Gangneung café souvenir snack that keeps 14 days: Gangneung Sand
In short
Gangneung Sand Main Branch is a three-floor sand cookie dessert café in Seonggok-dong, Gangneung. The writer bought coffee and sweet corn flavor boxes of 10, and since they keep 14 days at room temperature and 30 days refrigerated, they were easy to carry home as the last stop of the trip. Compact and easy to share, they're a solid pick for a Gangneung souvenir snack.
Good to know
- Hours
- Daily 09:30–19:00 (last order 18:30)
- Gangneung Sand box (10 pcs)
- Coffee ₩16,000 / Dried persimmon, strawberry, black sesame, sweet corn, sweet potato each ₩17,000
- Drinks
- To You Dried Persimmon Latte ₩5,500, To Me Strawberry Latte ₩5,500, Daegwallyeong Samgye Latte ₩7,000, Peach Iced Tea ₩5,000, Canned Americano HOT ₩4,000 / ICE ₩4,500
- Storage
- 14 days room temperature / 30 days refrigerated
- Layout
- Café on floors 1–3, order at the 2nd floor kiosk
- Parking
- Nearby parking lot available
- Branches
- Main Branch (Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beon-angil 31), Branch 1 Gangneung Jungang Market, Branch 2 Chodang, Branch 3 Gangneung Sand Cookie Lab
as written by the visitor on Sep 8, 2026
Gangneung is famous for its coffee, its chodang sundubu (soft tofu), and all the food at Gangneung Jungang Market. But when it comes to finding something to bring home after the trip, there are actually more options than you'd think, which makes picking one kind of a puzzle.
Especially if you're planning to share with family, friends, or coworkers, something that's not too bulky, not fussy to store, and neatly packaged so people can grab one each is honestly the most convenient — haha.
So this time the place that caught my eye was Gangneung Sand Main Branch (강릉샌드 본점). It's one of those spots that always comes up when you search for Gangneung travel gifts or Gangneung souvenir snacks — sand cookies that capture Gangneung's signature image of coffee along with local flavors, making them a perfect travel souvenir.
Daily 09:30–19:00 / Last order 18:30
Gangneung Sand branch locations
- Gangneung Sand Main Branch: 31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beon-angil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon
- Branch 1 Gangneung Jungang Market: 6 Geumseong-ro 12beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon
- Branch 2 Chodang: 2494 Nanseolheon-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon
- Branch 3 Gangneung Sand Cookie Lab: 23 Namgu-gil 30beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon
Gangneung Sand has branches from the main store up to Branch 3, so you can just visit whichever is closest! I went to the Main Branch since it was near my accommodation, haha. There's a parking lot nearby too.
Ordering on the 2nd floor, and the café vibe
The café runs across floors 1 through 3, and you order on the 2nd floor. Hours are daily from 9:30am to 7pm, with last order at 6:30pm.
I came to buy Gangneung souvenir snacks, but the space is so spacious and pleasant it also felt like a nice spot to just take a break during the trip, haha. The white and blue interior gives off a cool, refreshing feel!
They've won quite a few awards at the Gangneung tourism souvenir contest, apparently. Gangneung Coffee Tart, To You Dried Persimmon, Gangneung Sand, Gangneung Breakwater Bread — this is Gangneung Sand Main Branch, home of Gangneung's signature dessert snacks.
A drink menu you can only find in Gangneung
Gangneung Sand Main Branch, home of Gangneung's dessert snacks, also had a pretty special drink menu.
- To You Dried Persimmon Latte ₩5,500
- To Me Strawberry Latte ₩5,500
- Daegwallyeong Samgye Latte ₩7,000
- Peach Iced Tea ₩5,000
- Canned Americano HOT ₩4,000
- Canned Americano ICE ₩4,500
Since these are menu items you can only find in Gangneung, it's a café well worth stopping by while traveling here.
Gangneung Sand flavors and prices
Gangneung Sand box (10 pcs)
- Coffee ₩16,000
- Dried persimmon ₩17,000
- Strawberry ₩17,000
- Black sesame ₩17,000
- Sweet corn ₩17,000
- Sweet potato ₩17,000
And now the thing I was most curious about — Gangneung Sand itself! With so many flavors to choose from — coffee, dried persimmon, strawberry, black sesame, sweet corn, sweet potato — I agonized a bit and ended up buying one box each of coffee and sweet corn, haha.
You order via kiosk and it comes out pretty quickly. Even the packaging itself is pink and pretty, so the Gangneung Sand box already feels like a gift without needing to wrap it separately, haha.
The sandbox space I found on the 3rd floor
Since this was the last stop of my Gangneung trip, I went up to the 3rd floor to use the restroom and was pleasantly surprised. It had a completely different vibe from the 2nd floor — there was an actual sandbox and toy excavators.
It struck me as a space kids would love! When traveling around Gangneung you end up constantly hunting for cafés and restaurants, so it's nice to have a change of pace like this to stop by in between.
Why 14 days at room temperature makes it easy to carry
A lot of other Gangneung dessert snacks need refrigeration, which means you have to stay careful all the way home or until you give them away. But Gangneung Sand keeps for 14 days at room temperature and 30 days refrigerated, so there's plenty of leeway and it's genuinely easy to carry around, haha.
So how does the sweet corn sand taste?
The outside is crisp with really great butter flavor, and inside it's sweet and nutty with a subtle sweet corn flavor — delicious, haha. It's also large and hearty, so even eating just one with coffee felt really satisfying. Definitely a recommended Gangneung souvenir snack~
Where it is
31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beon-angil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea강원특별자치도 강릉시 성곡고양길5번안길 31 1층~3층
