Sinnonhyeon dessert café, two-layer tiramisu: Upper and Under
In short
Upper and Under is a dessert café between Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam stations in Seoul, occupying all three floors of a converted house. Stopping by for a second round after lunch with a neighbor, the writer ordered tiramisu, a nunette financier, an americano and an einspänner, and found that the tiramisu at Upper and Under has two layers of cake sheet underneath, making it closer to a regular cake than the spoon-eaten kind. With a wide range of baked goods and cream cakes and pretty packaging, Upper and Under also works well for gifts.
Good to know
- Hours
- Daily 11:00-22:00
- Location
- 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (between Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam stations)
- Size
- Basement, 1st and 2nd floors — three floors of a converted house
- Counter
- Order counter on the 2nd floor, reached by the outdoor staircase
- What we ordered
- Tiramisu, nunette financier, americano, einspänner, crème brûlée flan (to go)
as written by the visitor on Sep 10, 2026
2026.9.7
'Upper and Under', a dessert café near Sinnonhyeon Station
Upper and Under / Daily 11:00-22:00
A dessert café near Sinnonhyeon Station open until late at night.
A converted-house café near Sinnonhyeon Station, our second stop after lunch
My neighbor and I had lunch and were heading out for a second stop when we spotted a café right in front of us that looked like a converted house, so we went in.
The layout was interesting — even the space you enter from the 1st floor has hall tables you can sit at. Exposed concrete ceilings, gray-toned interior, that nonchalant-but-chic vibe I really liked.
What desserts are on the 2nd floor at Upper and Under?
The order counter is up on the 2nd floor via the outdoor stairs. There are a few tables here too, but there were guests seated so I couldn't take photos.
I nearly lost my mind at the parade of gorgeous desserts. A dessert café near Sinnonhyeon Station serving all kinds of distinctive baked goods — financiers, madeleines, canelés, you name it.
- Fig pie
- Caramel cheese pie
- Crème brûlée flan
- Salted chocolate financier / pistachio financier
Candied sweet potato financier
- Marble vanilla canelé / vanilla canelé
- Earl Grey canelé
- Pistachio canelé
- Matcha canelé
- Earl Grey fig madeleine
- Yellow cheese financier
- Plain financier
- Lemon madeleine
Cream cakes at Upper and Under: a wide choice
The baked goods aren't all — turn your head and there's a whole other side bursting with colorful, visually striking cream cakes.
Raspberry cake
Lemon cake
Earl Grey grapefruit cake
Fig cake
Tiramisu cake
A separate chilled showcase off to one side holds vanilla Basque cheesecake and yellow cheese Basque cheesecake.
What the 3rd floor at Upper and Under feels like
It's a sizable café spanning three whole floors. But rather than feeling vast, it has the coziness particular to a house, which makes it all the more charming.
In particular the terrace gives you a travel-like vibe even smack in the middle of Gangnam Station, which felt relaxing and lovely.
Two-layer tiramisu, nunette financier and an americano
What I picked was the tiramisu and the nunette financier. Coffee hot — it's the season for warm coffee now.
Honestly I wanted to pick a cake piled with seasonal fruit like figs or lots of cream, but I'd eaten way too much right before this, so by my own standard I went with the simplest dessert.
My friend's einspänner, with sweet whipped cream over strong coffee, looked like it would've been delicious. The americano wasn't too strong and had a nutty flavor.
Upper and Under's tiramisu sits taller than at other places, with two layers of cake sheet underneath — unlike a typical spoon-eaten tiramisu of mascarpone and cream, this felt more like eating bread together with it, closer to a regular cake.
Upper and Under's financiers are longer than usual and not the common type — with varieties like salted chocolate and candied sweet potato, there was fun in both looking and choosing.
What I chose was the nunette financier, which I packed up as a snack for my youngest — this is exactly the flavor of nunette (a popular Korean snack cake) that every Korean loves, haha. The top is a crisp, sweet caramel pie and the base is a buttery financier, giving it a much more refined taste.
Anyway, this place is officially a real dessert must-visit near Sinnonhyeon Station! It's not just about looks — it's not overly sweet either, but refined, with each dessert's character properly brought out.
Sinnonhyeon desserts worth taking home as a gift
The dessert packaging is done so nicely too, making this dessert café near Sinnonhyeon Station a great option for gifts.
This is the crème brûlée flan my friend packed up — packed full of custard cream inside, so alluring. Her daughter apparently said it's the kind of flavor you want to savor slowly, haha.
Located between Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam stations, it's easy to get to from anywhere and wins hearts with tasty, pretty desserts. Recommended as a date café near Sinnonhyeon Station!
Where it is
28 Gangnam-daero102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 강남구 강남대로102길 28 지하1층, 1층, 2층
