Gangnam café, two pound cakes and matcha drinks: Upper and Under

While looking for a good dessert spot near Sinnonhyeon Station, I ended up at Upper and Under. Here's my honest rundown after trying the coconut matcha cream, matcha pistachio, tiramisu pound cake, and raspberry pound cake myself.

If you're searching for a Sinnonhyeon café and want somewhere that does dessert properly rather than just coffee, Upper and Under is worth checking out.

I visited on a weekday Friday afternoon. It was that awkward window between lunch and dinner, but I was surprised there were still quite a few customers — people working alone, groups of two to four, and a good number out on the terrace too.

Where is Upper and Under, and what are the hours?

Upper and Under is at 28 Gangnam-daero102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's about 300m from Exit 6 of Sinnonhyeon Station, an easy walk.

It's most convenient if you're already looking for a Sinnonhyeon café, but it's also walkable from Gangnam Station, so it works well for anyone searching for a Gangnam café and heading slightly north.

I ended up here naturally while spending time around the Gangnam area.

The café spans floors 1 through 3, and according to Naver Place, it's open daily from 11am to 10pm. Hours can change, so if you're visiting late, it's worth double-checking beforehand.

Black-and-white interior and terrace seats at Upper and Under

The overall vibe at Upper and Under was simple and clean, done in black and white tones. It felt more like an orderly space than a flashy interior, which probably explains why people working alone on laptops looked right at home.

Even though it was still before dinnertime on a Friday, there were quite a lot of customers. I've been to cafés on weekday afternoons that were nearly empty before, but people kept coming into Upper and Under throughout the afternoon.

There was also seating on the outdoor terrace. On a nice day like this, the terrace might actually feel more comfortable than sitting indoors. It seemed like a fine spot to work or read alone, and just as comfortable for two friends or a couple chatting over dessert.

If you want something calmer than the big, hectic Gangnam cafés, this place should suit you well.

What we ordered at Upper and Under, and what it cost

What I ordered that day was the coconut matcha cream (₩8,500), matcha pistachio (₩9,000), tiramisu pound cake (₩8,500), and raspberry pound cake (₩8,500).

I'm a total matcha addict, so both of my drinks had matcha in them. On top of that, I couldn't skip tiramisu, so I added the tiramisu pound cake, and the raspberry pound cake looked so pretty I grabbed that too.

Beyond the pound cakes, there was a wide range of baked goods too — crème brûlée flan, financiers, madeleines, canelés. At first I wanted to try everything, but that day I leaned toward the heartier pound cakes.

If you're looking for a Sinnonhyeon dessert café, just choosing what to order here should be fun in itself. With so many options, it also seems like a great spot to visit with a group and split different desserts.

Coconut matcha cream vs matcha pistachio: which tastes better?

The coconut matcha cream was a combination I'd never tried before in my life. I'd never had coconut and matcha together, so I wasn't sure it would work, but it suited my taste better than expected.

Behind the sweet coconut aroma, matcha's signature bitterness came through, and the sweetness overall wasn't as strong as I'd expected.

I've had plenty of matcha drinks that were just sweet, but this one let both the coconut's soft sweetness and the matcha flavor come through, which made it feel a bit different to drink.

The matcha pistachio felt noticeably sweeter than the coconut matcha cream. The pistachio flavor was also quite distinct — my first reaction after a sip was literally 'oh, this is good.' If you're someone who reaches for a rich, sweet drink whenever your energy dips, matcha pistachio would suit you well.

Tiramisu pound cake: deep coffee flavor, dense crumb

But the thing that stuck with me most that day was the tiramisu pound cake. I figured a pound cake might be a bit dry, but it turned out soft yet dense, which surprised me. Above all, the coffee flavor came through strongly.

I've had tiramisu desserts before where the cream flavor dominated and the coffee taste was disappointingly weak, but Upper and Under's tiramisu pound cake had a clear coffee aroma, which I loved. Eating it, I genuinely thought this was a really good tiramisu pound cake — it matched my taste best out of everything that day. If I come back, I'd order this again for sure.

Raspberry pound cake: sweet and tart

The raspberry pound cake had actual raspberries on top. The tart-sweet flavor characteristic of raspberries paired with the pound cake's soft texture, giving it a completely different feel from the tiramisu. That said, both the matcha pistachio and the raspberry pound cake were, for me, on the noticeably sweet side.

So eating the two together felt like a serious sugar recharge. If you love sweet desserts, that combo would actually be pretty satisfying.

Yellow cheese financier, 4,500 won

Out of curiosity, I also ordered the yellow cheese financier (₩4,500). The yellow cheese flavor was really strong, and the financier had that crisp-outside, moist-inside texture. My friend took a bite and her eyes went wide telling me to try it right away — so I did, and the savory, sweet cheese flavor hit hard in my mouth.

Verdict: is Upper and Under worth it as a Gangnam dessert café?

What I liked most about Upper and Under was that there were plenty of dessert options, and each one I tried had a distinct personality.

As a matcha lover, I had fun comparing the coconut matcha cream and matcha pistachio, but among the desserts, the tiramisu pound cake was much tastier than I expected and left the strongest impression. If you're looking for a Sinnonhyeon dessert café, I'd especially recommend trying the tiramisu pound cake.

The strong coffee aroma paired so well with the dense yet soft texture that, for me, it was the most satisfying item of everything I ordered that day. The space itself was comfortable for working alone, and also fine for two people ordering several desserts to share. On a nice day, being able to use the terrace is a bonus too.

If you're looking for a Sinnonhyeon café and care more about the desserts than the drinks, Upper and Under is worth a visit. Next time I go, I'll order the tiramisu pound cake again for sure, and add the crème brûlée flan or canelé that I didn't get to try this time.