Dog stroller indoor seating & photo zone at Gangneung Sand Main Branch

Going back to work after a summer vacation... still can't adjust, haha, ugh. A week ago I took a late summer trip to Gangneung, Gangwon-do! Reliving those memories, I want to write up my visit to Gangneung Sand Main Branch, a dessert café there♡

For reference, I brought my dog along and searched hard for dog-friendly cafés, restaurants, and stays in Gangneung — but Gangneung really is a pet-friendly city, so we pushed the pet stroller around to quite a few places. (Gangneung Sand Main Branch is also dog-friendly!)

Location and hours of Gangneung Sand Main Branch

Gangneung Sand Main Branch, a dog-friendly dessert café in Gangneung

Gangneung Sand Main Branch is located near Ojukheon in Gyodong, Gangneung. Gangneung Sand has several locations around the city, but the standalone Santorini-style café is the main branch near Ojukheon in Gyodong — so if you're looking for a dog-friendly café in Gangneung, make sure you head to this Gyodong location!! (There are actually two 'main branches' — one near Ojukheon and one at Gangneung Jungang Market — so for the dessert café experience, go to Gyodong!)

Gangneung Sand Main Branch, a dog-friendly dessert café in Gangneung Hours: Daily 09:30–19:00 (last order 18:30) Parking: Dedicated café parking lot

A standalone Santorini-style building, basement to 4th floor

You can tell from the exterior alone that Gangneung Sand Main Branch has that Greek Santorini vibe running through the whole interior! It's a standalone building from basement to 4th floor, so if you're after a big café in Gangneung, this is the one. Walk in on the first floor and there are stairs and an elevator, so getting around is easy.

The basement is the entrance, the first floor is the dessert-making kitchen, the second floor is the counter and café, the third floor is the sandbox play zone and café, and the fourth floor is the roasting room. Because the kitchen is right there when you walk in, this rich buttery smell hits you immediately and just puts you in a good mood!

Take the elevator up to the second-floor café and you're greeted with this crisp, refreshing interior. The tables are spaced generously too, so strollers and pet strollers alike can move around easily.

Gangneung Sand's signature menu and that buttery smell

Gangneung Sand's signature menu features desserts with strong local character — Gangneung Sand, Gangneung Breakwater Bread, and Neoege Ro Gotgam (persimmon), among others. In particular, Gangneung Sand won the gold prize at Gangneung's 2022 tourism souvenir competition. If you're wondering what to bring back as a Gangneung travel gift, I genuinely recommend Gangneung Sand! I picked it up as gifts for my coworkers too. The gift packaging box is sturdy and each sand cookie is individually wrapped, so it's easy to store and great to give as a present.

I've tried a lot of the region-famous 'sand' cookies — Gapyeong pine nut sand, Jeju maeum sand, Busan bada sand, and more, mostly as gifts from others — but Gangneung Sand's butter flavor felt noticeably richer and more fragrant. Turns out Gangneung Sand uses a generous amount of premium gourmet butter, with a much higher butter content than the others. Since each one is handmade, the flavor is naturally rich and savory. (No wonder that butter smell hit me the moment I walked into the café.)

Storage: 14 days at room temperature, 30 days refrigerated, up to 90 days frozen. *They say it tastes even better frozen, so keep that in mind.

Gangneung Sand prices

Gangneung Sand price info!

• Gangneung Sand, box of 10, coffee flavor: ₩16,000
• Dried persimmon, strawberry, black sesame, Chodang corn, sweet potato: ₩17,000
• Special menu: Gangneung Breakwater Bread, 7 pieces: ₩10,000
• Dried persimmon jam (150g): ₩10,000

Coffee and latte drinks here are also on the cheaper side compared to other Gangneung dessert cafés. If you write a review through the Naver receipt review event, you apparently get a free canned Americano, so definitely do that review event!

I wanted to buy every flavor of Gangneung Sand and try them all... but, well, my wallet said otherwise. I agonized over the three flavors — coffee, Chodang corn, and strawberry — and ended up picking my favorite, strawberry, along with Chodang corn! The purple sweet potato flavor is apparently new, so that sounds tasty too. I was also really curious about the coffee flavor, so I'll pick that up next time I'm in Gangneung.

Indoor visit with the dog, pet stroller in tow

Gangneung Sand Main Branch, a dog-friendly café in Gangneung

Of all the cities in Korea, Gangneung is one of the easiest to travel with dogs, thanks to all the dog-friendly cafés, restaurants, and accommodations. We took our dog on this Gangneung trip and worked hard to find dog-friendly stays, cafés, and restaurants — and out of everywhere we tried, I really recommend Gangneung Sand Main Branch as a dog-friendly café in Gangneung.

Usually when you search for dog-friendly cafés in Gangneung, most only allow outdoor terrace seating — but at Gangneung Sand Main Branch, you can drink your coffee indoors as long as you have a pet carrier bag or a stroller. We visited in the morning when there weren't many other customers, so it felt even more relaxed. Even when it's busy, the tables are spaced wide enough that bringing a pet stroller shouldn't be a problem.

Since it was around 11am, we had plenty of time to take photos of our dog at the photo zone. There's a big stuffed dog figure at the photo zone, and our dog thought it was a real friend — sniffing and greeting it for ages, haha. We finally got her attention back and managed to snag one great shot! If you're looking for an indoor dog-friendly café in Gangneung, I recommend Gangneung Sand Main Branch.

The 3rd-floor sandbox play zone

Another strong point of Gangneung Sand Main Branch — there's a sandbox event zone on the third floor! If you're looking for kid-friendly things to do in Gangneung, this dessert café with a sandbox play zone might be worth considering. Up on the third floor, the sand-play area is really well put together.

Strawberry vs. Chodang corn: taste comparison

Gangneung Sand really is a fantastic Gangneung travel gift! The gift packaging feels genuinely premium. Each box holds 10 pieces, and each one is fairly large, so buying one box and splitting it among several people as gifts would work great.

My picks: strawberry + Chodang corn flavor Gangneung Sand. The moment you open the wrapper, that strong gourmet butter smell hits and instantly lifts your mood. Split it in half and the cream filling is packed generously all the way through. Most similar 'sand' cookies only have a thin layer of cream filling, but here they don't hold back on ingredients.

See that? Real strawberry flesh generously mixed into the strawberry cream! I started with my favorite, the strawberry flavor — first the savory richness of the butter wraps around you, then the tangy sweetness of the strawberry kicks in and instantly puts you in a good mood. This, my friends, is the taste of dopamine, haha.

The Chodang corn flavor is less sweet and tangy than the strawberry, but it's more savory and mellow, so you don't get tired of it. Both have very different charms, so if you're picking two flavors of Gangneung Sand, I'd recommend the strawberry + Chodang corn combo!

Iced Americano served in a can

True to a Gangneung dessert café, the coffee here stands out too. The iced Americano isn't served in a regular cup — it comes in a can, which actually keeps it colder for longer. Gangneung Sand's coffee beans have a bit of acidity, and that pairs really well with the rich, savory, sweet flavor of Gangneung Sand. Dessert and coffee together — a great combo!!!!

If you're looking for an indoor, dog-friendly dessert café in Gangneung, I recommend Gangneung Sand Main Branch near Ojukheon!