After-work Sinnonhyeon café: Einspänner & lemon cake, Upper and Under
In short
Upper and Under is a large café in a red-brick building on the Gangnam café street between Sinnonhyeon Station and Gangnam Station in Seoul. After work, the writer and a friend ordered lemon cake, a nut financier, an iced decaf Americano and an Einspänner (espresso topped with sweet cream). Upper and Under still had plenty of desserts in the evening, and the Einspänner was especially good. If you want dessert and coffee with roomy seating, the Einspänner at Upper and Under is well worth ordering.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 6 · 5-min walk (store listing, Oct 6, 2026)
- Address
- 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- Hours
- Daily 11:00–22:00 (as listed by the writer)
- How to order
- Take the outside stairs up and order first on the 2nd floor
- What we ordered
- Lemon cake, nut financier, iced decaf Americano, Einspänner
- Desserts
- A wide bakery range, including chocolate banana pie, golden cheese financier and lemon cake
as written by the visitor on Jun 19, 2026
Upper and Under 📍28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (B1) ⏰️Daily 11:00–22:00
Upper and Under after work: what is this big Gangnam café like?
Upper and Under is a large café in a red-brick building on the Gangnam café street. I wanted a relaxed cup of coffee after work, and while walking along the street I ended up at Upper and Under.
The red-brick building against the dusky evening sky stood out even from far away, and the big tree in front made it feel calmer, even in the middle of the city. Even though it was night, the café was full of people, so it felt like a hot spot and meeting place around Sinnonhyeon Station and Gangnam Station, haha.
Where do you order at Upper and Under, and is there enough seating?
You climb the outside stairs and order first on the 2nd floor. Inside there was warm lighting and a big open space, and after ordering I looked around and found plenty of seats from the 1st to the 3rd floor, so save this one if you're looking for a large café in Gangnam.
I ordered a lemon cake, an iced decaf Americano, an Einspänner and a nut financier. After ordering, I saw that not only the 1st floor but also the 2nd-floor space, reached by a wooden staircase, was quite large.
It's exactly the kind of place where friends can chat over tasty desserts, haha. Each floor is laid out generously, so staying a long time looked comfortable too.
Does Upper and Under still have plenty of desserts in the evening?
The menu board said you can enjoy specialty coffee and a variety of drinks, and the menu really was quite varied. We ordered one iced decaf Americano and an Einspänner from the signature cream coffees. And the desserts, there are so many! Even though I went in the evening and most were sold out, there were still tons of choices, haha.
From a rich chocolate banana pie to a financier piled with hwangchijeu (yellow cheese powder), and a lemon cake topped with herbs, so many eye-catching desserts. Each one was pretty too, so I agonized over which to get... and then! The square lemon cake looked so good that I picked it, haha. With such a variety of bakery items, this Sinnonhyeon Station café feels better for enjoying dessert too, not just coming for coffee.
Upper and Under lemon cake and nut financier: how do they taste?
The lemon cake at Upper and Under balanced soft cream with fresh lemon. Our order was ready shortly after, and I tried the lemon cake first.
The moment it was in my mouth, a bright citrus aroma spread and it lifted my mood, haha. The tartness wasn't too strong, so it went well with coffee!
The nut financier we ordered with it was packed with nuts, so every bite had a nutty richness. It was slightly crisp outside and moist inside, which went well with coffee.
Evening coffee at Upper and Under: decaf Americano and Einspänner
The iced decaf Americano at Upper and Under was clean and cold. It was evening and I wanted less caffeine, and it was easy to drink.
But the Einspänner at Upper and Under is seriously good...! Some places do Einspänner really well and others are so-so, but this one was so good that I finished it to the very last sip, haha. Soft, sweet cream was piled generously on top of bitter coffee, and each sip gave me both the weight of the cream and the flavor of the coffee. Even with cream on top, it goes so well with sweet desserts. Highly recommend!!
Is Upper and Under a Sinnonhyeon café worth a return visit?
We chatted for a long time over coffee and dessert before leaving. The café is big, but the desserts and coffee were also really good, so I think I'll come back.
Upper and Under isn't just a place with good coffee. It felt like a space where you can stay slowly and talk, or spend time on your own, haha.
- Anyone looking for roomy seating on the Gangnam café street
- Anyone who wants to enjoy dessert and coffee together
- Anyone looking for a Sinnonhyeon Station café with a nice atmosphere even late in the evening
If that sounds like you, the big Gangnam café Upper and Under is worth a visit, haha.
Where it is
28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 강남구 강남대로102길 28 지하1층, 1층, 2층
Upper and Under: hours, menu and prices →
16 cafés in Gangnam, Seoul, by number of reviews →
