Dog-friendly burger restaurant in Gangneung with two kids: Burger Bar

I went on a trip to Gangneung with my two kids. When you think of a family trip to Gangneung, what do you usually order? Probably raw fish, mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), squid sundae (stuffed squid) — those kinds of things, right?

We stop by handmade burger places pretty often. We don't eat them that much usually, but oddly enough, there are days at the beach when a handmade burger is just what I crave haha.

Where is Burger Bar? Sageunjin Beach, not Gyeongpodae

Burger Bar is a handmade burger restaurant at 609 Haean-ro, Gangneung-si, right in front of Sageunjin Beach. While searching for handmade burger places in Gangneung, 'Burger Bar' caught my eye. It kept coming up as a Gyeongpodae-area burger spot, so I assumed it was right near Gyeongpodae, but when I actually got there, it turned out to be exactly in front of Sageunjin Beach instead. After our meal, we stopped by Sageunjin Beach for a bit and just stared out at the sea haha.

Cooking starts the moment you order at the kiosk.

How much of Burger Bar is self-service?

Burger Bar is a restaurant that's self-service from ordering to tray return.

Maybe because it was crowded on the weekend, but everything — picking up food, eating, bussing your own table, and grabbing sauces/utensils/chips/ice — was fully set up as a self-service system! :)

What we ordered at Burger Bar and what it cost

For anyone looking for a handmade burger spot locals in Gangneung actually recommend, let me lay out what we actually ordered.

• Lobster burger — ₩23,500
• Daegwallyeong songgo mushroom burger — ₩17,500
• Fries — ₩5,000 (ordered separately)

At Burger Bar, burgers and sides aren't a combo set — you order each separately based on what you like! The store's signature menu items were the Jumunjin squid burger, the Daegwallyeong songgo mushroom burger, and the lobster burger. We ordered the lobster burger and the songgo mushroom burger :)

How the lobster burger and Daegwallyeong songgo mushroom burger taste

The lobster burger had that distinctive lobster sweetness coming through, while the Daegwallyeong songgo mushroom burger had a pretty strong truffle flavor.

The patty was crispy on the outside and juicy inside. When it first arrived, the burger looked smaller than expected, so I was a little puzzled — but once we actually ate it, the fillings were so packed in that we ended up pretty full. In the end, our family couldn't finish either one and left a little of each. Very filling as a meal!!

Visiting Burger Bar with kids and a dog

Burger Bar has a separate outdoor terrace, so you can eat there with a dog. Being right on the water, the view was quite good — an ocean view of Sageunjin Beach. On a nice day, the outdoor seating seemed like it wouldn't feel cramped and would be comfortable to sit at with kids! Indoors was also fine for maneuvering a stroller into a seat, no real trouble.

The whole process, from ordering to bussing your tray, runs on a kiosk-based self-service system. Since you have to handle even the self-return yourself, I figured that structure helps with fast turnover when it's crowded, like on weekends :) If it were me, I'd probably take it out and eat on the beach! I noticed Sageunjin Beach rents out chairs and parasols for ₩10,000. I'm already looking forward to the day the kids are a bit older and we can go swimming together in the sea haha.

Burger Bar, which I visited while hunting for a great handmade burger spot in Gangneung! For anyone who wants a relaxed meal with an ocean view and their dog by their side, or who just loves a good handmade burger, this could be a solid option to try at least once.