Cafeography
Penang · Gurney Drive

Cafés in Gurney Drive

Seafront mall cafés at Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon, a row on Jalan Bagan Jermal, and the hawker centre at the north end.

Photo: Wilfried Strang, Pexels License

Gurney Drive began as New Coast Road: its first 470 m opened in 1934 as North Beach, the road was finished in 1936, and in 1952 it was renamed after Sir Henry Gurney, the British High Commissioner killed by communist guerrillas during the Malayan Emergency.1 Dragon boat races were held off its sandy beach from the 1960s to the 1980s, before erosion took most of the sand and mangroves grew along the shore.1

Today it is a seafront promenade lined with high-rise condominiums and part of George Town's business district.1 Reclaimed land offshore became Gurney Bay, a 24.28-hectare park whose first phase opened in 2024.2 About half of the area's cafés are on Persiaran Gurney, the drive's Malay name, or inside its malls, with a second group on Jalan Bagan Jermal.

Local tip: For coffee by the sea, go in the morning: Vegie Cafe at 75 Gurney Drive opens at 08:00 every day.

At a glance

28Cafés listed
1With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
20:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Vegie Cafe, from 08:00 (Daily 08:00–20:30).
  • Most listed streets: Jalan Bagan Jermal (4), Persiaran Gurney (3), Gurney Dr (2).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (4%), air-con (4%), vegetarian options (4%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Penang.

Coffee chains in Gurney Drive

Cafés inside Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon

Gurney Plaza opened in November 2001 and, with 380 shop lots, is the largest mall in George Town by lettable area.3 The Hideout Cafe is inside it. Gurney Paragon followed in 2013, a nine-storey mall forming the podium of twin 155 m residential towers.4 Its cafés include Dawn Cafe, The Heirloom and Co on level 1 and Moody Cow Cafe on level 6; Antipodean Penang is on the ground floor of Gurney Central.

Hotel and street cafés fill in the rest. Cafe Laurel is in the Evergreen Laurel Hotel at 53 Persiaran Gurney, and Vegie Cafe, at 75 Gurney Drive, opens 08:00–20:30 daily, with Wi-Fi, air-conditioning and vegan options.

Jalan Bagan Jermal

Jalan Bagan Jermal meets the western end of Burmah Road, together with Gottlieb Road and Mount Erskine Road.5 It has a short café row of its own: St. Nicholas' Home Café at no. 4, Coffeesmith at Obsidian at no. 14, Coffee Tree & Coffee Tree Boutique at no. 20A and Maryam Cafe at no. 32.

Back toward Pulau Tikus, Ah Chye Kopitiam on Lengkok Erskine and Chyecoffeeshop at 1 Gerbang Erskine keep the old coffee-shop format, and 2PM Kelawai is at 2 Persiaran Maktab.

Gurney Drive Hawker Centre

The hawker centre at the northern end has been running since the early 1970s. It serves char kway teow (fried flat rice noodles), Hokkien mee and satay in halal and non-halal sections, at prices above those of other Penang coffee shops.1 It is the main place tourists eat on the drive, though many locals consider it overrated and expensive.6

Grab, the ride-hailing app, is the most convenient way for most visitors to get to the drive and back.6 Rapid Penang's route 304 also runs to Gurney, from Bukit Gedung.7 The Traveler listed Gurney Drive among the 25 best streets in the world to visit.1

Along the seafront

Marriott Residences Penang is the tallest of the condominium towers on the drive.1 Between the malls and the towers sit a few street-level cafés: 5 Coffee (OFFFFive Coffee) at 36 Gurney Drive, Little Time Coffee at no. 163d, by Gurney Paragon, and Mr. Pot at 124C Persiaran Gurney.

Sources

  1. Gurney Drive, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. George Town, Penang, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Gurney Plaza, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Gurney Paragon, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Burmah Road, George Town, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. George Town (Malaysia), Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  7. Rapid Penang, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Gurney Drive, also browse: Wi-Fi

FAQ

Gurney Drive cafés: questions

Why is Gurney Drive in Penang named after Henry Gurney?

Gurney Drive was first called New Coast Road. Its first section opened in 1934 as North Beach and the road was completed in 1936. In 1952 it was renamed after Sir Henry Gurney, the British High Commissioner in Malaya, who was killed by communist guerrillas during the Malayan Emergency.

What does the Gurney Drive Hawker Centre in Penang serve?

The Gurney Drive Hawker Centre, at the northern end of the drive, has run since the early 1970s. It serves char kway teow, Hokkien mee and satay in separate halal and non-halal sections. Prices are higher than at other Penang coffee shops, and many locals consider it overrated and expensive.

Which malls on Gurney Drive in Penang have cafés?

Gurney Plaza, opened in November 2001 with 380 shop lots, has The Hideout Cafe. Gurney Paragon, opened in 2013, has Dawn Cafe, The Heirloom and Co on level 1 and Moody Cow Cafe on level 6. Antipodean Penang is on the ground floor of Gurney Central.

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