Sinnonhyeon café open till 10pm with self-serve water: Upper and Under

Hi, this is Jigu!

Thanks for sticking with my small, precious blog. Anyway, I went to Gangnam after a while and enjoyed some girl talk at a café that stays open late. Most importantly: this place is open until 10! Seems like all the big cafés near Sinnonhyeon Station keep similar hours.

Where is Upper and Under, and how late does it stay open?

Upper and Under is up the hill from the Gangnam CGV, in an area packed with large Gangnam cafés. They all have similar hours and similar layouts, but I picked Upper and Under this time because I was craving pound cake!

Hours — every day 11am to 10pm

What is left in the pastry case on a weekend evening, and what does it cost?

I didn't get a shot of the outside, so let's start inside. I visited on a weekend evening, and this is how the pastries were laid out on the 1st floor of Upper and Under. This photo was taken on my way out, so the case is empty by now!

When the pastries are still out, there's a plate and tongs on the side so you can pick whatever bakery item you want and bring it to the register.

Lemon madeleine ₩4,300 / Earl Grey fig madeleine ₩4,500 / plain financier ₩3,800 / pistachio canelé ₩4,700. Since I came on a weekend evening, there was also one type of tart in addition to these.

Originally there was this many kinds of pastries on display... Also, I love cafés that keep water out for customers, and Upper and Under near Gangnam Station has water like this that you can drink freely — such a bonus point.

I was curious about the caramel cheese pie (₩7,200) too, but I held off since pound cake was my mission for the day. Next time, sister, I'll come back for you.

There was tiramisu on the left, but it sold out while I was grabbing the lemon madeleine... After much deliberation I settled on the Earl Grey grapefruit pound for my pastry!

Seating at Upper and Under floor by floor: two-tops and big group tables

Upper and Under has a ton of seats! The 1st floor is where you order and pick up your dessert and drinks, the 2nd floor is seating only (with a terrace), and half a floor down is a basement-like level. The street outside slopes uphill, so the '1st floor' feels like a basement and the '2nd floor' feels like the ground floor. Recommended if you're looking for a big café in Gangnam!

The ordering floor is mostly two-top tables, while the floor above has more four-tops. Since it's Gangnam, though, it gets crowded, so grab a seat before you order!

It looked like the bakery items are made in-house in the back. So many places don't bake on-site these days, so that explains why the pound cake exceeded my expectations.

Are drink prices at Upper and Under average for Gangnam?

Here's the drink menu at Upper and Under. The cream latte lineup is the signature, priced around ₩8,000. The americano is ₩6,500 — about average for Gangnam prices.

I tried to shoot the 2nd floor seating with as few people in frame as possible. The terrace faces two main directions, and one side has tables for six or more, so it should work fine for group meetups near Sinnonhyeon. That day, it looked like a whole big-table crowd was one party. The space is large and busy, but the seats are spaced out enough that conversations don't bleed into each other too much — though overall it's not exactly quiet! On the bright side, that also means no one can hear what you're saying.

Salty caramel cream latte: a proper sweet-and-salty hit

Since the cream latte is the signature drink, I had to try one — salty caramel cream latte (₩8,000). That salty cream on top is seriously delicious. I wish they sold other desserts using it too... maybe drizzle it on something like a caramel butter bar? The saltiness comes through clearly, no wishy-washy in-between — this is a real sweet-and-salty drink!! The cream is addictive, the kind you keep spooning up.

Americano at Upper and Under: ask for an ice refill

If you like your americano (₩6,500) intensely cold like I do, drink about a third of it and then ask for more ice! The cup isn't very deep, so the ice ran a bit low for my taste. Otherwise, the beans were nicely balanced — not too sour, not too burnt.

Lemon madeleine at Upper and Under

The lemon madeleine was pretty solid and plain! The icing wasn't too sour, making it easy to eat, and the texture sat right between soft and firm — not too squishy. That actually made it great for cutting up and sharing.

Earl Grey grapefruit pound cake at Upper and Under

And now, today's real mission — the pound cake. The Earl Grey flavor came through strongly, and the cream on top had a strong nutty milk flavor without being greasy or overly sweet, so it paired really well! I said 'oh, this is good' the moment I took a bite. The grapefruit wasn't overused either, with just enough bitterness to balance things out. I was worried the cream might be too sweet, but there was no need — it was fresh and nutty, and I scraped the plate clean.

If you've been looking for a large café near Gangnam or Sinnonhyeon Station that's open late, I think this one's worth a visit! In weather like this, you really need to sit out on a terrace seat again.