Gangnam café with a friend: corn pie & coconut matcha, Upper and Under

A café near Gangnam Station where you can actually sit on a weekend evening: Upper and Under

Upper and Under is a big bakery café roughly between Gangnam Station Exit 11 and Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 6, so it works whether you're searching for a café near Gangnam Station or near Sinnonhyeon Station. If you're looking around Sinnonhyeon Station too, this place was pretty good!

I met a friend near Gangnam Station around 6 pm on a weekend, and that time of day is oddly awkward. It's a bit early for dinner, there are way too many people to just wander around, and you get nervous that every café in Gangnam will be full on a weekend, you know the feeling, haha. So I went looking for a Gangnam Station café with lots of seats and decent desserts, and that's how we ended up at Upper and Under.

It's on the hillside lane inside the CGV alley, so at first I wondered, "Is this really the place?" But once you arrive, it clearly looks like a converted house turned large bakery café. It uses three floors, from basement level 1 up to the 2nd floor, so it was roomier than I expected, and even at 6 pm on a weekend it didn't feel suffocating. Of course, it's Gangnam, so there were people. There's no way there wouldn't be, haha. Still, with the floors split up there were plenty of seats, and it was a good spot to sit with a friend, eat desserts and chat.

Hours are reportedly daily 11:00 to 22:00, with last order at 21:30, and it's said to be open year-round, so it's low-stress to visit at any time.

What we ate that day: a Chodang corn pie (made with sweet Chodang corn), a premium chocolate financier and an Earl Grey canelé, with coconut matcha and mango lemon ade to drink. Just from the dessert names, we were already fully loaded with sweetness, weren't we, haha.

What are the atmosphere and seats like at Upper and Under?

Upper and Under feels like a big bakery café in a converted house, not a plain square shop like a typical Gangnam Station café, so I was a little excited before even going in. The floors run from basement level 1 to the 2nd floor, so the space feels nicely spread out.

Cafés near Gangnam Station are often cramped, or the tables sit so close that your conversation blends with the next table's, ugh. But Upper and Under has quite a lot of seats, and each floor has a slightly different mood, so choosing where to sit was kind of fun. It was 6 pm on a weekend, so it wasn't empty, but it was much better than the "what if there's no seat?" worry I'd had.

The interior is stylish, so photos turn out well. You know the routine: a photo of the table before the desserts arrive, another when the drinks come, haha. Groups seemed welcome, and takeout is available, so it looked good as a meetup spot near Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station too.

Is the Chodang corn pie a must-eat at Upper and Under?

The Upper and Under Chodang corn pie is a sweet-and-salty dessert: crisp tart shell, sweet and slightly salty cream, and popping kernels of Chodang corn. We tried it first that day. It felt like the signature item, and I thought skipping it would be a shame, so I picked it right away.

It looked cute and delicious from the start. The corn kernels are dotted on top of the pie, practically announcing "I've got texture," haha. The tart shell is crisp, and the cream on top is soft and sweet with a hint of saltiness. If it were only sweet you'd get tired of it quickly, but the sweet-salty combo kept me reaching for more. And since you really bite into corn kernels, there's a popping texture that makes it fun to eat.

Eating it with my friend, we said, "Oh, this isn't famous for nothing!" Corn desserts can go wrong, but here the cream, pie and corn texture went together well. If it's your first time at Upper and Under near Gangnam Station, the corn pie is worth trying once.

Premium chocolate financier: satisfying if you love rich chocolate

The Upper and Under premium chocolate financier has a thick chocolate coating, a slightly chewy outside and a moist inside, a dense chocolate baked treat. It's quite sweet, so I recommend having it with a drink.

With "premium" in the name you can't help getting your hopes up, haha. I ate it thinking, "Just how premium is it?" The chocolate coating is thick, so chocolate lovers will probably like it from the look alone. It's less a light baked treat and more small but with a dense chocolate flavor. One bite leaves the chocolate flavor in your mouth and you really feel like you've had dessert.

It is quite sweet, though, so anyone who can't handle a lot of sweets should have it with a drink. I had mine with the coconut matcha, and the bitterness of the matcha balanced the chocolate sweetness nicely. My friend had hers with the mango lemon ade and said it felt like a fresh reset, which was great too. If you like chocolate desserts, adding this one means no regrets, I think.

Earl Grey canelé: charming for its subtle aroma

The Upper and Under Earl Grey canelé was crisp outside and moist and soft inside, with a gentle Earl Grey black tea aroma rising from it. It was our third dessert that day.

With canelé, a crisp outside and moist inside is everything. If the shell is too hard you have to watch the roof of your mouth, and if the inside is too wet that's a letdown too, ugh. Bite in and the Earl Grey scent comes up, but it isn't the type that hits you like perfume. I actually liked that. Strong Earl Grey desserts can get overwhelming, but this was pleasantly fragrant and good for sharing with a friend.

If the corn pie had a strong presence with its sweet-and-salty punch, the Earl Grey canelé quietly set the mood, haha. Sitting on the table it was like, "I belong in this dessert lineup too." If you like baked treats, add the canelé at this Sinnonhyeon Station café, Upper and Under.

What does the coconut matcha taste like?

The Upper and Under coconut matcha is matcha topped with sweet, nutty coconut cream, and it goes down smoothly overall. At first you get the sweet, nutty coconut cream, and the more you mix it, the more the bitterness of the matcha underneath comes up.

I like matcha drinks, but when they're too bitter they're hard to finish. Since we ordered several desserts, a drink that was only sweet would have been a bit much, but the coconut matcha was nicely rich and nutty. It paired especially well with the premium chocolate financier: the matcha tempered the heft of the chocolate and the coconut cream linked them softly, I'd say?

If you don't like coconut flavor, it could be hit or miss. I was fine with it, and my friend took a sip and said, "Oh, it's less heavy than I thought!" haha

Mango lemon ade: the fresh note alongside desserts

The Upper and Under mango lemon ade is a fizzy, refreshing lemonade with sweet mango pulp in it. We ordered three desserts that day, so we definitely needed one fresh drink.

It's fizzy and nice and cold, and the mango bits you chew along the way make it more fun than a plain ade. After the corn pie or the chocolate financier, a sip left my mouth feeling clean. Honestly, without it, eating three desserts might have felt a bit dry halfway through, haha.

If you plan to order lots of sweet desserts, I recommend pairing them with a fresh drink like the mango lemon ade. Even just the two of us said, "This drink balances things out." If the matcha is the heavy, soft side, the mango lemon ade was the light, fresh finish.

Good to know before visiting Upper and Under near Gangnam Station

Upper and Under sits between Gangnam Station Exit 11 and Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 6, so starting from either station isn't much of a hassle. To be precise, it's on the hillside lane inside the CGV alley, so first-timers will find it easier with a map.

• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00, last order 21:30, reportedly open year-round, so good for weekend or weekday evenings
• Space: A large bakery café using three floors, from basement level 1 to the 2nd floor, so seating is generous even among Gangnam Station cafés
• Crowds: It can be busy at weekend peak times, but at 6 pm on a weekend it was fine for sitting and chatting with a friend

What should you order on a first visit?

On a first visit I'd recommend trying the corn pie once. The sweet-and-salty combo and the popping corn kernels were quite memorable. If you like chocolate, the premium chocolate financier; if you like fragrant desserts, the Earl Grey canelé was good too. For drinks, the coconut matcha suits heavier desserts, and the mango lemon ade suits you better if you want to cleanse your palate.

There are so many cafés near Gangnam Station, but finding one that's spacious, photogenic and good for desserts is surprisingly hard. Upper and Under was a safe choice for that. Meeting a friend on a weekend evening, eating sweet desserts, drinking and chatting about this and that, the time flew by.

Personally, the most memorable item was the corn pie, and the mango lemon ade seemed to go best with the desserts. For anyone looking for a café near Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station, I'd say put Upper and Under on your list, haha. Next time I'd like to try other pies and cakes. At bakery cafés like this, you've got to order lots and share, right? Haha