Gangneung café with kids’ play space and parking: Gangneung Sand

Gangneung Sand Main Branch, from parking to family space

While wondering what Gangneung souvenir snack to buy, I ended up at Gangneung Sand Main Branch, which I heard was great for gifting. Gangneung Sand Main Branch is a very large building spanning floors 1 through 3.

There was also a generously sized parking area right out front, so parking was very easy.

31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beonan-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon State, South Korea 09:30–19:00

Gangneung Sand also had a play space that children would enjoy. It was a place that used its space really well for both adults and children.

Gangneung Sand chosen at the second-floor café

I headed up to the second-floor café to buy Gangneung souvenir snacks. The white-and-blue interior reminded me of the sea.

Gangneung Sand was already a famous spot with many awards. There were all sorts of sand-cookie flavors, too.

Perhaps because it is famous enough to have won the gold prize for Gangneung City tourist souvenirs, there were lots of locals as well as tourists. The sand-cookie boxes themselves were such thoughtful boxes, perfect for giving as gifts.

There was a kiosk, so I could make a purchase right away. They sold drinks as well as Gangneung Sand, and even accepted parcels for travelers getting around on foot.

Gangneung Sand came in six flavors: strawberry, coffee, dried persimmon, black sesame, purple sweet potato, and Chodang corn buttercream. There was a nice variety.

They were not sold individually. They also had breakwater bread and dried-persimmon jam as souvenir snacks, plus Americano and latte to enjoy with Gangneung Sand, and even peach iced tea for children!

While waiting for our strawberry and corn flavors to be packed, we took a commemorative photo. I thought it would be really nice to visit as a family.

Strawberry and Chodang corn sand opened at the hotel

Once we received the strawberry and corn flavors we had waited for, we headed back to the hotel.

Since these were Gangneung souvenir snacks, I thought I simply had to taste them, so I decided to open them right away.

There was a postcard inside that brought the Gangneung Sand building to mind. I really liked the phrase, “A comma where you can pause and rest.”

Even the wrappers looked neat and luxurious enough for gifting. They had also neatly attached stickers to distinguish the strawberry and corn flavors.

Crisp cookies and soft strawberry buttercream

I opened the strawberry sand first. Every Gangneung Sand cookie was individually wrapped. Isn’t that just so neat?

The Gangneung Sand lettering came in different colors depending on the flavor, which made them easy to tell apart.

There was a crisp cookie sandwich, and when I looked inside...

There was buttercream with tangy strawberry inside, and the combination felt wonderfully balanced. The soft cream was delicious, and together with the crisp cookie texture, it felt like a really refined snack.

Individually wrapped Chodang corn buttercream sand

Next, I opened the Chodang corn flavor. Like the strawberry one, it had very neat packaging.

The Chodang corn flavor had “Gangneung Sand” written in yellow lettering. Each one was individually wrapped, making them perfect for sharing with coworkers and a good size to carry out as a snack. Inside were little kernels of corn with buttercream. The corn’s sweet flavor met the cookie sandwich, and the flavor was so good.

I brought home Gangneung Sand, a great Gangneung souvenir snack for gifting. It was wonderful with a cup of drip coffee at home, of course, and it looked so elegant as a gift that I think anyone receiving it would really like it. It is a snack everyone, young and old, would enjoy, so if you come to Gangneung, I recommend stopping by to buy some. It is a secret that they were so delicious, I ate them all myself!