Sinnonhyeon café: peach oolong tea & takeout canelés, Upper and Under

If you're looking for a pretty café near Gangnam Station with great desserts, pay attention! On a weekend date I visited Upper and Under, which is close to both Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station. Whenever I go to a café I always get dessert too, not just coffee. I heard Upper and Under is big and nicely decorated, so I went with high expectations.

Even though I went in the afternoon, after the weekend lunch rush, there were still so many people. Once I got there, I understood why it's so popular.

Where is Upper and Under and when does it close?

Upper and Under is a large café near Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, at 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's open from 11:00 to 22:00.

Gangnam is packed with people and cafés, but it isn't easy to find a spacious café where a group can sit and relax. That's where Upper and Under stood out. It has a whopping three floors, so it felt like one of the bigger cafés around Gangnam Station.

Even after the weekend lunch hour, there were lots of customers. If you'd like to enjoy the café in relative peace, I recommend a weekday visit. If you go on a weekend like I did, just keep in mind that it can be crowded.

Upper and Under's interior and terrace

One of the things I liked most about Upper and Under was the interior.

The whole space is prettily decorated, and it's open so you can see outside, which makes it feel less stuffy. Even sitting indoors, I could see the scenery outside, which I loved. And there's even a terrace!

Finding a café near Gangnam Station this big and with this good a mood is harder than you'd think, but the space itself at Upper and Under was really appealing.

Coffee taste matters at a café, but you only want to stay long if the mood is good, right? Upper and Under was great for taking photos and just as good for meeting friends and chatting.

What I ordered at Upper and Under and the prices

Upper and Under has lots of drinks and plenty of baked-goods desserts. The cake selection is pretty big too, and I agonized so much over what to pick!

This time I ordered coffee, tea, and a variety of desserts.

• Einspänner (coffee topped with sweet cream) ₩8,000
• Peach oolong tea ₩6,500
• Double vanilla canelé ₩4,500
• Pistachio canelé ₩4,700
• Lemon madeleine ₩4,300
• Salted choco financier ₩4,100 (the financier I received through a review event)

The salted choco financier was the item I received through a review event. With two drinks, I got to pick and taste several desserts. When there's this much variety, it's a shame to choose just one, so ordering a bunch and sharing was fun.

How were the Einspänner, peach oolong tea, and salted choco financier?

I grabbed a seat in the basement of Upper and Under, looked outside, and the feast began! I picked the Einspänner from the coffee menu. If you like coffee topped with sweet cream, it's a great one to enjoy with dessert.

The peach oolong tea is a good choice when you want something other than coffee. Since I was planning to eat lots of sweet desserts, ordering one coffee and one tea let us each enjoy what suited our taste.

I tried the salted choco financier from the review event first, and the salt and chocolate were a perfect match, the finishing touch on the sweetness! Top tier among the baked goods! The rest I took home and ate there.

Takeout canelé and lemon madeleine: which was my number one?

Of the desserts I took out from Upper and Under, my number one was the pistachio canelé and my second was the lemon madeleine. Canelé (a small French baked pastry with a caramelized crust) is something you want to try at least once at a dessert café. The double vanilla canelé makes you expect vanilla flavor from its name alone, and it went well with coffee.

The pistachio canelé, my favorite of everything I ate this time, is worth a look if you love that nutty pistachio flavor. I tried several kinds, and this one was the tastiest to me.

My second favorite was the lemon madeleine. It has that fresh appeal only lemon desserts have, it was nice alongside other baked goods, and personally it was one of the most satisfying. By my taste, the pistachio canelé and lemon madeleine are the best! Next time I visit, I'd pick these two again.

Why I recommend Upper and Under for a Gangnam Station date or friends' meetup

If you're looking for a spacious café with a nice mood near Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, Upper and Under is worth a visit! I liked that it's a rare three-floor café in Gangnam, and the open interior where you can see outside and the terrace were appealing too.

Above all, after trying several desserts, my number ones are the pistachio canelé and lemon madeleine! I'd recommend it if you want drinks and baked goods in a pretty space, or if you're looking for a place to meet a partner or friends near Gangnam Station.

It can be crowded on weekends, so if you'd like to enjoy it at a relaxed pace, consider a weekday visit. If you've been searching for a café near Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station, put Upper and Under on your list!