Large Sinnonhyeon café, iced milk tea and lemon cake: Upper and Under

Finding a spacious, comfortable place to hang out around the always-crowded Gangnam Station isn't easy, but Upper and Under, a lush, green-toned café on the Gangnam café street between Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam stations, is a large café with an open layout from basement level up to the second floor — perfect for group meetups.

From the moment you step in, the greenery and cozy interior make you feel like you've wandered into a little garden in the middle of the city. With all sorts of unique desserts too, it's great for a date, a wedding-invitation gathering, a friends' meetup, or a family outing. Let me walk you through the visit in detail!

Upper and Under hours, location and seating

• Hours: Daily 11:00 – 22:00
• Group seating available
• Takeout available
• Wifi available
• Separate men's/women's restrooms

A garden-like café in central Gangnam, and where the photo spots are

Walking along the busy streets of Yeoksam-dong, Upper and Under is the building that catches your eye with its lush green trees and warm brick facade. That's today's destination.

The green street trees and plants wrapping around the building already add a refreshing feel. It's the kind of pretty café your girlfriend would love — the classic brick wall paired with the clean UPPER AND UNDER sign means you can get a photo-worthy shot from any angle. Every corner is a photo zone, haha. And thanks to the sizable footprint spanning basement to second floor, it was easy to spot from a distance and know 'that must be it.'

What's on the bakery counter at Upper and Under

The dazzling array of baked goods, desserts, coffee and non-coffee drinks made it hard to look away — fig pie, choco banana pie, caramel cheese pie, crème brûlée flan, salted choco financier, pistachio financier, sweet potato matang financier, yellow cheese financier, nunetine financier, plain financier, lemon madeleine, Earl Grey fig madeleine, double vanilla canelé, vanilla canelé, matcha canelé, pistachio canelé, Earl Grey canelé, and more. From nutty, savory financiers to canelés with that crisp-outside-chewy-inside charm, to dainty madeleines, there was a whole corner of baked goods and desserts to pick and choose by taste.

Inside the showcase was a lineup of sweet, tangy fruit cakes! From tiramisu slices with a rich, soft cream layer to Instagram-worthy mini cakes piled high with fresh fruit — Earl Grey grapefruit, lemon, raspberry, fig, and more — they all looked so pretty I wanted to try one of each flavor.

The drink menu is broadly divided into coffee, non-coffee, cold brew, cream drinks, sparkling ades, and various teas — a welcome sight for people like me who are sensitive to caffeine, since there's a good variety for tea time too.

What we ordered and what it cost: 34,000 won for two

• Iced milk tea ₩7,500
• Matcha pistachio cream latte ₩9,000
• Pistachio financier ₩4,500
• Earl Grey canelé ₩4,500
• Lemon cake ₩8,500
• Total ₩34,000

For reference, this is what I ordered.

How the matcha pistachio cream latte tastes at Upper and Under

The drinks we ordered to go with dessert came out first. The milk tea and matcha pistachio cream latte both had eye-catching, unusual colors. The milk tea had a clean, subtly fragrant black tea note that spread smoothly — a flavor pretty much anyone could enjoy without dislike.

I really love milk tea and black tea, and I tend to prefer it steeped strong, so my honest take on Upper and Under's milk tea is that it's quite light and refreshing — perfect for beginners just getting into milk tea. My mom, who actually ordered it and usually likes hers weaker than me, said it was fragrant and just right, and sipped away happily.

This is the matcha pistachio cream latte I ordered. On top of a strong, bitter matcha base sits a chewy, fluffy layer of nutty pistachio cream. Taste the cream first, then sip the matcha latte with it — the combination is fantastic. Sweet, then bitter, then sweet again — and when you bite into the pistachio topping sprinkled on top, you get that fun crunchy, nutty texture too. I went back and forth with the coconut matcha before ordering this, and I think Upper and Under really nails its matcha lineup.

Lemon cake, Earl Grey canelé and pistachio financier, reviewed

The three desserts we ordered to go with the drinks: lemon cake, Earl Grey canelé, pistachio financier. The lemon cake has a whole slice of fresh lemon on top along with a thick layer of cream, so visually it's really something.

One bite and my mouth was filled with tangy sweetness that made me instantly happy. Total mood booster.

The Earl Grey canelé had that appealing crisp-outside, moist-inside texture that makes canelés so good. The Earl Grey aroma lingered gently in the chewy, moist interior — really lovely.

The Pepero-shaped pistachio financier was so cute, and it was studded through with nutty pistachio cream and toppings, giving it a nutty, mellow flavor with every bite.

Is Upper and Under worth it for baked goods on the Gangnam café street?

If you're looking for a spot with great baked goods on the Gangnam Station café street, Upper and Under is a must-visit. Beyond the excellent financiers and cakes, this coffee shop especially nails its rich, deep matcha drinks, which doubles the satisfaction of tea time. It's the kind of place to take a girlfriend who loves matcha, fruit cakes, and baked treats — she'll thank you for it.

It's a large three-floor café with strong wifi and plenty of outlets everywhere, so there were a lot of people using it as a study café too — I'd recommend it for that as well. If you want to spend a happy stretch of time with delicious desserts, definitely pay Upper and Under a visit sometime.