American fast food chain Five Guys – known for their Cajun-style fries, hamburgers, and milkshakes – debuted in Malaysia back in October 2021. Malaysians, of course, dutifully fell into hour-long queues at their outlet in Genting Highlands, despite the menu’s hefty price tags. Since then, they’ve opened another branch in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, so fans of the franchise need not drive all the way up Genting.

As usual, I am late aboard the hype train. So late, in fact, that the train has come and gone – because when the Hubs and I dropped by for lunch recently, there was no queue and there were plenty of seats available for dine-in.

PS: Dining here was not part of the plan. I wanted pizza at Motorino’s, but they weren’t open yet. (Restaurants in Genting open really late on Saturday for some reason -__-)

Five Guys boasts a spacious interior, with an open-air kitchen where you can watch the cooks in action. The interior design features white and red chequered tiles, wooden tables, and counter seating. You’ll also see a bunch of potato sacks near the entrance, a homage to the brand’s history. Apparently back in the day when stores didn’t have enough storage space, they’d stack bags of potatoes in the dining area. These days, this configuration is used for aesthetics.

There aren’t many items on the menu, but I prefer it this way. I’d rather dine at a place that excels in making one or two good mains, over better variety but mediocre dishes.

At Five Guys, they basically serve just hamburgers (basically the Cheeseburger and the Hamburger, and ‘little’ versions which are smaller in size), hotdogs, fries, sandwiches (with vegan options), and milkshakes.

I see many reviews touting the burgers as “pricey”. While I agree that they are more expensive than your regular burgers, I don’t think it’s fair to bash them for it because we all know food in Genting is pricey af. And to be honest, I’d rather spend RM35 on a filling burger than I would for nasi lemak or chicken rice (which is what some of the restos at Genting price them at. Very ordinary kopitiam food at an exorbitant price).

The Hubs got a Hamburger, which came wrapped in foil for easy eating. The portion was huge, with double patties stuffed between toasted sesame seed buns.

You can customize the toppings, with options such as mayo, mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce and hot sauce, as well as relish, grilled mushrooms, onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapenos, and green peppers. As we were keen to try the ‘original’ taste, we simply had all of the toppings included.

The Hubs gave it his seal of approval, declaring it the ‘best gourmet burger’ he had so far in Malaysia. I’m not a big fan of beef burgers, but this was pretty good in my opinion. The patties were moist but not to the point of being greasy (which I think some people prefer), and the meat was well seasoned but not too salty. All of the toppings came together really well too.

My Cheese Dog (RM30), while tasty, was not worth RM30 imo. The toppings are the same; I requested no pickles, but it got into the hotdog somehow lol. I recommend getting the burger rather than the hotdog if you want more value for your money.

Last but not least, we splurged on a Milkshake (RM25). Yes, yes, RM25 is a lot for a drink – but we figured since we aren’t going to come this way for a long time, might as well just go the whole hog.

Like the burgers, you can customize “mix-ins” for your milkshake, including vanilla, chocolate, strawberries, peanut butter, Oreo cookies, salted caramel, bananas, and malted milk. We had ours with vanilla and Oreo cookies. My verdict? I liked it; it was rich and sweet – probably not something you’d have on the daily. The mix was so thick and creamy that we actually had trouble drinking it through the straw lol.

My thoughts on Five Guys? Despite reviews calling it overpriced and overrated, I think the burger is something worth trying. Of course, this is purely my personal opinion/taste: I know there are many who say that brands such as KGB or even local joint MyBurgerLab offer better gourmet burgers. But for me, Five Guys is a pretty decent food option in Genting Highlands.

FIVE GUYS MALAYSIA (GENTING HIGHLANDS)

Lot SA – T2A – 25, SkyAvenue, 69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang

Opening hours: 11AM – 10PM (daily)

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