Gangnam café with pistachio cream latte: Upper and Under
In short
Upper and Under is a large dessert café near Gangnam Station in Seoul, about a 10-minute walk away and close to Sinnonhyeon Station, spread across a whole three-story building. With four kinds of canelé and five kinds of tiramisu in the showcase, the order at Upper and Under was Basque cheesecake, a plain financier, a pistachio cream latte and an iced americano, eaten at a floor-to-ceiling window seat upstairs. The smoky-edged cheesecake, soft as sundubu inside, and the crisp-then-chewy financier make Upper and Under a café worth returning to for the rest of the shelf.
Good to know
- Location
- 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (basement, 1st and 2nd floors), about a 10-minute walk from Gangnam Station
- Size
- Large café using an entire three-story building, with floor-to-ceiling windows on every floor
- Ordering
- Desserts are sold and orders are taken on the 2nd floor; easiest to grab a seat first, then order
- What we ordered
- Basque cheesecake, financier (plain), pistachio cream latte, iced americano
- Dessert lineup
- About 4 kinds of canelé and 5 kinds of tiramisu, plus more across the showcase and dessert counter
as written by the visitor on Sep 16, 2026
Today's post is about Upper and Under, near Gangnam Station — a dream café where everything was perfect, from the exterior to the interior to the taste of the desserts.
Where is Upper and Under? A 10-minute walk from Gangnam Station
Upper and Under sits on Gangnam-daero102-gil. I walked about 10 minutes from Gangnam Station looking for a big café. The stylish exterior stands out right away, and the brick interior gives it a really tasteful feel. Once you open the door, you're greeted by a sleek interior, warm lighting, and a whole spread of colorful desserts.
How many desserts? Four canelés and five tiramisus in the showcase
Upper and Under's dessert lineup is huge! The moment I saw everything laid out on the showcase and dessert counter, my jaw dropped. There were genuinely so many kinds of dessert that it was a feast for the eyes! Four kinds of canelé? Five kinds of tiramisu?! Every single one looked so pretty and delicious that it took me forever to decide. After much deliberation, I ordered the Basque cheesecake, a financier, and one of the signature drinks.
Seating across three floors and the floor-to-ceiling window views
This Gangnam Station café takes up an entire three-story building, so seating is plentiful and comfortable! Every floor has floor-to-ceiling windows, so the view is great with no sense of being cramped, and the tables are spaced generously — great for a couple's date or catching up with friends. Photos come out well from any angle, perfect for Instagram-worthy shots. It's easiest to grab a seat first and order after, haha.
On the day I visited, the 1st floor was almost empty, and most people were on the 2nd and 3rd floors. I guess that's because the dessert counter and ordering happen on the 2nd floor, haha.
The four things we ordered at Upper and Under
And finally, the desserts arrived.
- Iced americano
- Pistachio cream latte
- Basque cheesecake
- Financier
Basque cheesecake: smoky edges, sundubu-soft center
Upper and Under's Basque cheesecake had a bittersweet, nutty, smoky-charred exterior, and the moment I took a bite, the inside was as moist and soft as pudding or soft tofu. The dense richness of the cream cheese gave it a great texture and a good sweetness. The smoky aroma on top was really nutty and cut right through the cheese's usual heaviness, which made it especially delicious. A crisp-outside, custard-soft-inside cake you can eat down to the last bite without getting sick of it!!
Plain financier: crisp outside, chewy inside
The plain financier has a caramelized exterior that gives a satisfying 'crunch' the moment you bite in. The inside is dense, moist, and chewy... this is what crisp-outside, chewy-inside really means! You could really taste the deep, nutty richness and sweetness of the butter — very delicious.
Pistachio cream latte: the signature drink
I ordered one of the signature lattes, and it had a thick, nutty pistachio cream piled generously on top. Take a sip of the cream over the bittersweet espresso, and the pistachio's distinctly nutty, luxurious nut aroma and gentle sweetness pair perfectly with the coffee, haha. Its flavor is so distinctive it never gets overshadowed even alongside dessert!
Iced americano: how it pairs with the desserts
This iced americano paired really well with the sweet, rich desserts. Without excess acidity, its nutty, clean body meant that a bite of dessert followed by a sip of americano reset my palate every time — the kind that just makes you keep eating endlessly...
Would we go back to Upper and Under?
The Basque cheesecake and financier I tried today were genuinely better than expected, and that gave me total confidence that every other dessert on that showcase must be delicious too...!! Honestly, they're all so gorgeous to look at that they couldn't possibly taste bad — I got greedy and now want to work through the whole lineup one by one. There's no way one visit can cover this massive dessert lineup, so I'll definitely be back soon to clean out every other kind!
The exterior, the tasteful interior atmosphere, the spacious three-floor space with great views, and above all, so many high-quality desserts that catch both your eye and your palate! This Gangnam Station café, Upper and Under, didn't fall short in a single way. If you're looking for a great-vibe café near Gangnam or Sinnonhyeon Station, or a nice spot for a date, definitely stop by. You'll get to spend some healing time with delicious desserts!
Where it is
28 Gangnam-daero102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (basement, 1st and 2nd floor), South Korea서울특별시 강남구 강남대로102길 28 지하1층, 1층, 2층
