Sinnonhyeon café, crème brûlée flan and cappuccino: Upper and Under

I was looking for a nice-looking café near Sinnonhyeon Station and ended up at Upper and Under.

It's conveniently located between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, and the brick interior that greets you right as you walk in is genuinely pretty.

There are plenty of pretty cafés these days, but this one felt less like a flashy decor job and more warm and calm, with the brick and wood tones blending together nicely. It actually spans from basement level 1 up to the 2nd floor, so it's bigger than you'd expect.

I went to meet a friend and catch up, and just sitting in a space this pretty put me in a good mood.

What we ordered at Upper and Under near Sinnonhyeon Station

Since we were going to properly enjoy dessert that day, we ordered lemon cake / hot cappuccino / crème brûlée flan / iced milk tea.

There were way more dessert options than I expected, so I spent a while deciding — but since I usually love lemon desserts, I went with the lemon cake.

And in the end, the lemon cake turned out to be my favorite thing that day. Choosing dessert is always such a happy moment — it's fun just to look at them too, haha.

Upper and Under's lemon cake: tangy, rich lemon cream

Upper and Under's lemon cake looked pretty from the first glance, and once I tasted it, the lemon flavor came through even more clearly than I expected. The cream on top was especially delicious.

It's a soft cream, but the tangy lemon flavor was so pronounced that it never felt heavy, and eating it together with the cake left a refreshing finish in the mouth.

If it had just been plain sweet, it might have been a bit disappointing, but the tanginess really came through and paired wonderfully with the coffee.

Upper and Under also sells a range of other desserts — cakes, baked goods (financiers), flans and more — so it seems like a great spot for dessert lovers to browse and pick. Next time I'd love to try some of the other cakes too.

Is the hot cappuccino at Upper and Under any good?

For coffee, I ordered a hot cappuccino.

What I liked most about the cappuccino was how rich and smooth the foam was.

Taking a bite of the thick foam on top of the hot coffee first, then sipping the coffee, made the smoothness stand out even more. It went well with dessert, and especially paired nicely with the tangy lemon cake.

My friend ordered an iced milk tea, so if you're not into coffee, pairing something sweet like milk tea with dessert works well too.

Crème brûlée flan, the dessert that finished the table

We also ordered the crème brûlée flan, which had a soft, moist texture — a different kind of charm from the lemon cake.

The combination of the crème brûlée top and the soft flan underneath was fun, making it a good order to add when you can't decide on just one dessert.

Upper and Under has so many desserts — not just flans but financiers, cakes, and more.

So I got the sense this is a café better suited to picking a good dessert and enjoying it with coffee, rather than just coming for a drink.

The brick-and-wood interior across three floors

Personally, what stuck with me most about Upper and Under was the atmosphere of the space.

The exposed brick interior was genuinely beautiful, blending naturally with the wood tones for a warm feel. The space itself makes a great photo backdrop, and it was a comfortable place to relax and chat with a friend.

Each floor apparently has a slightly different seating mood, and there's a terrace space too, so on a nice day it might be worth trying the outdoor seating. If you're looking for a café after eating between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, the location works well, and the large space makes it easy to visit with a bigger group too.

Of everything I had that day, the lemon cake — with its tangy, rich lemon cream — is what stuck with me most. If you're looking for a good-atmosphere café near Sinnonhyeon Station, it's worth stopping by Upper and Under for the pretty brick interior and the desserts together.

Upper and Under at a glance

• A warm mood created by brick and wood tones together
• Lemon cake with rich, tangy lemon flavor
• Cappuccino with rich, smooth foam
• Moist, soft crème brûlée flan
• A spot to enjoy coffee, milk tea, and a variety of desserts together

If you're looking for a Sinnonhyeon café and don't want to miss out on either the atmosphere or the dessert, Upper and Under is a solid choice — I had a pretty satisfying time there.