On this trip to Gangneung…

One of the reasons
I actually chose Gangneung
as my destination
was Gilgamja.

The hype may have died down
a little by now,
but Gangneung Gilgamja
had been all over social media,
and suddenly I really wanted
to try it for myself.

Gangneung has also become
a popular travel destination lately,
and there were plenty of other places
I wanted to visit.

So I thought,

Why not just go to Gangneung
and try it myself?

And that’s how I ended up
visiting Gangneung Gilgamja.

They had actually held
a pop-up store in my area before,
but I didn’t try it then.

In the end,
I went all the way to Gangneung
to finally give it a try.

16 Geumseong-ro, Gangneung-si,
Gangwon-do, South Korea
Haein Building, Unit 103

Gangneung Gilgamja Location

Gangneung Gilgamja is located
near the entrance
of Gangneung Jungang Market.

You don’t have to walk
deep into the market
to find the shop.

It’s located near the outside,
which makes it easy to find
and a little more convenient
when there’s a line.

There’s also a large sign
that says “Gangneung Gilgamja”
in front of the shop,
so it’s easy to spot
once you’re nearby.

And…

There will probably be
people waiting in line anyway,
so even if you miss the sign,
you’ll quickly figure out
where Gilgamja is.

Gangneung Gilgamja Wait Time

I visited at around 5 PM
on a Monday.

There was already
a decent line in front
of the shop when I arrived,
but the actual wait
was only about 10 minutes.

I had seen posts on social media
saying that people sometimes
waited around two hours
when it was really crowded.

Thankfully,
the line wasn’t nearly
that long when I visited.

On a weekday afternoon,
I was able to buy it
much faster than expected.

Of course,
the wait time can vary
depending on the day
and time you visit,
so I’d only use my experience
as a general reference.

How to Order at the Kiosk

Once you reach
the front of the line,
there are three self-order kiosks.

The ordering process
isn’t complicated.

When it’s your turn,
just use one of the kiosks
to select what you want.

There’s a notice saying
that orders can’t be changed
after they’re placed,
so it’s a good idea
to double-check everything
before paying.

You can have sauce
added directly on top
of your Gilgamja,
or purchase the sauces separately.

Having the sauce added directly
is cheaper,
but you can only choose
one sauce that way.

Since I was planning
to take my Gilgamja
back to the hotel,
I ordered it without sauce
and bought two sauces separately.

“이 포스팅은 쿠팡 파트너스 활동의 일환으로, 이에 따른 일정액의 수수료를 제공받습니다.”

Inside the Shop

After ordering,
you can head inside the shop.

Even the entrance door
is shaped like a potato.

I didn’t expect them
to take the potato theme
this seriously!

Inside,
they sell more than just Gilgamja.

There were also
soft, squishy potato-shaped toys
for sale.

They were actually
cuter than I expected…

But I didn’t buy one.

Right after entering,
you’ll find forks
on the right side.

You can take
as many as you need.

Farther inside,
Gilgamja was constantly
being prepared
as new orders came in.

If you choose
to have sauce added directly,
it looks like this is where
they pour it over
the freshly prepared Gilgamja.

How to Pick Up Your Order

After ordering at the kiosk,
you’ll receive a receipt.

Take the receipt
inside the shop
and show it to the staff.

They’ll check your order
and prepare it for you.

When I visited,
the process was simply
ordering at the kiosk,
going inside,
and showing the receipt.

So I received my order
pretty quickly.

Compared with the line outside,
the actual ordering
and pickup process
was quite fast.

What Does Gangneung Gilgamja Taste Like?

I didn’t eat it
right away.

Instead,
I took it back
to my hotel.

By the time I got there,
showered,
and took care of a few things,
the Gilgamja had completely cooled down.

So keep in mind
that the texture and flavor
might be different
when you eat it fresh
at the shop.

And my verdict was…

Hmm…

First of all,
it’s fairly inexpensive
at around KRW 3,000,
and the portion
was bigger than I expected.

Considering the price
and portion size,
it’s an affordable snack
that’s easy to try.

But the biggest surprise for me
was the texture.

Because it’s called Gilgamja,
which literally means
“long potato,”
I expected something
similar to regular French fries.

But when I actually tried it,
it was surprisingly chewy.

The texture was almost
like eating tteok,
or Korean rice cake.

It was really
soft and chewy.

The problem is…

I don’t really like tteok.

So rather than the flavor itself,
it was the chewy texture
that didn’t really match
my personal taste.

Is It Worth Waiting Two Hours?

After finally trying
Gangneung Gilgamja myself,
I’d say it’s worth trying
if the wait is around 10 minutes.

It’s inexpensive,
the portion is generous,
and if you’re already visiting
Gangneung Jungang Market,
it’s an easy snack to try.

But if the wait
is one or two hours…

Personally,
I wouldn’t wait.

And I’m saying this
as someone who literally
wanted to visit Gangneung
partly because I wanted
to try Gilgamja.

If I had waited two hours,
I think I would’ve
been a little disappointed.

Especially if you’re like me
and don’t really enjoy
tteok or chewy textures,
this might not be
your favorite snack.

On the other hand,
if you love chewy foods,
your opinion could be
completely different from mine.

Gangneung Gilgamja Overall Review

After seeing Gangneung Gilgamja
all over social media,
I finally got to try it myself.

I liked that it was
affordable at around KRW 3,000
and came with
a surprisingly generous portion.

When I visited,
the wait was also
only about 10 minutes,
so it wasn’t much
of a hassle.

However,
it was quite different
from the French fry-like snack
I had imagined.

The texture was much chewier,
almost like Korean rice cake,
so it wasn’t really
my personal preference.

Still,
if you’re visiting
Gangneung Jungang Market
and the line isn’t too long,
I think it’s worth trying once.

But if you don’t like
the chewy texture of tteok…

There are plenty of
other delicious things
to eat at the market,
so I’d probably recommend
trying another snack instead!