Sinnonhyeon café, quiet basement & crème brûlée flan: Upper and Under

After a meal near Sinnonhyeon Station the other day, I found a nice big café nearby. It's Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더).

Right in the middle of Gangnam, you can enjoy an open terrace without worrying about a wait, and each space has its own charm, so I knew I had to share it. As of June 2026, here's a tidy rundown of the mood on each floor I experienced myself, plus a quirky ordering tip you really need to know.

Upper and Under opening hours and how to get there

Upper and Under is open 11:00-22:00 and sits about 300 m from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 6. This popular Gangnam hotspot is only about a 10-minute walk away, which I liked.

I'm not sure whether parking is supported, so I'd recommend taking public transport like the subway rather than driving.

Upper and Under exterior: a big three-floor café in red brick

Upper and Under near Sinnonhyeon Station is a big café spread over three floors, from the basement up to the 2nd floor.

The exterior is red brick, with stylish white brick on the inside, and the building runs from the basement up to the 2nd floor.

Let's head in!

Upper and Under floor by floor: mood and finding a seat

Upper and Under has plenty of seats and good turnover, so finding a spot was easy even in Gangnam. Cafés around here are usually so crowded that getting a seat is next to impossible, but here the turnover and the spare seating were both great.

The mood also differs from floor to floor inside. The basement felt quiet and calm overall, while the 1st and 2nd floors have a relaxed outdoor feel and a terrace that gives a sense of openness.

There were lots of customers, but the seating is generous, so we could use the café right away without a long wait.

Tip: at Upper and Under, you can only order on the 2nd floor

The most important tip at Upper and Under is that you can only place your order on the 2nd floor. So I'd recommend grabbing a seat on the 2nd floor.

Upper and Under menu and desserts

This is the menu at Upper and Under near Sinnonhyeon Station. As you'd expect from a café, there are lots of coffees, non-coffee drinks, teas and more.

And since it's such a big café, there were also plenty of desserts and baked goods (gumgwaja, small baked sweets).

Best of all, the staff were friendly. When I was taking photos and videos, they stepped aside and told me to take my time, and they also introduced each dessert and what makes it special.

What we ordered at Upper and Under

For drinks we ordered an Einspänner and an iced Americano, and for desserts a tiramisu and a crème brûlée flan.

• Einspänner
• Iced Americano
• Tiramisu
• Crème brûlée flan

After ordering on the 2nd floor, we took a seat in the basement.

Then the buzzer went off and we went to pick up our drinks and desserts.

How do the tiramisu, crème brûlée flan and iced Americano taste?

First of all, the drinks and desserts looked really appetizing.

The tiramisu at Upper and Under was moist and sweet, delicious on its own, and the crème brûlée flan was packed with filling, so I could see why customers each get their own dessert.

The iced Americano had no sourness, tasted nutty and cool, and was great for quenching thirst, and it paired well with the sweet desserts too.

Einspänner with thick, dense cream

I had the Einspänner (coffee topped with cream) with its thick, dense cream.

Sweetness came first, but the rich coffee flavor behind it was good too, and the coffee and cream go together better than you'd expect, so I really enjoyed it.

Overall verdict on Upper and Under near Sinnonhyeon Station

I recommend Upper and Under as a café near Sinnonhyeon Station: being so big, it has lots of seats and you can visit without a long wait, and the wide range of desserts and drinks means there's something for every taste. If you come to Gangnam, I recommend stopping by.

• A big café near Gangnam Station with lots of seats
• I liked that each floor has a different mood
• A very wide variety of drinks and desserts
• The staff are very friendly