# Gangneung café with an elevator and 3rd-floor piano: Gangneung Sand - By Yuna P. (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-porch-bowl/) - Written Sep 16, 2026 - Local places › Cafés › Gangneung, Gangwon - Sponsored: This post was written after visiting the store as part of a sponsored experience provided by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-porch-bowl/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-porch-bowl/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/index.md) ## In short Gangneung Sand Main Branch is a five-story dessert café on Seonggokgoyang-gil in Gangneung, Gangwon, a 5-minute drive from Gyeongpo Lake. An elevator connects the floors, with a café and photo exhibition on the 2nd floor and a piano plus sand event zone on the 3rd, and the visit ended with one box each of coffee-flavor and sweet corn-flavor Gangneung Sand eaten in the car and back at the lodging. Gangneung Sand Main Branch handles a travel souvenir and a family outing in one stop. ## Good to know - **Hours**: Daily 09:30–19:00 - **Last order**: 18:30 - **Address**: 31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beon-angil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon (1st–3rd floor) - **Size**: 5 floors total (counter, restrooms, café, observation deck) - **Parking**: Large parking lot - **Order**: 1 box Gangneung Sand coffee flavor, 1 box sweet corn flavor - **Gangneung Sand flavors**: Coffee, dried persimmon, strawberry, black sesame, sweet corn, sweet potato - **Branches**: Main Branch plus Wolhwa Branch, Chodang Branch, Cookie Lab *as written by the visitor on Sep 16, 2026* I was traveling in Gangneung, Gangwon! When you travel, it's a shame to come home empty-handed after all the eating and playing, right? I heard there was a café where you could pick up snacks as Gangneung souvenirs, or an easy dessert gift for friends and family, so I went to check it out. It's called Gangneung Sand — a café that nailed both taste and gift-giving! ![Gangneung Sand Main Branch signature photo](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-01-1b2y6-1200.webp) > Daily 09:30–19:00 / Last order 18:30 ## Where is Gangneung Sand Main Branch? 5 minutes by car from Gyeongpo Lake Gangneung Sand Main Branch is just 5 minutes by car from around Gyeongpo Lake. Gangneung has famous spots, right? If you're looking for a café around Gyeongpo Lake, or want to pick up a souvenir at a café near the Sea Mark Hotel or Skybay Hotel, this place is only 5 minutes away — the accessibility was really great?? ![The way to Gangneung Sand Main Branch, 5 minutes from Gyeongpo Lake](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-02-zevvf-900.webp) I arrived at Gangneung Sand! I was so surprised at how huge the café was! If you're looking for a big café in Gangneung, I'd recommend this one~~ ![Exterior of the large Gangneung Sand Main Branch building](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-03-1ctgg-900.webp) The parking lot was also spacious, which was great~~ And the air around the area was fresh and pleasant, so for anyone living in a big city, this is truly the best spot for a little break! ![Spacious parking lot at Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-04-1eu4y-900.webp) And Gangneung Sand Main Branch is great whether you visit for Gangneung souvenir snacks or just as a regular café! The café itself is really pretty too, it felt like I'd wandered into some little village?? ![Exterior of Gangneung Sand Main Branch with a small-village atmosphere](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-05-4q3u8-900.webp) ## How the five floors of Gangneung Sand Main Branch connect by elevator Gangneung Sand Main Branch is a large café with a total of 5 floors, and instead of just stairs, you can also ride an elevator up. You can walk up from the 1st to 2nd floor via stairs, or once inside the building, take the elevator up! ![Elevator inside the Gangneung Sand Main Branch building](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-06-4xem0-900.webp) Having an elevator makes it so much easier when visiting with family, right? If you're looking for a café in Gangneung, I recommend this one~~ ![Floor-by-floor spaces at Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-07-1c3ad-900.webp) It's a large café with a total of 5 floors — counter, restrooms, café, and even an observation deck. It has everything you'd need~~ ![Interior corridor of the 5-story Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-08-s757n-900.webp) ## Seating and atmosphere in the 2nd-floor café I first checked out the 2nd-floor café at Gangneung Sand Main Branch. The space was so clean and pretty?? There was also landscaping throughout, which gave it a really nice atmosphere! ![Entrance to the 2nd-floor café at Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-09-1k7bn-900.webp) ![Interior of the 2nd-floor café at Gangneung Sand Main Branch with landscaping](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-10-75znv-900.webp) The tables and chairs inside were comfortable too, so if you're coming to Gangneung for a date, I think this café would be a great stop!! ![Tables and chairs on the 2nd floor of Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-11-jxv82-900.webp) There was so much to look at inside the café that I lost track of time~~ ![Interior of Gangneung Sand Main Branch café with lots to see](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-12-uc9qm-900.webp) ## Gangneung city tourism souvenir competition awards And here's what's impressive about Gangneung Sand Main Branch — it's won some serious awards at the Gangneung tourism souvenir competition?? - 2022 Gold Award — Gangneung Sand Original - 2025 Silver Award — Gangneung Breakwater Bread - 2021 Bronze Award — Persimmon for You - 2020 Bronze Award — Gangneung Coffee Tart This café has quite the award history! ![Notice board for the Gangneung tourism souvenir competition awards](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-13-1bep4-900.webp) ## Ordering two boxes: coffee flavor and sweet corn flavor Gangneung Sand At Gangneung Sand Main Branch I ordered Gangneung Sand in coffee flavor and sweet corn flavor, one box each. Gangneung Sand comes in coffee, dried persimmon, strawberry, black sesame, sweet corn, and sweet potato flavors. For drinks, there's Persimmon for You latte, strawberry latte, Daegwallyeong ginseng chicken latte (samgye latte), iced tea, americano and other coffee types, plus bread and jam! And you really should pick up the travel gift that Gangneung Sand Main Branch is famous for! They wrapped it up so nicely, it's perfect as a gift when visiting Gangneung! It's also great to eat right away, and if you love dessert or snacks, you have to come here~~ It was also really good to eat in the car?? ![Two gift-wrapped boxes of Gangneung Sand](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-14-l8s46-900.webp) ## Photo exhibition, 3rd-floor piano and the sand event zone Inside Gangneung Sand Main Branch there was also a photo exhibition! If you like photography, spending time at this Gangneung café was really nice too! ![Photo exhibition space inside Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-15-xbqil-900.webp) There was also a separate eating space on the 3rd floor?? ![Eating space on the 3rd floor of Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-16-1ypz1-900.webp) The 3rd floor was spacious too, which was nice. If you're looking for a café in Gangneung with plenty of room and a nice atmosphere, I recommend it! ![Spacious seating on the 3rd floor of Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-17-11juw-900.webp) There was even a piano on the 3rd floor! If you love piano, I think this place is worth a visit! A café with a piano isn't that common, right~~ haha ![Piano on the 3rd floor of Gangneung Sand Main Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-18-19yz9-900.webp) There were a bunch of heavy-equipment toys, like excavators and diggers? I wondered what was going on! Turns out there was sand, so it's called the event zone. This is really a great café to visit with family and kids! Kids get bored at cafés sometimes, but here parents can relax without worry — isn't that the best kind of family visit? ![Sand play zone with heavy-equipment toys](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-19-n455c-900.webp) ## How Gangneung Sand tasted in the car and at the lodging I packed some Gangneung Sand to go and ate it in the car and again back at the lodging! Each piece was individually wrapped, which was so convenient! ![Gangneung Sand box opened at the lodging](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-20-3rpl8-900.webp) Yellow is the sweet corn flavor, and black is the coffee flavor! The wrapper colors are different, so it's really easy to tell them apart?? haha ![Individually wrapped yellow sweet corn flavor and black coffee flavor pieces](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-21-3pl8q-900.webp) Gangneung Sand comes in a square shape, so it's perfect as a snack! ![Square-shaped Gangneung Sand](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-22-1jn3l-900.webp) I felt like it would've been such a shame to visit Gangneung and not try Gangneung Sand, but I got to enjoy it! There are three Gangneung Sand branches in total?? There's the Wolhwa Branch, Chodang Branch, and Cookie Lab, so keep that in mind! ![Cross-section of the sweet corn flavor Gangneung Sand](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-23-bn1f6-900.webp) This is the sweet corn flavor — there's actual corn inside plus a corn cream? It went really well with coffee. It's sweet, great as a gift, and also a nice snack for a drive — most of all, it's just really delicious! ![Coffee flavor Gangneung Sand with coffee cream filling](https://img.superchart.com/images/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe-24-bzhkv-900.webp) This is the coffee flavor! It's packed with coffee cream. It's even better chilled, you know?? haha The sand itself was so soft I kept reaching for more~~ If you're visiting Gangneung, picking up one of these as a gift would be perfect! Next trip, I'll come back just for the coffee!! ## Where it is - Gangneung Sand Main Branch (강릉샌드 본점) - 31 Seonggokgoyang-gil5beon-angil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon, South Korea (1st–3rd floor) - 강원특별자치도 강릉시 성곡고양길5번안길 31 1층~3층 - 37.7775285, 128.8901364 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EA%B0%95%EB%A6%89%EC%83%8C%EB%93%9C%20%EB%B3%B8%EC%A0%90/@37.7775285,128.8901364,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-porch-bowl/gangneung-sand-main-elevator-piano-cafe/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt