Sinnonhyeon group meetup café: malla cream cold brew, Upper and Under

Hi, this is the restaurant collector. After a meal in Gangnam, you naturally start looking for somewhere to grab coffee. Especially when meeting up with several people, I tend to prefer a spacious, comfortable spot over a small café that's only good for atmosphere.

This time I visited Upper and Under, located between Sinnonhyeon Station and Gangnam Station. It's easy to reach from Sinnonhyeon Station, and above all, the space is quite large, which made me think of it as a big Gangnam café near Sinnonhyeon Station good for meeting friends, dates, or coffee appointments.

Why Upper and Under works for a group meetup near Sinnonhyeon Station

Upper and Under occupies a standalone building, so it definitely feels more spacious than a typical café. Each floor has a slightly different mood, which made it fun to pick the seat I wanted when I arrived.

The exterior, with its red brick, already gives off a distinct café atmosphere, and the interior is arranged so it doesn't feel too cramped, making it a good place to visit with several people.

Personally, it felt less like a place to grab a quick solo coffee and more like somewhere to sit and talk with friends, or to move to as a second stop after a meal for dessert and coffee.

When looking for a café near Sinnonhyeon Station, you find plenty of places with surprisingly tight seating, but Upper and Under has a clear advantage here. I also liked that it has a wide variety of desserts prepared.

Upper and Under's dessert showcase and what we ordered

From cakes to baked pastries to tarts, there's a wide variety of desserts prepared, so browsing the showcase is fun in itself. I'd call it a lineup that makes you want to add a dessert even if you only came for coffee.

This time we ordered a fig cake, an Americano, and a malla cream cold brew.

Fig cake and Americano at Upper and Under

I started with the fig cake. I've been into fig desserts lately, so it was a natural choice, and it turned out to be a cake that went well with coffee, as expected. The fig's mild sweetness matched the soft cake nicely, and it wasn't too heavy or overly sweet, making it easy to eat alongside coffee.

Personally, when a cake is too sweet, I get tired of it after a few bites, but switching between the fig cake and coffee kept a good balance.

The Americano was, as always, a solid basic choice to pair with dessert. After the sweet cake, the coffee cleaned up the palate nicely, and the combination worked well. If you're ordering several desserts to share as a group, I'd recommend also ordering a basic coffee like an Americano alongside them.

What does the malla cream cold brew taste like?

The menu I was curious about on this visit was the malla cream cold brew. It's definitely a different experience from a regular Americano, so it's a good option when you want something a bit different alongside dessert. You get to enjoy the soft cream together with the bold flavor of the cold brew, and it went well with the sweet dessert too.

Especially when visiting with several people, rather than ordering multiple Americanos, it seemed like a good idea to mix in a signature drink like this one.

Is Upper and Under worth it for a Gangnam group meetup?

Upper and Under's biggest strength is being able to enjoy both the space and the desserts together. Those looking for a big Gangnam café near Sinnonhyeon Station often care about atmosphere and menu, not just seat count, and by that standard, Upper and Under was quite a satisfying choice.

It's good for catching up with friends after a while, good for stopping by for dessert during a date in Gangnam, and good for lingering a bit longer over coffee after a meal. If you're looking for a café near Sinnonhyeon Station where a group can gather comfortably, this kind of spacious layout is genuinely convenient.

Personally, when choosing a café, coffee taste matters, but so does how varied the desserts are. Upper and Under makes browsing the showcase fun, and while I chose the fig cake this time, I found myself wanting to try other cakes or baked pastries next time.

If you're looking for a café near Sinnonhyeon Station where you can enjoy coffee in a good atmosphere along with proper dessert, or a comfortable space to gather with friends, I'd recommend Upper and Under. I especially liked that being a big café near Sinnonhyeon Station makes it well suited as a meetup spot.

The fig cake and Americano combo is great, and if you want something a bit different, I'd also recommend trying the malla cream cold brew.

A place worth remembering when you're looking for a second-stop café after a meal in Gangnam, or somewhere near Sinnonhyeon Station to relax with dessert and coffee. Dessert, coffee, and spacious seating all in one — that was Upper and Under.