Gangnam Station bakery café: chocolate banana flan, Upper and Under

What kind of café is Upper and Under in Gangnam Station?

Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더) is a large bakery café on Gangnam-daero 102-gil, near Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station. It has several floors and terrace seating, and sells a wide range of baked goods and desserts. I'd had my eye on it as a Gangnam Station café and Sinnonhyeon Station café for a long time, but every time I went to Gangnam it was so crowded that I couldn't get a seat and failed again and again T_T

Since it has multiple floors and terrace seating, it's great for dates and blind dates, and with so many bakery items and desserts, it's also a good stop for bread lovers doing a bakery tour!

• Hours: daily 11:00–22:00
• Restrooms: separate for men and women
• Address: 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (B1, 1F, 2F)
• Groups welcome, takeout, Wi-Fi

Upper and Under's exterior and atmosphere

Upper and Under is a huge café that uses several floors of the building, so it works for group get-togethers, dates or blind dates, whatever the occasion.

Even though the space is big, both the 1st and 2nd floors were packed with customers. That's how popular it is.

Upper and Under menu and dessert selection

Upper and Under, a great dessert spot in Gangnam Station, also sold a variety of drinks that go well with desserts.

The wide variety of desserts, as you'd expect from a dessert specialist, made me especially happy :)

There were crispy, well-baked canelés (caramelized custard pastries) and financiers (small almond butter cakes) with a lovely nutty flavor.

There were also desserts with gorgeous looks.

The refrigerated corner sells a variety of cakes too, so if you love cake, just order one. I ordered a cake as well and tried it :)

Ordered: Einspänner, salted caramel cream, chestnut chocolate cake, salted caramel canelé

How is the cream on Upper and Under's Einspänner?

At Upper and Under, a great coffee spot in Gangnam Station, the cream-topped coffees look really tempting, so we ordered an Einspänner (coffee topped with cream) too.

I think the heart of an Einspänner is the dense cream on top. Upper and Under's cream was really dense and pleasantly sweet, so it was easy to enjoy!

Honestly, the cream is so appealing that I just kept wanting to scoop up only the cream, haha

Chocolate banana flan vs. crème brûlée flan: which was better?

Chocolate banana flan

I tend to love chocolate desserts, so I ordered the chocolate banana flan at Upper and Under. It looked really appetizing from the moment it arrived. With bananas sitting on a deep chocolate color, I could almost smell the sweetness just by looking at it.

On the first bite, the rich chocolate flavor filled my mouth. It wasn't just sweet; I could taste the deep aroma of cacao, which I really liked. Then the sweetness of the banana came up naturally, and the combination with the chocolate was great.

Crème brûlée flan

Personally, the crème brûlée flan was the most memorable item at Upper and Under. When it arrived, the shiny caramelized top looked so tempting.

On the first bite, the rich flavor of the cream filled my mouth. I could taste the nutty richness of egg and milk together, with a subtle hint of vanilla. The sweetness wasn't overdone, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy.

Upper and Under verdict: who is it for?

If you're looking for a pretty, spacious café with a terrace around Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station, want a wide choice of desserts and baked goods, or want proper Instagram-worthy photos, I recommend the bakery café Upper and Under!

Every baked item was really pretty and delicious, so they're well worth the high prices. I'll have to come back for other items later :)