Gangneung souvenir cookie shop, no mixed boxes: Gangneung Sand

While traveling around Gangneung, Gangwon with my mom, we stopped by Gangneung Sand Main Branch, a spot people often grab as a Gangneung travel souvenir. This time I was provided coffee and Chodang corn flavors to try as part of a review campaign, and both my mom and I liked them way more than expected — so much that by the end of the trip we ended up buying persimmon and black sesame with our own money too haha><

Since I didn't stop at the flavors I was given and actually paid for more myself, let me give you an honest review of each flavor :)

Where Gangneung Sand Main Branch is and how to visit

The place I visited isn't the branch near Jungang Market, but the 'Gangneung Sand Main Branch' located at 31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beon-angil. Business hours, closed days, and parking info can change, so I'd recommend double-checking on Naver Place before you go.

The white building with a big blue accent made it easy to spot the Gangneung Sand building once we got close :)

The white-and-blue exterior of Gangneung Sand Main Branch

The first thing that caught my eye arriving at Gangneung Sand Main Branch was that the building was bigger than I expected. It's mostly white with blue accents on the windows, railings, and various spots outside, giving off a vibe that matched the Gangneung sea nicely.

A strong butter smell filled the whole building, so it was immediately obvious this was a shop selling butter cookies (Gangneung Sand).

The store is on the 2nd floor, and there's an elevator too. You can take the stairs, but the elevator right next to them made getting up there easy.

When traveling with my mom, a place with an elevator is definitely more convenient than one with lots of stairs.

Inside the shop: an interior built around the Gangneung sea

Walking into the 2nd-floor store at Gangneung Sand Main Branch, the white and blue color scheme continues from the exterior. The whole atmosphere felt fresh and breezy, reminiscent of the Gangneung sea.

On one side of the store, there was a display of various awards, including from the Gangneung tourism souvenir contest, along with products. Seeing the actual award history in person made it feel even more like a genuine Gangneung-representative souvenir.

How many Gangneung Sand flavors are there, and can you mix a box?

Gangneung Sand comes in 6 flavors: coffee, persimmon, strawberry, black sesame, Chodang corn, and sweet potato. Looking at the menu, there were more flavor options than I expected.

And here's the important part! It's noted that mixing multiple flavors inside one box isn't possible. If you want to try several flavors, keep in mind you'll need to choose by the box before visiting.

Tasting coffee, Chodang corn, persimmon and black sesame side by side

Since I only got to try coffee and Chodang corn through the review campaign, I was curious about the other flavors, so I brought home two more boxes myself — persimmon and black sesame. That let me compare all four flavors side by side.

Coffee: the clearest aroma of the four

You can't talk about Gangneung without coffee, right? The store even labels the coffee flavor as its BEST option, and tasting it myself, it definitely had the most distinct character of the four.

Taking a bite, there's a thick layer of coffee-colored butter cream inside, and the coffee flavor comes through clearly. If you like coffee desserts, this is a solid, safe choice.

Chodang corn: a gentle sweet corn scent

Next up, Chodang corn flavor. Looking at the cross-section photo, there's a thick layer of pale yellow cream too. Instead of a strong corn flavor hitting right away, you get little bursts of corn aroma as you chew on the corn kernels mixed in.

So if you were expecting an intense corn flavor, it might feel a bit subtle. On the flip side, if you're not a fan of overly strong-smelling desserts, this one was easy to eat without feeling overwhelming.

Persimmon: the flavor I bought out of curiosity

According to the store's description, small pieces of dried persimmon are mixed into the persimmon cream, and you could actually see small chunks in the cross-section, in between the bright butter cream.

But when I actually tasted it, I didn't get a strong 'this is persimmon!' feeling. Hmm, more like a sweet milky cream flavor? Compared to the distinct persimmon flavor I expected, I feel like if I didn't know it was persimmon, I might not have guessed right away. This part was a little disappointing to me personally, but it was still sweet and tasty.

Black sesame: nutty from the first cross-section

Looking at the cross-section photo, the cream color is the most noticeably different of the four. Inside the light gray cream, you can see black sesame grains, and when I actually ate it, the signature nutty flavor of black sesame really came through.

If you usually enjoy black sesame lattes or nutty desserts, this one will likely suit your taste better. Comparing all four side by side, black sesame was the one that clearly felt like 'yep, this is black sesame.'

All four Gangneung Sand flavors in one line each

• Coffee → the flavor with the clearest, most distinct coffee aroma
• Chodang corn → a flavor with a slightly subtle corn aroma
• Persimmon → the persimmon flavor was less pronounced than expected
• Black sesame → the signature nutty taste of black sesame came through relatively well

None of the flavors are super intense, so I don't think any of them would be particularly polarizing. I enjoyed all four :D

The pink gift box that makes a pretty Gangneung souvenir

Besides the taste, Gangneung Sand's pink packaging also caught my eye. The design was eye-catching enough that you could hand over the box as a gift as-is, without needing to wrap it separately.

The whole box is bright pink with flower illustrations and big 'GANGNEUNG' lettering, so it looks bright and cheerful in photos and screams 'bought this in Gangneung' to anyone who sees it! That's exactly why I'd recommend it as a Gangneung gift!

Gangneung Sand won the Gold Prize at the 2022 Gangneung Tourism Souvenir Contest, and I found out the product design is even patent-registered. No wonder the packaging felt a cut above the rest.

Final verdict on visiting Gangneung Sand Main Branch with my mom

Traveling around Gangwon with my mom, we tried Gangneung Sand as our Gangneung travel souvenir this time. If you like butter cookies, this is a flavor pretty much anyone would enjoy, and with so many flavor options, it was easy to pick based on who you're giving it to.

If you're traveling around Gangwon and looking for a Gangneung souvenir to give family or friends, or a dessert to snack on one piece at a time after you're home, I'd recommend 'Gangneung Sand Main Branch' :)