Gangnam café floor-by-floor guide with financiers and peach oolong

#SinnonhyeonStationCafe #UpperAndUnder — this is a café I used to visit alone whenever I had plans in Gangnam.

Main photo of Upper and Under, a café near Sinnonhyeon Station — Upper and Under, a café near Sinnonhyeon Station

The vibe was so good that I came back with my sisters to try the financiers too, and — wait, this place is actually a dessert spot? The inside is spacious, great for gatherings or for reading alone, so here's my review.

Large café exterior
Atmosphere by floor
Menu
Baked goods
Would I recommend it

Upper and Under, a café near Sinnonhyeon Station — location and exterior

#GangnamStationCafe Upper and Under sits between Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam stations, easy to reach on foot. Parking is difficult though.

Exterior of Upper and Under between Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam stations

Exterior of the large Gangnam café that occupies the whole building

It's a large café that takes up the entire building, from the first to the third floor.

Café building's exterior wall with red brick and white walls

The red brick and white walls give it such a nice, moody feel. At #UpperAndUnder you head up the outdoor stairs beside the building to the 2nd floor first to order.

How does the vibe change floor by floor?

I feel this every time — nobody decided it on purpose, but each floor here has a completely different atmosphere.

1st floor — a quiet spot for solo laptop work

On my weekday visit the 1st floor was always quiet, with lots of people working alone on laptops. It'd make a decent #GangnamStationCafeStudy or #SinnonhyeonCafeStudy spot too.

Quiet seating on the 1st floor of Upper and Under

Overview of the 1st floor interior at Upper and Under

2nd floor — where you order, a chattier mood

The 2nd floor, where you place your order, has a lively, chatty atmosphere, quite different from the 1st floor.

Interior of the 2nd floor, where you place orders

A 2nd floor table with a chatty atmosphere

Seating and walkway on the 2nd floor of Upper and Under

3rd floor — natural light and a terrace

The noise level on the 3rd floor feels somewhere between the 1st and 2nd floors. Big windows let in plenty of light, and the greenery gives it a distinct mood.

The 3rd floor terrace has real charm too — a great atmosphere for a date or a blind date.

The 2nd and 3rd floors each have their own restrooms, which was convenient.

#GangnamUpperAndUnder — here's the menu.

The signature cream latte caught my eye, but since I was pairing it with dessert I almost skipped it. I asked a staff member, who said aside from the cream itself, the coffee underneath isn't sweet — so I ordered it.

Financiers displayed in the dessert case

Flan, pie, and other baked goods on display

Financiers and madeleines are the main draw, but there was also quite a variety of baked goods — flan, pie, cake, and more.

I used to just order drinks here, but the desserts turned out so varied and delicious that I'm definitely ordering dessert every time from now on.

A Gangnam spot known for financiers — my tasting notes

Drinks and desserts set on a window-side table

Wood-and-white interior with sunlight on the table

The drinks and desserts already looked gorgeous, and with the wood-and-white interior and sunlight pouring through the windows, it was just perfect.

Two financiers, a madeleine, tea and a cream latte laid out together — Two financiers, a madeleine, tea, and a cream latte

Three people, three desserts — house rule, right? One of us arrived a bit late and ordered a warm chamomile tea afterward. Tea plus dessert is love, after all.

Pistachio cream latte

A latte with pistachio cream on top and coffee underneath.

Chewy cream topped with crushed pistachio — Chewy cream

I love eating the cream separately, and this pistachio cream had such a firm texture that it didn't sink into the coffee — loved that.

The sweet, chewy cream was topped with crushed pistachios, adding a nutty note too. The coffee underneath wasn't sweet at all, so eating the cream first, then enjoying the coffee alongside dessert, worked really well together.

Peach oolong tea

A tea with fragrant oolong up front and a subtle hint of peach lingering at the end — charming. It was refreshing and clean, pairing well with the sweet baked goods.

Salted chocolate and yellow cheese financiers, and the madeleine

I highly recommend the financiers!

The crisp exterior and chewy, moist interior were already excellent, and the salted chocolate one in particular had a perfect sweet-salty balance.

The yellow cheese financier also had that great crisp-outside, chewy-inside texture, leaning sweet over salty on the yellow cheese. I personally prefer saltier yellow cheese, but this was still good, and the madeleine was moist and fragrant.

So, how was this review of Upper and Under, the café near Sinnonhyeon Station? The different atmosphere on each floor (based on a weekday visit) made it great for going alone, and this time it was just as good with my sisters.

A table at Upper and Under with delicious financiers — Upper and Under, where the financiers are delicious

The financiers left a strong impression, so I'd recommend this as a #GangnamStationCafeToVisit too. Next time I'll bring a financier and tea to the 1st floor for some reading!