Late-evening Gangnam café: matcha cream oat latte at Upper and Under

I had an appointment in Gangnam and was looking for a Gangnam Station café where I could sit and chat after the meal — that's how I ended up at Upper and Under.

There are so many cafés around Gangnam Station, but plenty of them turn out to be too crowded or too cramped to linger in once you actually get there. Upper and Under caught my eye because the space is fairly spacious, and above all, the dessert lineup is so varied.

It sits between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, so it's a convenient spot whether you're looking for a Gangnam Station café or a Sinnonhyeon Station café.

Where is Upper and Under, and what are its hours and parking?

• 📍 Location - 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours daily 11:00–22:00
• 🚇 Access between Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam stations, especially close to Sinnonhyeon Station
• 🚗 Parking dedicated parking is difficult, so public transit or a nearby lot is recommended

Highlights: an outdoor terrace / a wide range of coffee, drinks and desserts / a location that's easy to reach from both Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon stations.

Inside Upper and Under: a Gangnam café that works for a date

It was almost surprising how relaxed the space felt, given it's right in the middle of Gangnam.

1st floor: black-and-white rooms and a choice of seats

The space is split from the basement up to the 1st and 2nd floors, so there's the fun of choosing where to sit, and each floor has a slightly different mood.

The 1st floor mainly runs on a black-and-white color scheme, with clean, stylish furniture arranged in different styles — I enjoyed picking a spot among them.

2nd floor: the outdoor terrace

The 2nd floor has an outdoor terrace space in particular, and it seems like it'd be great for enjoying a coffee outside once the weather turns cooler.

If you're looking for a spacious, good-atmosphere café in Gangnam, the sheer size of Upper and Under's space feels like a real advantage.

The dessert case at Upper and Under: half the fun is choosing

And what really caught my eye at Upper and Under was, of course, the desserts!

Browsing through the desserts on display one by one, there were so many kinds that it was actually hard to decide what to pick.

From baked goods like canelé and financiers to a range of cakes, it was easy to enjoy a light dessert with coffee, and everything looked good enough to eat that it was fun taking photos of it all.

So rather than somewhere you'd just go for coffee, this feels like a better fit for anyone hunting for a Gangnam dessert spot or Gangnam dessert café. Especially if you want somewhere with plenty of options for a sweet dessert and coffee after a meal, that's one of its strengths!

The drinks menu, from coffee to signature lattes

From basics like americano and latte to sweeter options like Einspänner and salty caramel, there was plenty to choose from depending on your taste.

With such a wide dessert lineup, figuring out which dessert to pair with your coffee is part of the fun of Upper and Under! If you're after a Sinnonhyeon Station café where both coffee and dessert matter, this one's worth keeping an eye on.

Late-evening order: decaf coffee, matcha cream oat latte and fig cake

Since it was late, I went with decaf coffee, a matcha cream oat latte, fig cake, and a financier — and having that much choice across both drinks and desserts was one of Upper and Under's strengths.

It's a place well suited to anyone looking for a Gangnam Station café to enjoy coffee and dessert into the late evening, or a Gangnam dessert café that also gets the atmosphere right.

Taking a bite of the sweet cake or financier and then sipping coffee felt like it cleared my palate — I was glad I'd ordered them together.

And the matcha cream oat latte caught my eye from the start! A thick layer of green matcha cream sits on top of the oat latte, and the smooth, nutty flavor of the oat milk combined with the slightly bitter matcha made it great to pair with dessert.

It lets you enjoy both matcha's signature bitterness and the cream's smoothness together, so if you're a matcha fan, this is a menu item worth watching for.

Since it was a late-evening visit, I ordered decaf coffee so I could drink it without worry. A clean coffee really does pair well with dessert.

Fig cake: how moist is the sponge?

The dessert that stuck with me most that day was the fig cake. Layers of bread are stacked between the cream, with a big, well-ripened fig on top — it looked delicious just from the visual.

But the surprise came with the first bite — the texture! I expected something like a fairly firm pound cake, but the bread was so moist and soft that a fork slid through it easily, which really surprised me.

If you're after a Gangnam dessert spot that's not just pretty but actually tastes good, this fig cake personally stuck in my memory.

Final verdict: who is Upper and Under for?

There are so many cafés in Gangnam, but if you're looking for one that checks all the boxes — spacious layout, good atmosphere, and a wide dessert selection — Upper and Under is worth remembering.

It's fun exploring the different floors, and with so many desserts to choose from, it's a great place to spend a relaxed stretch of time after a meal.

I'd especially recommend Upper and Under to anyone with plans in Gangnam or on a date looking for a Gangnam Station café, or anyone hunting for a Gangnam dessert spot with plenty of options to choose from. :)