Roomy lunchtime café in Sinnonhyeon: matcha canelé, Upper and Under

If you're looking for a café near Sinnonhyeon Station with good coffee and desserts, I'd recommend Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더). This time I went with two acquaintances, and we really made the most of it: a cream-topped Einspänner (coffee with whipped cream on top), a nutty latte, a matcha canelé and a vanilla Basque cheesecake.

What I liked most was the size of the place. It runs as one whole building from the basement up to the 2nd floor, so even though we came at lunchtime, there were still plenty of seats open. Around Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, cafés at lunchtime can be so packed that finding a seat is hard, so being able to sit down comfortably and chat made me even happier.

What kind of café is Upper and Under? A whole-building café near Sinnonhyeon Station

Upper and Under is a café that takes up a whole building, from the basement to the 2nd floor. Unlike a typical small café, the space is spread over several floors, so the whole place felt big and relaxed.

Lots of cafés get swamped with office workers at lunchtime, right? We worried it would be crowded too, but there were more seats than expected and we settled in easily. Since we were going with acquaintances, we didn't want to just gulp down coffee and leave. We wanted a place to talk and enjoy desserts, and this fit nicely.

If you're looking for a café for a group around Sinnonhyeon Station or Gangnam Station, or just want a little breather at lunchtime, it's worth considering.

Iced Einspänner at Upper and Under, for when you crave cream coffee

One of the menu items I was most looking forward to that day was the iced Einspänner. An Einspänner has soft cream on top of the coffee, so you get the bitterness of the coffee together with the sweet, nutty cream. It has a different charm from regular iced coffee, and it's one that people who love cream coffee tend to reach for at least once.

We ordered an iced Einspänner and a latte. Everyone picked coffee to their own taste, and adding desserts made our café time feel richer. If you like cream coffee, keep an eye on the Einspänner at Upper and Under. It also went well with sweet desserts, rather than just being a drink on its own.

A latte for a mellow sip

The other drink we ordered alongside the Einspänner was a latte. If the Einspänner is the coffee for enjoying the cream, the latte is the familiar, comforting one where milk and coffee blend together.

When you go with friends, everyone may like a different coffee, and ordering different drinks lets each person enjoy what suits them. Just coffee felt a little lacking, so we picked two desserts as well. With drinks and desserts all set out, the table looked pretty full!

Matcha canelé at Upper and Under, one to watch if you love matcha

One of the desserts we ordered at Upper and Under was the matcha canelé. A canelé (small French pastry) is appealing for its contrast between the outer texture and the moist inside. Add matcha, and you start expecting that fragrant, slightly bitter matcha flavor.

If you usually like matcha desserts, it's a good one to pair with coffee. It has its own character, different from sweet drinks, so it's a good choice when you want to try several kinds of desserts. We didn't stop at coffee either. Tasting the matcha canelé too, we really enjoyed our sweet café time.

And a vanilla Basque cheesecake, of course!

One dessert felt like too few, so we also ordered the vanilla Basque cheesecake from Upper and Under. Basque cheesecake (burnt-top cheesecake) has a rich cheese flavor and goes well with coffee, doesn't it? With vanilla added, I was even more curious about it.

Ordering the matcha canelé and the vanilla Basque cheesecake together meant we got to taste two different desserts, which was nice. Two coffees plus two kinds of dessert made a generous spread for three people. Sharing several desserts rather than just one is also fun, because you can compare what makes each one special.

A café near Sinnonhyeon Station: are there seats at lunchtime?

The most satisfying part of this visit to Upper and Under was the big space and the free seats. At lunchtime, office workers flock in for a coffee after eating, so even a café that looks promising often turns out to have no seats once you walk in.

But Upper and Under is large, running from the basement to the 2nd floor, so even at lunchtime the seating felt relaxed. It was a good place to chat over coffee with acquaintances, and with desserts added it wasn't just a coffee stop but a pleasant break. If you're planning to meet a friend or have a coffee break with coworkers near Sinnonhyeon Station, I'd recommend roomy Upper and Under.

Upper and Under, if you want cream coffee and desserts together

This time I visited Upper and Under near Sinnonhyeon Station with two acquaintances and enjoyed an iced Einspänner, a latte, a matcha canelé and a vanilla Basque cheesecake. I'd recommend the Einspänner to cream coffee lovers, and the matcha canelé and vanilla Basque cheesecake to dessert lovers.

Above all, what stays with me is that it's a whole building from the basement to the 2nd floor, so the space is big and there were seats to spare even at lunchtime. If you're looking for a roomy café near Sinnonhyeon Station for coffee and dessert, give Upper and Under a visit. It was a lovely place to chat comfortably with acquaintances and spend a sweet time.