Gangnam Station café revisit: mango bar sherbet latte, Upper and Under

Why I came back to Upper and Under after a Gangnam business trip

Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더) is a famous dessert café in Gangnam, and I came back for the mango bar sherbet latte I had over the summer. It's a cool evening season, perfect for a café date. I'd just got back from a business trip to the Gangnam area after a long time, and I didn't want to go straight home, so I stopped by Upper and Under.

Upper and Under is truly famous for drinks you can't find elsewhere. When I had the mango bar sherbet latte here in summer, my eyes went wide and I swore I'd come back, and here I finally am! The drinks and desserts look so good that it's also perfect for a Gangnam date. I'm posting this hoping you'll all come at least once.

Upper and Under business info

• Name: Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더)
• Location: 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (B1, 1F, 2F)
• Closed: Open every day
• Hours: 11:00–22:00

How to get to Upper and Under

Upper and Under is an easy-to-find brick-building café if you head into the food alley by Gangnam CGV.

At some point this alley filled up with brick buildings and good-vibes restaurants. I don't come to Gangnam often these days, so every visit feels like the place has been turned upside down, and I love it.

Inside Upper and Under: is there enough seating?

Upper and Under uses the whole building, so there are lots of seats! Even in Gangnam, where finding a café seat is hard, you can visit with some hope.

I didn't want to haul drinks up and down stairs, so I just sat on the 1st floor. Both the floors below and above have a great mood, and lots of people were taking photos for social media. I'd stopped taking selfies at some point, but a place like this makes me want to try one... There are plenty of spots for a great shot, so do come.

Upper and Under menu: what should you order?

Prices at Upper and Under are a little high, but the quality matches! Personally I'd recommend the cream drinks or the non-coffee drinks.

They don't cost much more than the basic drinks, and they look fantastic.

Cake and baked goods display

And Upper and Under is a dessert hotspot too! Please get one cake, no excuses. Personally I think the tiramisu here is really good, but today was my non-coffee day, so I ordered the Earl Grey grapefruit.

On the other side there was a variety of flan (egg tarts) too,

plus financiers, canelés and Basque cheesecake. I went late so a few things were sold out, but most were well stocked. And the salt choco? Couldn't resist, got it!

How do the matcha pistachio and mango bar sherbet latte taste?

For drinks at Upper and Under I ordered the matcha pistachio and the mango bar sherbet latte. Don't they look amazing? I said we'd just have something light after dinner, and yet here's a full café spread, what can I say..

Upper and Under shows rough photos of the drinks, which makes choosing fun.

A big mango bar stuck right in there, so bold. I just love it.

I don't really like cream drinks, but the matcha pistachio isn't plain cream, it's pistachio-based, so it's fresh and nutty rather than heavy. The pistachio crunch on top is perfect too! The matcha isn't bitter or dry and the sweetness is balanced, so my friend, who doesn't even like matcha much, drank almost half. Highly recommended if you don't want coffee.

Upper and Under Earl Grey grapefruit cake: is the tea flavor strong?

The Earl Grey grapefruit cake at Upper and Under has a strong black tea aroma, so good! The grapefruit sweetness was just right too.

It's a pound cake cut in half with cream in the middle. I like a firm cake texture, so it worked for me. I'm a roasted sweet potato lover who even likes that slight dryness. The cream and the cake both smell strong, which satisfied my current milk tea obsession.

How to eat the mango bar sherbet latte for the best taste

With the mango bar in the Upper and Under mango bar sherbet latte, it's only human nature to pick it up and bite into it! It's 100% mango, much less guilt than ice cream. The sherbet in the middle was tasty too. And the mango latte gets richer as it melts into the milk, which I loved.

Add a forkful of cake and you've got starter, main and snack all covered, the true Korean table, wouldn't you say?

The late-evening mood at Upper and Under

Even late, Upper and Under was bustling with people on dates or chatting, so I really felt the Gangnam vibe again after so long. If you're looking for a dessert café near Sinnonhyeon or a spacious café, I highly recommend Upper and Under.