Gangnam café for plain financier and lemon madeleine: Upper and Under

I had plans near Gangnam Station one day, and after eating I spent a good while trying to figure out where to get coffee. There are so many cafés around Gangnam Station, but finding one where you can actually sit and chat comfortably isn't as easy as it sounds. This time I went to Upper and Under, which is an easy walk from the station!

The coffee was good and there was a wide range of baked goods, so it ended up being a Gangnam Station café I genuinely liked for once. I also loved that it's a standalone building with multiple floors — the space felt bigger than I expected.

How far is Upper and Under from Gangnam Station?

Upper and Under is located at 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Even walking slowly, it's only about a 5-minute walk from Gangnam Station, so it's easy to get to.

The building itself feels different from a typical chain café. It's a standalone building that looks like a converted house, so it quietly catches your eye from the alley. Seating runs from the basement up to the second floor, and each floor has a slightly different mood, which made finding the right spot kind of fun. Apparently there's also a terrace space you can use on nice days — I'd like to try the outdoor seating next time.

Grabbing a 2nd-floor seat during a busy hour

When I got there, there were already quite a few customers, so I wondered if there'd even be a seat. Luckily one spot was still open on the second floor. I grabbed it right away and headed down to order.

Since the space is split across floors, it didn't feel nearly as chaotic as you'd expect even during a busy hour. The seats aren't super spacious, but given the location right by Gangnam Station, I thought it was more than fine. It seemed like a solid spot for catching up with a friend over coffee, or for sitting alone for a bit of a break.

Coffee and dessert menu

Baked goods and pies

Cakes

Once I got settled, I checked out the menu and there was way more than just coffee — a pretty wide range of desserts. Canelé, madeleines, financiers, pies and cakes were all on offer, and it took me a while just to decide.

Coffee menu board

Here's what I ordered that day:

• Plain financier
• Lemon madeleine
• Einspänner
• Caffè latte

That's what I picked. Drinks and desserts are self-serve after ordering — a buzzer goes off and you pick them up yourself.

Crisp, moist plain financier

I started with the financier. The outside had a slight crispness, while the inside was moist and a little chewy.

Being plain, it wasn't a dessert with a particularly bold flavor, but it had a nutty, buttery taste that went well with coffee — a solid basic option. If you're looking for a baked good to pair with your coffee, I'd say this is a safe pick.

Madeleine with a subtle lemon scent

I also picked a lemon madeleine. It had the madeleine's typical soft, moist texture with a subtle, refreshing hint of lemon layered in — not overpowering at all. It wasn't just sweet, so it worked well to alternate bites with the coffee. Ordering both the financier and the madeleine turned out to be a good call since they had noticeably different textures — glad I tried both.

The Einspänner I remember most

And the thing I liked best that day was the Einspänner. Einspänner is on the menu at basically every café these days, so I figured it would taste pretty similar everywhere — but there was more of a difference than I expected. The cream on top was quite rich and smooth. It wasn't overly heavy or greasy, though, and it balanced well with the coffee underneath when sipped together.

The sweetness of the cream and the bitterness of the espresso blended together so naturally that I thought this drink alone, without any dessert, would already be plenty satisfying. Out of everything I ordered that day, the Einspänner is the one that stuck with me the most. If you're looking for good cream coffee near Gangnam Station, this one is worth trying.

The caffè latte was solid too

The caffè latte I ordered alongside it was smooth and nutty overall. The milk flavor wasn't too strong, and you could still taste the coffee's character — a good match if you like a latte that isn't too intense. If the Einspänner was the sweeter coffee, the latte felt like the cleaner, more straightforward option.

A fun place to browse the dessert case

Another thing I liked about Upper and Under was that the dessert lineup was bigger than I expected. I'm a fan of baked goods, so browsing through the display case one item at a time was pretty enjoyable.

From canelé, madeleines and financiers to cakes and pies, there's enough variety to pick based on whatever you're in the mood for. Next time I visit, I want to try some of the desserts I didn't get to this time.

A relaxed spot for coffee near Gangnam Station

Overall, Upper and Under turned out to be a solid option when you want to enjoy coffee and dessert together near Gangnam Station. The biggest plus was having multiple floors inside one building, which gives you more choice of space than a typical small café. There were plenty of customers on the day I visited, but the split floors kept it from feeling too chaotic. Most of all, the Einspänner was better than I expected, so I'd happily come back next time I'm at Gangnam Station.

If you're near Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station looking for a café with a nice vibe — somewhere good for chatting with a friend, or somewhere you can properly pick through coffee and dessert options — Upper and Under is worth putting on your list. Next visit, I want to sit on the terrace on a nice day and have the Einspänner with a different dessert :)