Open-kitchen burger spot for a first-day trip and flower-pin gift

On the first day of my Gangneung trip, before even checking into my accommodation — I'd already scoped out this handmade burger place because I wanted to go so badly.

• An interior that feels like you're already on vacation
• Owners who are ridiculously kind
• A flower pin gift they give you ><
• Juicy patties, just like everyone else's reviews said

Right after arriving in Gangneung to kick off the trip! Here's my review of the first place I went — Moana Burger.

The doors are wide open, and out of all the burger spots I've tried in Gangneung, this one is really going to stick in my memory haha.

What's the exterior and vibe like?

The first thing that caught my eye was the sign, which had that American surf-shop feel.

The doors were all open, so the sea breeze just flowed right in — eating inside almost felt like being outdoors. The interior had a South American, or American, kind of vibe, so it really felt like being on vacation.

And the kitchen is open-style, and it was seriously spotless!! Open kitchens can bug me if they're messy, but here I didn't have to worry about that at all.

The kitchen was huge, spacious, and gleaming clean — seeing that cleanliness made the clean taste of the patty make total sense haha.

There's a store dog too

There's one dog at the store, and it's genuinely so gentle and mellow. When we visited, it was sprawled out on the floor sleeping, and it kept right on sleeping no matter how many customers came and went.

If you love dogs, that alone could be a reason to visit.

Even the owners had a bit of a Moana-character look to them, honestly(!) Genuinely, both of them had so much charm..!

Signature menu and prices

We ordered the Moana Burger (₩13,000) and the Moana Double (₩15,000). The rest of the menu is below. Note that all three burger types come with fries included.

There are other menu items too, so take a look. The handwritten menu board made it feel even more personal.

From the very first bite, the patty's juices burst out, and the bun stayed soft all the way through without ever getting soggy.

Make sure you order the chili bean sauce

But the thing you really need to order is something else — the chili bean sauce. If you skip this, you've basically only had half the experience. Chili bean comes either as wedge potatoes (₩12,000) or as a sauce you can spread on with a knife!

It was slightly spicy with a bit of texture to bite into, and it was the secret ingredient that made the burger's juicy flavor pop even more once spread on.

It was genuinely the kind of flavor that kept me reaching back for more.

Seating inside and parking

With the doors wide open, even sitting inside, you could practically hear the sea breeze and the sound of the waves drifting in.

Even on a hot day, the breeze kept coming through so we ate comfortably in the cool air. Oh, and right outside, there's parking space just like this.

There were quite a lot of accommodations nearby, so if you come play at the beach and get hungry, this place would be perfect.

The flower pin gift and glove service

When the burgers came out, they gave each of us a pretty flower pin. Given that there's even a movie called Moana, this kind of little prop gift, with that same movie-backdrop feeling, gave the trip an extra lift.

The sense of style with these summer-resort-vibe props is just great!!! I also saw quite a few foreign customers, so it seemed like this place is known as something of a tourist spot in this neighborhood.

They give you disposable gloves so the burger is easier to eat. They even kindly explained that you should just press down firmly on the burger while eating. With gloves on both hands, digging in without worry, it felt like I was really enjoying the meal properly.

Why it was a great choice for day one of the trip

On the first day of the trip, I was looking for somewhere that would really make it feel like I was on vacation, and Moana Burger played that role perfectly haha.

This is also the place I wanted to write about first out of everywhere I visited, wanting to capture it vividly right after the trip!! It was also impressive how the patty's juices kept flowing every time I pressed the burger, all the way to the last bite.b

The chili bean sauce was really an unexpected flavor — my boyfriend and I both had our eyes go wide, saying 'this is seriously so good' as we ate.

Eating next to the dog, with the sky clearly visible through the open doors — that time really opened up the trip properly, so I'd recommend it for day one.

They're closed every Tuesday, so just avoid that day and you should be fine. Wrapping up with a shot of me wearing the flower pin gift~!