Gangnam dessert café, Basque cheesecake & financier: Upper and Under

I recently went on a Gangnam café date with my husband to a dessert café that is seriously famous and hot right now! It's Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더), well known by word of mouth as a café near Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station. It was full of the smell of freshly baked bread and a warm, cozy feel, so let me share my honest review~

Where is Upper and Under and how late is it open?

Upper and Under is at 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the Gangnam café street, and it's open every day from 11:00 to 22:00. It sits right in the café street, so it's very easy to find! The space runs from the basement up to the 2nd floor and is nicely done, and it's huge.

Upper and Under's interior and terrace

Even the exterior caught my eye, with its open floor-to-ceiling windows and vintage brick!

Inside, the stylish round lights, vintage brick and warm wood floor go together so well that the mood was great even among Sinnonhyeon Station cafés 💡🧱 Modern, tidy and trendy all at once! On a nice day there's also a leafy green terrace where you can enjoy sunshine and breeze.

The terrace seats are really popular, too.

We took a seat indoors, in a cozy, clean atmosphere, and enjoyed a quiet date. The soft, snug vibe was perfect for chatting away with my husband. Mission accomplished on the trendy-vibe front! 📸

What desserts does Upper and Under have?

On one side of the shop, baked goods are on display: mont blanc pie, caramel cheese pie, crème brûlée flan, fig madeleine, canelé and financier. The moment I saw the prettily lined-up desserts, I couldn't help gasping!

As you'd expect from such a popular café, the bakery items are refilled constantly, so everything looked fresh and crisp. From the cute mont blanc pie to the caramel cheese pie, crème brûlée flan, adorable fig madeleine, canelé and financier…! 🧁🌰

In the showcase, a rich-looking vanilla Basque cheesecake and an Oreo chocolate cake were waiting neatly, so any dessert lover would nearly lose their mind 🙈

The coffee menu and the bakery menu were both really varied. Here's what we carefully picked. The looks alone are the best, right?! 😋

How do the pistachio cream coffee and flat white taste?

Upper and Under's pistachio cream coffee had a signature-drink flavor, with pistachio cream and crushed pistachio pieces blending with bittersweet espresso, and the flat white had a good bean-to-milk ratio that went well with the bread.

Pistachio cream coffee

Crunchy pistachio pieces are sprinkled over a nutty, smooth pistachio cream. 💚 One sip and the smooth cream, nuttiness and bittersweet espresso come together in a signature flavor that wakes you right up!

Flat white

The ratio of rich beans to nutty milk was perfect, so it was great with the bread! Maybe because it's a Gangnam Station café that uses specialty coffee, everything from the coffee layers to the deep flavor was top-notch.

Vanilla Basque cheesecake, Earl Grey fig madeleine and sweet potato glazed financier

For desserts at Upper and Under, we chose three: the vanilla Basque cheesecake, the Earl Grey fig madeleine and the sweet potato glazed financier (the sweet-potato candy, mattang, style). All three had distinct personalities.

Vanilla Basque cheesecake

The outside was baked golden and crisp, while the inside was completely moist and creamy, softness itself…!

🧀 The rich cheese flavor filled my mouth, heavy but not too sweet, so I happily finished every bite!

Earl Grey fig madeleine

A piece of fresh fig, tangy and juicy, sits right on top of the madeleine.

There's fig jam inside too. The subtle Earl Grey aroma with the fig is the best combo!

Sweet potato glazed financier

The outside has a shiny, sweet glaze with sesame seeds sprinkled on top,

and inside it's packed with the sweetness of sweet potato, a textbook chewy, crispy, sweet-and-salty treat 🍠✨

Upper and Under overall: how was it for a Gangnam café date?

At Upper and Under, the breads and cakes weren't just pretty. They tasted far better than I expected, and the coffee is great too, so I immediately understood why so many people come!

Enjoying tasty specialty coffee and high-quality desserts in a warm space made our Gangnam café date even more perfect ☕️🍰 If you love desserts, or you're looking for a café with a nice mood near Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station, I really recommend visiting Upper and Under!