Gangnam rooftop café for double vanilla canelé: Upper and Under

Today I'm bringing you a review of Upper and Under, a café I found while looking for somewhere with good vibes near Gangnam Station! ☕️✨

The weather's been getting a bit cooler lately, and I've become totally obsessed with drinking coffee outdoors. Rooftop cafés I couldn't even think about in the dead of summer heat suddenly feel so tempting now that it's cooling down… 🥹

So this time I visited Upper and Under near Gangnam Station!

Upper and Under: three levels plus a rooftop near Gangnam Station

Upper and Under uses an entire building on Gangnam-daero 102-gil as its café, spread across three floors. What I liked most walking in was how varied the spaces were!

It's not just a small one-floor café — the structure runs up to three floors, so each level has its own distinct atmosphere.

What we ordered at Upper and Under: iced americano, hibiscus tea, double vanilla canelé

At Upper and Under that day we ordered three things: iced americano, hibiscus tea, and a double vanilla canelé.

• 🧊 Iced americano
• 🌺 Hibiscus tea
• 🍮 Double vanilla canelé

That's what we ordered!

When you're at a café, an americano is basically a must, right? 🤭 I personally love iced americano at cafés, so I ordered a nice cold one.

And along with it, hibiscus tea! If you like refreshing tea over coffee, this is a great option too. 🌺 And then the dessert of the day!

It was the double vanilla canelé. 🍮💕 Canelé (a French pastry with a crisp caramelized shell and a soft, custardy center) is already a charming dessert, and with vanilla added it went perfectly with coffee.

How late is too late? Desserts sell out at Upper and Under

There was one downside, though! We got to Upper and Under a little late that day, and sure enough… most of the desserts had already sold out. 🥹🥹

Part of the fun of a café is browsing the dessert case, but since it was late there weren't many options left, which was a bit disappointing. Still, I picked the double vanilla canelé that remained, and paired with coffee it was satisfying enough! Next time I want to come earlier so I can choose from a fuller dessert lineup. 👀💗

Inside Upper and Under: the mood floor by floor

Upper and Under was also a café worth exploring just for its interior! 🤎 Since the whole building is used as the café, it was bigger than I expected, and with the space divided across several floors, I thought 'oh, it's more spacious than I imagined!' the moment I walked in.

Overall it felt clean but not overly new — white tones, wood, and a vintage feel mixed together naturally, which made it comfortable.

And climbing the stairs to check out each floor was quietly fun too, haha. It's the kind of café where you get to enjoy picking a seat: 'Should we sit here today, or go up higher?' 🤭

I don't know why moments like this make me so happy even though nothing special happened. Good weather + tasty coffee + a pretty space = the happiness formula 💗 That day I really thought, 'ah, I'm glad I came to this café!' 🫶🏻

Where to sit for a slow café hour near Gangnam Station

Gangnam Station is such a busy area that there are tons of cafés, but personally I like ones where you can sit and talk for a long time. In that sense, Upper and Under was great because with space across three floors plus a rooftop, you can pick a seat that fits your mood.

It's good for catching up with a friend, good for a quick break during a date, and especially now that the weather's cooling down, I'd really recommend the rooftop. 🌿☕️ If it had been the middle of summer I probably would've said 'the rooftop's pretty but way too hot…' haha, but right now it's just right!

If you visit when the breeze is cool and the sunlight isn't too harsh, you can really have a lovely time there. 🤎

Upper and Under near Gangnam Station — a café I'm bookmarking to revisit once the weather cools down more! 📌🌿