PENANG: Gurney Drive

Gurney Drive, otherwise known as Persiaran Gurney, is perhaps one of the most well-known places in Penang. Often referred to as ‘The New Esplanade’ (to differentiate it from the original Esplanade in George Town), Gurney Drive is a deluge of hawker delights and exciting restaurants that come alive at nighttime, giving the unique experience of dining by the sea. Gurney Drive was named after Sir Henry Gurney, a Malayan High Commissioner who was assassinated by the guerrillas of the Malayan Communist Party during the Emergency period in the early 1950s.

Gurney Drive was named after Sir Henry Gurney, High Commissioner of Malaya (1950-1951), who was assassinated by the guerillas of the Malayan Communist Party during the Malayan Emergency.

According to his wife who was with him at the time, he sacrificed himself to the communist regime in order to protect the lives of his wife and the driver.
Although his tenure in Malaya is very short, his contributions and effort to the Malayans will never be forgotten. His contributions includes established the Advanced Approved School and the Henry Gurney School in various parts of the Malay States.

Today, Penang Gurney Drive is considered the best vantage point for sunset on the island this coastline stretch that is popular time-out spot for families and lovers, just outside the historical city of Georgetown.

With stretch of road that fronting the sea and long walls to keep the waves at bay, Gurney Drive is the favorite place when it comes to good food. Hawker food stalls have mushroomed over the years as patrons liked the idea of eating whilst listening to the crashing of waves. 

Since then, it has become synonymous with good food at cheap prices, drawing both residents and visitors in droves every night.

 
If you haven't tried it out, the most sought after Penang food at the moment must be the Penang Fried Kuey Teow, a flat rice noodles with crunchy bean sprouts, cockles and prawns fried in a deep heated wok. There is a lot of stall at Gurney Drive that sells this signature dish. The aromatic Penang Asam Laksa is another favorite dish here. The stalls are easily recognizable as they are usually the most crowded. Others delicious food includes Penang Rojak, Passembur, Chendol, Poh Piah, Curry Noodles, Nasi Kandar, Satay and many more.

One of my favorite will be Penang variant of Lok-Lok - The steamboat look-alike which requires one to select delicious skewered seafood and scald it in boiling water and then dunk again into a large bowl of sauce (spicy and non-spicy) before finally savoring it. It makes my mouth drools every time I think of it.

On weekend nights, Penang Gurney Drive is more than a watering hole for the hungry Penang folk. Many young Penangites, donned in trendy wear, often make this place the first stop before hitting Penang popular nightspots. There will be also many shoppers from the nearby shopping malls comes over to fill up their hungry stomach after doing some serious shopping. And if you like to buy cheap CDs, VCDs or DVDs, you can get it here too.

The stalls here operate from about 6.00pm to 1.00am daily.

Cons to me: Long queues at popular stalls, paper plates, hot as there is no fan (open air), crowded.

Ratings: 90% (Extremely recommended - Penang trip aint complete if u had not been here)


Gurney Drive hawker stall centre
Jalan Bagan Jermal
Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Georgetown
Penang, Malaysia

DrE here wishing u Bon Appetite!!!