Sunny terrace café in Sinnonhyeon: ube lattes at Upper and Under

The weather was finally lovely for the first time in ages, so I took a little trip to Gangnam to refresh myself. I was looking for somewhere to relax in the middle of the busy city, and I found a place near Sinnonhyeon Station that I absolutely loved. It's Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더), a big three-floor dessert café. I'd heard its terrace vibe is unmatched among Sinnonhyeon cafés, so I headed over feeling excited.

Upper and Under location and opening hours

Upper and Under is at 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a Sinnonhyeon Station café that uses the basement level up to the 2nd floor. It's open every day from 11:00 to 22:00.

How big is Upper and Under near Sinnonhyeon Station?

Upper and Under uses the whole building from the basement to the 2nd floor, so there's plenty of seating. When I first saw the exterior, the stylish brick building and the openness of the big glass windows really impressed me. Cafés around Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon are often small and cramped, but this one isn't. Inside, the warm wood-toned floors and white walls felt cozy and trendy at the same time. Each floor has a slightly different mood, so choosing where to sit became a happy dilemma.

On a sunny day: the Upper and Under terrace seats

The weather was so good that we picked the terrace without a second thought. An open terrace like this is rare among Sinnonhyeon Station cafés, and Upper and Under's is really nicely done. Feeling the breeze, pretty desserts in front of us, chatting away, I thought, this is what they call small but certain happiness. As the sun went down the lights started coming on one by one, and that evening mood was so romantic that I'd strongly recommend it as a date spot too.

What desserts does Upper and Under have?

Inside, the shop was packed with all kinds of cakes and baked sweets like madeleines and financiers (small almond butter cakes). As the saying goes, even Mount Kumgang is better after a meal, so before sitting down I studied the menu carefully.

How do the ube cream latte and ube matcha latte taste?

We ordered Upper and Under's signature ube cream latte and ube matcha latte. With purple ube cream piled on top, you can't help taking photos.

One sip and the moderately sweet, smooth cream flavor filled my mouth, and honestly my tiredness just melted away. The ube and matcha combo, bittersweet and sweet at once, was totally my taste.

Pistachio raspberry cream cake and yellow cheese financier

To go with the ube lattes, we chose the pistachio raspberry cream cake and the yellow cheese financier. Nutty pistachio meeting tangy raspberry was a fantastic pairing, and the dense, chewy cheese financier was a textbook sweet-and-salty treat.

Every dessert at Upper and Under was high quality, and I immediately understood why it's famous as a dessert spot. Sweet drinks with such a variety of desserts left me full of happiness.

Upper and Under verdict: a Sinnonhyeon Station café worth revisiting?

You can feel the care put into every bit of the interior, so my eyes were happy the whole time, and thanks to the spacious layout I could relax without worrying about the people around me. Tasty coffee and desserts plus a perfect terrace mood, all three boxes ticked, so I'll probably come back with friends soon, before the weather gets hot. If you're looking for a café with a good atmosphere around Sinnonhyeon, I hope you get a proper healing break at Upper and Under.