Gangnam dessert café terrace, fig cake and canelé: Upper and Under

I had errands around Gangnam on a weekday afternoon, so I stopped by Upper and Under, a café near Sinnonhyeon Station, for coffee. I'd been curious about this place for a while because the desserts always looked good in photos, and after trying them myself, I actually liked the desserts even more than the drinks 🤍 The weather was so nice that day that sitting on the terrace instead of indoors felt like the obvious choice.

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

Upper and Under's location near Sinnonhyeon Station

• 📍 28 Gangnam-daero102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ Daily 11:00–22:00
• 🚗 Dedicated parking is limited

It's an easy walk from Sinnonhyeon Station, and close enough to Gangnam Station too, so it's convenient for meetups.

Seating at Upper and Under: 1F, 2F and the terrace

Upper and Under's seating is split between the first and second floors, plus an outdoor terrace, so there were more space options than I expected. A lot of pretty Gangnam cafés end up with tables packed way too close together once you're actually inside.

I went on a weekday afternoon and the weather happened to be perfect, so the terrace caught my eye immediately. Taking dessert photos there in the sunlight turned out really well.

When the weather's warm, I personally think the terrace seats beat indoor seating by a lot.

Upper and Under menu and prices

I ordered the matcha cream oat latte, iced americano, fig cake, and double vanilla canelé! Per the menu board, the iced americano was ₩6,500 and the matcha cream oat latte was ₩9,000. The matcha cream oat latte is even listed as Upper and Under's signature menu item on the Gangnam-gu official tourism guide.

It's not just cakes here — there's a decent range of baked goods like canelé and financiers too, so picking a dessert is genuinely fun. I usually stick to just one dessert per café visit, but here I ended up grabbing two.

How does the matcha cream oat latte taste?

Recommended if you like cream. At first I thought a full cup might get a little heavy since there's cream on top, but actually the nutty flavor came through before the sweetness. The cream itself doesn't sit heavy in your mouth, and mixed with the matcha underneath, the slight bitterness cuts through the sweetness really well!!

The oat's distinct nuttiness also made it feel different from a typical sweet matcha latte. Usually with rich cream drinks I get about halfway through before getting sick of it, but I finished this one easily the whole way. If you're deciding on a cream-based drink, I'd start with the matcha cream oat latte.

Double vanilla canelé and fig cake at Upper and Under

The double vanilla canelé. The exterior was baked quite dark, giving it a nutty flavor that felt different from the cake.

And honestly, Upper and Under is more of a dessert spot than a drinks spot for me!! The fig cake had great presentation from the start. With a big fig on top and plenty of cream, it looked pretty heavy in photos, but it wasn't as rich as it looked.

I sometimes find whipped-cream-heavy cakes get a bit much toward the end, but pairing it with the fig made it go down surprisingly clean.

Worth it for a dessert café near Sinnonhyeon Station?

I went in thinking Upper and Under was just another pretty Gangnam café, but after trying everything, the desserts won me over way more than the drinks. Going on a weekday afternoon meant I could relax with my coffee, and being able to use the terrace on a nice day was a nice bonus too 🩵

I'll be back on a day when I want a proper meal plus dessert near Sinnonhyeon 🍂🪽

Upper and Under's desserts beat its drinks, and a sunny weekday afternoon terrace seat is the answer.