Gangneung souvenir shop: Jenny Bakery–like coffee sand—Gangneung Sand

Is Gangneung Sand a good souvenir snack from Gangneung?

Gangneung Sand is a dessert that many people buy as a souvenir on a Gangneung trip. It works well as a gift snack, and by my own subjective standard it is as delicious as Jenny Bakery in Hong Kong, so I strongly recommend it!

Gangneung Sand Main Branch hours, location and how to spot copycat shops

Gangneung Sand Main Branch is open 09:30–19:00, with last order at 18:30. There are lots of similar-looking shops, so be careful not to mix them up: the address 31 Seonggokgoyang-gil 5beonan-gil is the main branch.

This is the Gangneung Sand Main Branch. There is plenty of parking space in front, so parking is easy.

Gangneung Sand has branches up to No. 3. Besides the main branch, here is where branches 1 to 3 are.

• Branch 1: 6 Geumseong-ro 12beon-gil, Gangneung, Gangwon
• Branch 2, Chodang branch: 249 Nanseolheon-ro, Gangneung, Gangwon
• Branch 3, Gangneung Sand Cookie Lab: 23 Namgu-gil 30beon-gil, Gangneung, Gangwon

Which floor is the Gangneung Sand Main Branch shop on?

The shop is on the 2nd floor. You can take the elevator, or walk up the stairs like we did. The lowest level is basement 1, so you have to climb two floors.

One flight up brings you to the 1st floor, and one more above that is the 2nd floor where the shop is. Climb the stairs once more and you reach the 2nd-floor entrance.

The interior is neat and clean. We got ours to go, but you can also enjoy coffee and Gangneung Sand right there at the main branch.

Would you call it a sky blue? Somehow that color goes really well with the plants.

Awards won by the original Gangneung Sand Main Branch

As the original shop, the Gangneung Sand Main Branch displays its awards and plaques from the Gangneung tourism souvenir contest. Watch out for copycat shops!

• 2020 Gangneung Tourism Souvenir Contest, bronze prize (Gangneung Coffee Tart)
• 2021 Gangneung Tourism Souvenir Contest, bronze prize (Neoegero Gotgam, dried persimmon sweet)
• 2022 Gangneung Tourism Souvenir Contest, gold prize (Gangneung Sand)
• 2025 Gangneung Tourism Souvenir Contest, silver prize (breakwater bread)

When you visit, the award plaques and products are on display just like that.

Honestly, before eating it I had no big expectations, thinking it was just a typical regional souvenir, but it was really delicious, so I recommend picking up a box. I'll say it again at the bottom of this post, but after trying it I bought 3 more through the Smart Store for both sets of parents.

Gangneung Sand flavors, breakwater bread and shelf life

This is the breakwater bread (bangpaje-ppang), a cute bread that really is shaped like a breakwater.

Gangneung Sand isn't just one flavor: there are 6 in total, coffee, dried persimmon, Chodang corn, black sesame, strawberry and purple sweet potato.

They sell drinks too, and Gangneung Sand comes in boxes of 10. It keeps for about 14 days at room temperature, or about 30 days in the fridge.

You order at the kiosk.

What we ordered at Gangneung Sand Main Branch

Here is what I ordered at the Gangneung Sand Main Branch.

• Gangneung Sand, coffee
• Breakwater bread
• 2 iced Americanos

It was the day we headed back to Seoul, so I ordered takeout, and it came out quickly after a short wait.

On the left is the coffee-flavor Gangneung Sand, on the right the breakwater bread. The packaging design is nicely done too.

What does Gangneung Sand's breakwater bread taste like?

The breakwater bread is a slightly chewy bread with a subtle coffee aroma.

There are breads shaped like breakwaters, which suits a travel destination like Gangneung. Nice idea.

It has a gentle coffee aroma, like its color, and it's a little hard to describe: firm enough to hold its shape, yet soft and fluffy when you bite into it.

We took the pretty breads and desserts to go. The iced Americano came in a can-style cup with a sealed lid, which was great for carrying in the car.

Does coffee Gangneung Sand taste like Jenny Bakery butter cookies?

As soon as I got back to Seoul, I tried the coffee-flavor Gangneung Sand. When you open the box, everything is neatly individually wrapped.

Famous desserts, breads and snacks from overseas trips are all well individually wrapped too. Probably because so many people buy them as gifts.

It's neatly wrapped in plastic front and back, with the words Gangneung Sand embossed on it. This is how it looks cut in half.

They say Gangneung Sand uses top-grade gourmet butter, and maybe that's why it tastes almost the same as the butter cookies from Jenny Bakery, and it's really good.

Since I ordered the coffee flavor, I got a rich, nutty butter flavor plus a coffee aroma, which went well with coffee.

Of the Jenny Bakery cookies I've had before, the 3rd, lighter-colored one, that butter cookie taste came to mind the moment I ate it. I ate it with my wife and we were surprised at how good it was.

Gangneung Sand as a commute snack, plus a Smart Store reorder

This is a cross-section of the breakwater bread, and you can tell how fluffy the texture is just by looking at it. I didn't eat it all at once. On my way to work I packed 1 breakwater bread and 1 Gangneung Sand and ate them with coffee while driving, and I was very satisfied.

And since it was so much better than I expected, and my parents' birthday was on April 11, I bought 3 more through the Smart Store, for both sets of parents and for us to eat again. If you go to Gangneung, definitely buy some Gangneung Sand, and so you don't end up saying "I should have bought more back then" like me, make sure to try at least 1 at the shop!