Edit: This restaurant is now permanently closed.

Finally got to check out Johnny Rockets at Avenue K, Kuala Lumpur! It’s located right next to the Library Coffee Bar.

This ‘American Diner’ style burger place recently expanded its wings to Malaysian shores. With the tagline ‘The Original Hamburger’, they try to keep it as close as possible to good ol’ 1950s American food and atmosphere, hence the red/white checked tiles and jukeboxes. To cater to the local Muslim sensitivities, the waitresses wear long red dresses instead of short ones.

The restaurant spans 2 floors and can probably seat around 50. Most of the staff were Filipinos. After I sat down for a bit, they broke into a song and dance routine to PSY’s Gentlemen! Apparently they do this every half hour. The empty space was really small though so if you’re outside you have to wait for them to finish before entering the shop.

One signature beverage of American diners are of course, their milkshakes. I had the Vanilla Milkshake (RM14), which was topped with ice-cream and came served together with the tall steel cup they shake it in. Good for one and a quarter cup in total. Smooth, sweet and thirst quenching

Smiley face ketchup

For the mains, I had the recommended Route 66 burger (RM24.90) – beef patty topped over with grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise. I upgraded the fries to onion rings for an additional RM2.50.  The portion was huge and can easily be shared between two persons. The burger was too big to eat like that so I had to cut it up (D: i know!) The ingredients were all cooked well, especially the beef patty which was tender and juicy. The mushrooms soft chewy texture contrasted to the crunchy onions, all melded together by the cheese and mayo sauce. The onion rings were sweet and crunchy with a crispy batter. I’d give the burger an 8/10 !

Waiters dancing! Some of them had good moves too.

• Service: Friendly, fast, 8/10.
• Food: Good! 8/10
• Price: More on the pricey side. My meal came to RM49.

JOHNNY ROCKETS 

G – 8 A Ground Floor, Avenue K, Jalan Ampang, Kampung Baru, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Phone: 03-2181 5466