3rd-floor sunny window seat for decaf iced americano: Upper and Under

I was in Gangnam and looking for a place to grab a coffee, so I stopped by Upper and Under! ☕️ There are so many cafés near Gangnam Station that I was torn on where to go, but this one looked spacious and had a great vibe, so I checked it out. It's a nice café near Sinnonhyeon Station too — and honestly the exterior is just so, so pretty! For anyone looking for a café near Gangnam Station or a large café near Sinnonhyeon Station, I think this could be a good pick, so let me walk through the vibe and menu of Upper and Under, one by one!

Location and hours of Upper and Under

• 📍28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, basement 1st, 1st, 2nd floors
• ⏰Daily 11:00–22:00

A café with a pretty exterior right from the CGV alley near Sinnonhyeon Station

Walking up the CGV alley, Upper and Under just comes into view! The building itself is so pretty that it catches your eye even in passing. Brick and beige-toned walls blend with huge floor-to-ceiling windows and terrace railings, giving off a feel that keeps the character of an old building while dressing it up tastefully! 🌿 The weather was so nice that day, and with the blue sky and green trees, the exterior looked even prettier. I didn't expect a café with this kind of atmosphere near Gangnam Station — I wanted to start taking photos even before going in, haha.

At the entrance there's a clean sign reading UPPER AND UNDER. It's mounted on white brick and glows softly, and with sunlight and leaf shadows added in, the atmosphere looked really pretty 🌿

How does the vibe differ across the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors?

The 1st floor had a slightly more relaxed atmosphere compared to the other floors. You order on the 2nd floor, and the 1st floor is a separate space entered through its own outside entrance, so each floor felt a little different. The seating was fairly spacious too, so it seemed like a good spot to sit quietly and relax with a coffee — like a Gangnam-Station café good for group meetups. Sunlight also came in nicely through the floor-to-ceiling windows, giving it a cozy feel, haha.

The 2nd floor felt a bit more bustling, and this is also where you order.

Coming up to the 3rd floor, the mood was completely different again! Huge windows on every side let in so much sunlight, filling even the floor with sunshine for a warm, cozy feel.

The menu — cream coffees and desserts

Upper and Under had a wide range of menus — coffee, non-coffee, ades, and teas — and a fair amount of desserts too. On the coffee side there's americano, latte, flat white, cappuccino, and more, plus cream-coffee menus like Einspänner, pistachio, and salty caramel. The signatures are especially in the cream-coffee line, so I'd recommend trying one of those!

The variety of cakes was more than I expected! You can choose according to taste — lemon, Earl Grey grapefruit, tiramisu, raspberry — and every single one looked gorgeous!

There were also plenty of baked goods like madeleines and financiers. With so many options across cakes and baked goods, it's an easy place to pick something simple to go with coffee ☕️🍪 Personally, I think it would be even better if there were covers over the desserts!

What I ordered, and the prices

• ✅Decaf iced americano (₩7,000)
• ✅Salty caramel (₩8,000)
• ✅Raspberry cake (₩8,500)
• ✅Crème brûlée flan (₩6,900)

With the cake and drinks laid out together it looked so pretty I couldn't not take a photo, haha. The raspberry cake especially, with its pink cream and raspberries on top, looked gorgeous, and the flan had a nicely browned top that looked really appetizing!

Raspberry cake and crème brûlée flan

The raspberry cake had raspberry flavor running through the soft pink cream, with raspberries and jam on top too — a familiar, sweet taste ⋰˚★ The flan had a browned sugar coating on top, giving it a slightly crisp exterior with a soft, moist texture inside ⋰˚★

Cut the flan in half and it's packed full of custard cream inside! ⋰˚★ Highly recommend the crème brûlée flan!!...><

How does the salted latte taste?

The salted latte properly delivered that sweet-and-salty combo! The cream on top was especially good — soft, sweet cream with a salty edge that paired really well with the coffee. True to its reputation as a cream-latte spot, the cream was the standout here! If you like sweet coffee, I'd recommend this one, haha. The trick is to dip your lips in deep so the cream and coffee come in together! A real latte spot in Gangnam ><

Other info — the Naver receipt event

There was also a Naver receipt event running! They give out a financier to the first 10 teams each day ><

Overall thoughts

I stopped by Upper and Under just to grab a coffee while I was in Gangnam, and the atmosphere turned out to be much better than expected. Each floor has a slightly different mood, but overall the natural light comes in beautifully and the space is spacious, making it great for relaxing over coffee. The salted latte was especially satisfying thanks to the cream, and the wide variety of desserts made it easy to pair something with the coffee. From the exterior to the interior, everything was pretty enough for photos, so if you're looking for a café near Gangnam Station or a large café near Sinnonhyeon Station, it's worth a visit, haha.