Gangneung Food Boom: Traditional Sweets, Viral Street Snacks, and Trendy Bakeries Draw MZ Crowds
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Gangneung, a coastal city in Gangwon Province, has become a hotspot for food tourism as both long-established makers and trendy newcomers attract crowds—especially young MZ visitors. In Sachon’s Nangdong (Galgol) han-gwa (traditional Korean sweets) village, about 50 shops line the road; one family-run maker, Galgol Hangwa, has produced hand-made han-gwa for over 150 years and sells more than 20,000 holiday gift sets. Crafting han-gwa is labor-intensive, requiring fermented steamed glutinous rice and hand work like brushing syrup (jocheong) and coating puffed rice. In Central Market (Seongnam-dong), street foods like chicken gangjeong and squid sundae draw lines; the viral “Gilgamja” (potato fritter shaped like rice-cake balls) shop sees hour-plus queues and heavy social-media buzz. Near Gyeongpo Lake, Donghwa Garden in Chodang village is famed for its original jjampong-sundubu (spicy seafood noodle soup served with soft tofu instead of noodles), selling about 1,000 bowls daily and popular with people in their 20s. Bakery Jeongnam Mimyunggwa repurposes local tubers into sculpted “guhwang crops bread” (vegetable-shaped breads) made mainly from rice flour, appealing to young visitors and even expanding to Tokyo. Overall, Gangneung’s mix of deep-rooted artisanship and Instagram-friendly, innovative eats is fueling a strong culinary tourism surge.
