Sinnonhyeon café: vanilla bean Basque cheesecake, Upper and Under

Today I'm bringing you a visit review of Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더, UPPER&UNDER), a hot spot on the Gangnam café street that's super famous as a dessert destination.

I really love desserts and bakery stuff, so I'd had quite a few recommendations for this place! I finally got the chance to go and enjoy it properly. It's a big café spread over three floors (1st floor, 2nd floor and basement), and since it's so easy to reach between Sinnonhyeon Station and Gangnam Station, there were loads of customers on weekdays and weekends alike.

So let's review everything in detail, from the atmosphere to each drink and dessert!

Where is Upper and Under?

Upper and Under (UPPER & UNDER) is at 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and uses the basement, 1st and 2nd floors. It's a very short walk from Exits 4 and 6 of Sinnonhyeon Station.

• Name: Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더, UPPER & UNDER)
• Address: 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (B1, 1F, 2F)
• Location tip: As a Sinnonhyeon Station café, it's a very short walk from Exits 4 and 6, and it sits inside the alley of the Gangnam Station café street, so it's a perfect spot for a date.

What are the atmosphere and interior like?

Upper and Under uses the whole building (basement, 1st and 2nd floors), so the scale was impressive from the start. Each floor has its own emotional vibe, so it feels different depending on where you sit.

Even though it's a very large café, the interior is neat, with warm wood and industrial touches blending into a really cozy feel. The lighting is pretty and every space has lots of eye-catching details, so it was great for taking photos!

It's a hot spot, so it was really crowded and bustling, but the seating is laid out efficiently, so it never felt stuffy. The mood was just right for chatting with friends or going on a date.

What did we order at Upper and Under?

This time I ordered the recommended cream pistachio latte, a refreshing iced americano, and then a vanilla bean Basque cheesecake, a plain financier (a small buttery almond cake) and an Earl Grey canelé (a small French custard cake with a caramelized crust)! The dessert lineup is so dazzling that I had a happily agonizing time choosing.

Iced americano (₩6,500)

The iced americano at Upper and Under is ₩6,500, and it was a coffee with a nice balance of acidity and nuttiness. A cold americano is a must with sweet desserts, right?

A pleasant, slight acidity comes first, followed by a nutty, smooth body that gently wraps around you. The balance between acidity and nuttiness was so good that it felt like drinking a fancy specialty coffee. It went superbly with the desserts too!

Cream pistachio latte (iced)

I ordered the cream pistachio latte because an acquaintance strongly recommended it, and it was way beyond my expectations!

The pistachio cream on top isn't overly sweet at all; it's nutty, moist and silky smooth. Even eating the cream on its own fills your mouth with richness, and combined with the bittersweet, smooth latte base underneath, it becomes an elegant sweetness. If you like pistachio, you absolutely have to try this signature drink!

Vanilla bean Basque cheesecake ⭐ Best choice!

The vanilla bean Basque cheesecake at Upper and Under is, I can say with confidence, by far the best choice of this visit!

The moment you see the cross-section, the black vanilla beans dotted all through it jump out at you; they were so generous. Take a bite and the outside is dense and rich while the inside melts moist and soft, with a gentle, deep natural vanilla aroma that made me gasp. The harmony of rich cheese flavor and soft vanilla was one of the best ever.

Plain financier

The plain financier at Upper and Under showed solid baked-goods fundamentals, as you'd expect from a place with a reputation as a bakery hot spot.

The outside is nicely chewy and crisp, and the inside is moist and packed with rich, nutty butter flavor. It tastes plain but true to the basics, so you never get tired of it and just keep eating.

Earl Grey canelé

I really liked the Earl Grey canelé at Upper and Under because it keeps that classic canelé texture: crisp outside, moist inside. The dense, moist interior is charming, and a fresh, sweet Earl Grey cream is gently placed on top, so a subtle black tea fragrance spreads through your mouth. If you like Earl Grey, this is a dessert you'll be happy with, no hit-or-miss.

Is Upper and Under worth going back to?

If you're looking for a Gangnam Station café or Sinnonhyeon Station café with great atmosphere and dessert quality in one big place, I strongly recommend Upper and Under.

The space is wide and comfortable to stay in, and from the specialty coffee to the touchingly good Basque cheesecake and the unique, sweet-and-nutty cream pistachio latte, there wasn't a single disappointing item. I'm definitely planning to go back soon for a date or a dessert get-together near Gangnam!