Gangnam dessert café for tea, Nunettine financier: Upper and Under

Where is Upper and Under, and when should you go?

Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더) is a big, stylish dessert café on Gangnam-daero 102-gil, right about halfway between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station. It's a perfect spot when you have plans around Gangnam or Sinnonhyeon, and the location is amazing: you finish dinner, then drop by for a sweet dessert as your second stop. It's the ideal route 🚶‍♀️💨

• Address: 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (B1 to 2nd floor)
• Hours: daily 11:00–22:00
• Parking: dedicated parking is limited, so I'd recommend public transport! 🚇

Upper and Under in Gangnam is big and has a real presence even from the outside, so you can spot it from far away 🏢✨

What are the interior and terrace like?

Go up the stairs and you're greeted right away by the entrance and the counter!

The second I stepped inside, my jaw dropped at how open it is…! 😮 It's such a hot spot that it was packed with people, weekday or weekend, but the space is so big that it never felt stuffy. It's a great vibe for chatting with a friend or for a date 👍

Head up the floors and the indoor seating is generous, but the terrace where you can enjoy the fresh air made it even more special. Sipping a drink while looking at the green leaves felt like a proper picnic in the middle of the city, you know? 🌿 On a cool day, definitely grab a terrace seat!!

Dessert selection and prices at Upper and Under

At Upper and Under, cakes are around ₩8,000 and bakery items like madeleines and canelés are ₩3,000–4,000. The moment I saw the desserts spread around the counter, I completely froze with indecision… 😭💖

The lineup is really varied, from show-stopping cakes (around ₩8,000) to high-quality bakes (₩3,000–4,000) like lemon and Earl Grey fig madeleines and pistachio canelés!

The slice cakes look so pretty. I'd already stuffed myself with dinner, but it's amazing how there's always a separate dessert stomach, haha

Tea instead of coffee in the evening: what I ordered

I visited Upper and Under with a friend in the evening, and we skipped coffee and ordered tea. We got an iced peach oolong tea, a hot lemon balm tea, a vanilla canelé, a fig pie and a nunetine financier.

Vanilla canelé: the textbook crisp outside, soft inside

Bite into the vanilla canelé at Upper and Under and the outside is crisp while the inside is chewy and soft like pudding, the textbook "crispy outside, moist inside" ^^ A subtle, luxurious vanilla bean aroma fills your mouth, a sweet dessert everyone will like, no divided opinions~~

Fig pie: bursting fruit

The fig pie has a generous pile of sweet, chewy fig on top of a crisp, nutty pie crust. The signature popping texture of figs and jam-like rich sweetness pair wonderfully with the nutty pie. Maybe there's a reason it's famous?

Nunetine financier: the pick of the day

The nunetine financier (nunetine is a crunchy, sweet cookie-like topping) is my number one ^^ A dense, chewy, hefty financier topped with the crisp, sweet nunetine layer, and the texture is amazing..!! Nutty butter flavor plus the crunchy, sweet top makes it a baked treat you keep reaching for~~

Peach oolong tea (iced): a palate cleanser after dessert

The iced peach oolong met cold ice, and a clean, fragrant oolong base was lightly layered with a sweet, fresh peach aroma, which I loved. It's brewed neatly from a tea bag, so there's no bitterness at all, and it was a perfect match for rinsing your mouth after something sweet, haha

Lemon balm tea (hot): a calm herbal scent

With the hot lemon balm tea, the herbal scent of lemon balm and a faint lemon aroma rise with the steam and make you feel calm inside. Drinking it warm soothes your stomach while leaving a clean, refreshing feel, and it felt like healing for the mind ^^ I stole a sip from my friend's cup to describe the taste, haha

Visiting tip for Upper and Under: go early or it sells out

Upper and Under, the café near Sinnonhyeon Station, is incredibly crowded, so if you go late the desserts will probably be all sold out. When I went in the early evening, a lot of the shelves were already empty~ We sat on the terrace, then moved inside when it got a bit chilly, haha

The cakes and baked goods make you fall for them twice, once for the looks and once for the taste, so the dessert quality is really excellent, and it's easy to reach from either Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station, which makes it great for meetups. If you want great photos in a nice atmosphere plus some tasty dessert healing, I recommend Upper and Under ✨☕️🍰