Gangneung café with rooftop views and frozen corn sand

Hours are 09:30–19:00 daily, with last orders at 18:30. The address is 31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beonan-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon State, South Korea.

Gangneung Sand Main Branch, an easy stop near Gyeongpo Pavilion

Gangneung Sand Main Branch (강릉샌드 본점) is near Gyeongpo Pavilion, so it seemed like a great place to visit after spending time around Gyeongpo. The shop is a little way into an alley, so first-time visitors may get slightly lost, but there are signs—be sure to keep an eye out for them.

Including the observatory, it goes all the way up to the fifth floor, so the building is really huge. There was no way to fit it into one shot from up close...! My husband even admired it, saying it looked like a palace. 🤣 The building's color feels so Mediterranean that I think it would look even prettier on a clear day. It was a little overcast when I visited, since it was just before rain.

There is a parking lot beside the building, but when leaving it, low-bodied cars such as sedans should go slowly to avoid scraping. The road is rather narrow and the exit has a bit of a curve, so do take care as you drive out.

It won the 2025 Korea Brand Consumer Evaluation Grand Prize, so it seems to be a place that has satisfied many people. I heard it is often named as a Gangneung souvenir snack, and hearing it had even received a consumer evaluation award made me excited before I had tried it. Even before entering, the nutty buttery scent had me quietly looking forward to it.

Which Gangneung Sand should I choose from the six flavors?

There are six flavors—coffee, dried persimmon, Chodang sweet corn, black sesame, purple sweet potato, and strawberry—so you can eat according to your taste. I thought they would also make great gifts as Gangneung dessert snacks.

How to store Gangneung Sand, and my frozen recommendation

• 14 days at room temperature
• 30 days refrigerated
• 90 days frozen

I think they taste much better chilled than at room temperature, and lightly frozen is even better than simply chilled. I recommend eating them lightly frozen. 😊

Beside the kiosk, there were brief notes about who each flavor is recommended for, so even though it was my first visit, I could order without much trouble. I chose the coffee and Chodang sweet corn flavors that make me think of Gangneung.

Along with Gangneung Sand, they have dried persimmon latte, strawberry latte, samgye latte, iced tea, and Americano, so it looked lovely to enjoy the sand right in the café. The café interior is neat too, perfect for spending some time. The Gangneung breakwater bread was cute, and the dried-persimmon jam looked delicious, so jam lovers may find it tempting. 👀

Take a break at the fifth-floor rooftop observatory

There is a restroom on the first floor and a women-only restroom on the third, which makes using the facilities convenient. The fifth floor has a rooftop observatory where you can take in the nearby scenery at a glance, making it a nice place to spend a little time. If you want to sit indoors, you can spend time on the third floor, and there are benches on the first floor too, which looked nice for lingering on a good-weather day.

After walking one lap around the observatory, it felt so calming to see scenery like this after always being among tightly packed buildings—to spend even a little time in an open space. The view is pretty even on an overcast day like this, but I think it would be even better on a crystal-clear day.

The engraving that confirmed the original Gangneung Sand

Gangneung Sand is famous as a Gangneung dessert snack, so you can see the same name at many other places too. But you know the original has its own distinct differences, right? As you can see in the photo, the original Gangneung Sand is clearly stamped with “Gangneung Sand,” so anyone can tell, “Ah, this is Gangneung Sand.” Other Gangneung sands do not have a separate engraving, so be sure to check this carefully when you visit. 👍

With the Gangneung Sand logo neatly engraved, they were great both as Gangneung souvenir snacks to give as gifts and as a dessert to enjoy. I gave the coffee flavor to my parents, while my husband and I ate the Chodang sweet corn one. Everyone loved them so much that I felt oddly proud of choosing Gangneung Sand. (❁´◡`❁)

When you come to Gangneung, they seemed like an easy souvenir gift for acquaintances that would not divide opinions. It is nice that there are six flavors to choose from, and the packaging is pretty and the shape is cute, so they are just right for gifting. I will have to visit again next time I go to Gangneung. 💖