Gangneung café with purple sweet potato sand: Gangneung Sand

When you think of Gangneung, you think of Gangneung Sand, right? This trip was pretty long, so I was wondering what to bring back as gifts for my family, and I chose Gangneung Sand before heading over to Samcheok!

Gangneung Sand Main Branch location and parking

Gangneung Sand Main Branch is open from 9:30 AM to 7 PM, with last orders at 6:30 PM.

Gangneung Sand Main Branch is at 31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beonan-gil. We drove, but I saw people arriving by taxi too. It is near Ojukheon, so when planning your route, I think you could go Ojukheon → Gangneung Sand Main Branch.

The parking lot was quite large, you know? So we parked and went straight in.

Isn't it really big, as you would expect from the main branch? There are Gangneung Sand stores at the main branch, Branch 1, Branch 2, and Branch 3. The main branch is at 31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beonan-gil; Branch 1 is the Wolhwa branch at 6 Geumseong-ro 12beon-gil; Branch 2 is the Chodang branch at 2494 Nanseolheon-ro; and Branch 3 is the Cookie Lab at 23 Namgu-gil 30beon-gil.

The shop is on the second floor! The fifth floor is an observatory, so it is nice to pick up your order on the second floor and then check out the fifth-floor observatory. There is an elevator, so it is easy to go back and forth.

Looking around at sand cookies and Bangpaje Bbang

I always used to buy only the sand cookies, but they also had Bangpaje Bbang (breakwater-shaped bread).

The product design is patented, so the ones with “Gangneung Sand” stamped right on them are from Gangneung Sand Main Branch. Gangneung Sand has won various contests, and since it can be kept at room temperature and is supposedly even better frozen, I should try eating it frozen too.

They can ship it too, and there is also an experience and event zone. I think it would be fun to take part.

The Bangpaje Bbang was so cute too, but there was not enough room in my suitcase, so this time it was Gangneung Sand only!

Choosing purple sweet potato and Chodang corn sand cookies

There are six flavors in total. Since Gangneung means coffee and Chodang corn, I was going to choose those two, but purple sweet potato was apparently a hot new flavor, so I got one box of purple sweet potato and one box of Chodang corn. I chose different flavors so my boyfriend and I could open them and split them half-and-half.

Mixed boxes and individual purchases are a no ❌️ They sell by the box, so if you want to take half-and-half like my boyfriend and I did, just pick them up, open the boxes, and divide them! There is a sticker on them, but a quick little slice with a knife opens them easily, which was nice.

How to store the sand cookies

For storage: 14 days at room temperature, 30 days refrigerated, and up to 90 days frozen! They recommended eating them frozen, so I am planning to freeze them and try them once I get home. I feel like Gangneung Sand led to all sorts of regional sand cookies, but the main branch tastes a little different. The first thing I noticed as soon as I got out of the car was the rich, fragrant buttery smell, like it was wrapping around the whole shop.

The sky from the fifth-floor observatory

Seeing the wide-open sky from the fifth-floor observatory made it even better. Be careful when the weather is bad. It really is fairly high up, so I think it is best to be cautious at the observatory if it is very windy or raining. The weather was good when we went, so getting that open view made it even nicer.

Gangneung Sand Main Branch review

Flavor labels on the packaging and the cream filling

The products at Gangneung Sand Main Branch have “Gangneung Sand” stamped right on them, which makes them so nice for gifts. The ones stamped like this are from Gangneung Sand Main Branch! Branches 1 through 3 also have “Gangneung Sand” stamped on them.

Each flavor has a sticker on it, but when you split them up and swap some, you might wonder, “How will I know which flavor is which?” There is no need to worry, because...

Each wrapper is marked on top in the color for that flavor. At a glance,

yellow → Chodang corn, purple → purple sweet potato, so they were easy to identify! It is written on every side, so you can choose the flavor you want without worrying.

We divided them up and tried one at a time, and they were packed full of purple sweet potato cream and Chodang corn cream.

The Chodang corn especially had actual kernels in it, so the texture was even better.