonhyeon Station. It has three floors, so it's a seriously big café for Gangnam.

1st floor: ordering, dessert displays and tables for 2–4

On the 1st floor you can browse the dessert displays and order drinks, and there are quite a few tables for 2–4 people, so it's easy to find a seat. It seemed good for a date for two or for a bigger group.

2nd floor: a spacious room full of round tables

The 2nd floor is a wide space packed with round tables for 2–4 people, so there are tons of seats!! The tables are spaced generously too, so it doesn't feel cramped, which I loved.

Are desserts still available at Upper and Under at 7:30pm?

We visited around 7:30pm and some desserts were sold out 😭 but there were still so many tempting baked treats, like mango pie, canelé, financiers and madeleines, that the happy agony of choosing began! Now let's look at the desserts properly.

This is the Basque cheesecake ("bachike" for short) showcase. Lots of ube desserts are showing up these days... I'm curious!

Upper and Under drink menu and seasonal specials

The drink menu has plenty of options, including coffee, tea and ades, so you can pick to your taste. Since it was evening, we went for tea and ade haha

Photos of the seasonal menu are stuck on the wall! Upper and Under adds new tempting items every time I visit, and personally, the seasonal ube latte I had last time was really good haha

There are cakes in the showcase next to the order counter too! They look amazing 🤤

What we ordered and the prices

• Mango lemon ade ₩8,500
• Lemon balm tea ₩6,500
• Matcha canelé ₩4,500
• Ube Basque cheesecake ₩9,500

We each got a drink, and since it's a dessert spot, one dessert each ❤️ For dessert, I ordered the ube bachike I'd had my eye on haha

A combo that looks filling just by looking at it (it's not) 🤤🤤

What does the lemon balm tea taste like?

The lemon balm tea (₩6,500) tastes like a clean, simple herbal tea! I'd never seen lemon balm tea before, so I ordered it out of curiosity. Personally it reminded me of chamomile tea, with a slightly fresh, citrusy scent..? I'd recommend it to anyone who prefers a clean-tasting tea over sweet drinks.

Mango lemon ade at Upper and Under

My friend's mango lemon ade (₩8,500) has a rich mango flavor with a subtle lemon aroma. It isn't just sweet; it has a fresh kick, so it looked great with desserts! It feels especially good for refreshing your mouth after something thick and rich like a bachike~

Is the matcha canelé crisp outside and chewy inside?

The first dessert I tried, the matcha canelé (₩4,500), has a textbook canelé texture. A canelé needs to be crisp outside and chewy inside, and Upper and Under's is, which is why I personally love it haha Also, it's not just dusted with matcha powder; the batter itself is matcha-flavored, so the matcha taste comes through quite strongly and it was delicious.

Ube Basque cheesecake: does it taste strongly of ube?

And now, the ube Basque cheesecake (₩9,500)......💜 Just look at that purple color......

I scraped the side and took a bite haha The dense, rich texture typical of a bachike and the nutty, sweet flavor typical of ube were really good. So many places call something an ube dessert and have no ube flavor at all ㅜㅜ but Upper and Under's tastes quite strongly of ube, and the bachike itself is delicious...! If you like ube, definitely try it!!

Verdict: a dessert café near Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam Station for evening chats

Upper and Under is a dessert café that's one of my go-to-again-and-again spots ❤️ The ube bachike I tried for the first time this visit was so good that I'd return just to eat it. The drink and dessert lineups are impressive too, and the space is big and comfortable, so I was satisfied. If you're looking for a café with great desserts near Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station, I recommend Upper and Under!