Late-night Sinnonhyeon café, yellow cheese financier: Upper and Under

After eating in Sinnonhyeon, I went looking for a café and ended up at Upper and Under.

It's close to Sinnonhyeon Station and has a wide variety of desserts, making it a good spot for a date or a chat with friends. The desserts look great even in photos, so it's worth a visit for anyone who loves dessert.

Upper and Under: address, hours and the basics

• Address: 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, basement 1, 1st and 2nd floors, South Korea
• Directions: about 300m from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 6, an easy walk. A convenient stop when looking for a café between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station!
• Hours: daily 11:00 - 22:00
• Group seating / takeout available / Wi-Fi / separate restrooms

How to get to Upper and Under from Sinnonhyeon Station

It's about 300m, a 4-5 minute walk, from Exit 6 of Sinnonhyeon Station on Line 9 and the Sinbundang Line.

Coming out of Exit 6, head into the alley off Gangnam-daero — the UPPER AND UNDER sign on the building's exterior makes it easy to spot.

You can also walk from Gangnam Station, but it's much closer from Sinnonhyeon Station. The café spans from basement level to the 2nd floor, so it's bigger than you'd expect!

What the inside of Upper and Under looks like

True to its name, Upper and Under isn't confined to one floor — it stretches from the basement up to the 2nd floor.

Overall it has a brick-and-wood look, giving it a slightly vintage, cozy feel even though it's right in the middle of Gangnam. Each floor has a bit of a different mood, so there's fun in picking the spot you like best.

Cafés around Sinnonhyeon often run out of seats on weekends or in the evening, so I liked that the space here is spread across multiple floors.

Upper and Under menu and prices

There's quite a range — coffee, cream coffee, non-coffee, cold brew, tea. The signature drinks made with pistachio, matcha, and coconut stood out more than the regular coffees.

Coffee menu at Upper and Under

• Espresso ₩6,000
• Americano ₩6,500
• Hazelnut Americano ₩6,800
• Flat White ₩6,800
• Latte ₩7,000
• Cappuccino ₩7,000
• Vanilla Latte ₩7,200

Cream drinks at Upper and Under

• Einspänner ₩8,000
• Salty Caramel ₩8,000
• Pistachio ₩8,000
• Matcha Cream Oat Latte ₩9,000
• Matcha Pistachio ₩9,000
• Coconut Matcha ₩8,500

Non-coffee drinks at Upper and Under

• Milk Tea ₩7,500
• Iced Tea ₩7,500
• Green Tea Latte ₩8,000
• Chocolate Latte ₩8,000
• Mango Sherbet Latte ₩9,000

Sparkling ades at Upper and Under

• Mango Lemon Ade ₩8,500
• Shine Muscat ₩7,500
• Peach Earl Grey ₩8,000

Cold brew at Upper and Under

• Cold Brew Americano ₩6,800
• Cold Brew Latte ₩7,200
• Dolce Latte ₩7,500
• Scotch Banana Latte ₩7,500
• Vanilla Coconut Brown Cheese Latte ₩7,800

There's also a tea selection with hibiscus, chamomile, lemon balm, peach oolong, and Earl Grey.

Are there desserts left at Upper and Under late in the evening?

Visiting late in the evening, the popular desserts were already mostly gone and the selection was limited. If you want to see the full dessert range, I'd recommend going a bit earlier!

Of the desserts still left, I ordered the yellow cheese financier and the Earl Grey grapefruit, plus two coconut matcha drinks.

Yellow cheese financier, 4,500 won

A financier (buttery French cake) topped with thick, rich yellow cheese cream. There was crumble on top too, so it had both a soft and crunchy texture together. The salty, savory flavor typical of yellow cheese kept the sweetness from being too much, which I liked.

Earl Grey grapefruit, 8,500 won

A cake with a subtle Earl Grey aroma, piled with cream and topped with a generous chunk of grapefruit. The soft cream combined with the grapefruit's tart bitterness made it cleaner-tasting than I expected. Personally, it went really well with the coconut matcha too!

Coconut matcha, 8,500 won × 2

Coconut matcha 💚 — even the color looked gorgeous in photos. A soft, sweet coconut base layered underneath a strong matcha on top. I didn't know coconut and matcha could work together until now!

Is Upper and Under worth a late-night visit?

If you're looking for a good-atmosphere café in Sinnonhyeon with tasty desserts, I'd recommend Upper and Under!

The space spans from basement level to the 2nd floor, so there's more seating than you'd expect, and the signature drinks and dessert selection are varied. The coconut matcha we had was nutty and a bit bitter, and it paired well with both the yellow cheese financier and the Earl Grey grapefruit. 💚

The only downside was that visiting late in the evening meant a lot of desserts were already sold out. If dessert is your main goal, go a bit earlier!

It's close to Sinnonhyeon Station too, making it a good spot for a second stop after a meal or a date course. Next time I'd like to go earlier and try the other desserts.