ZUS Coffee has quietly become Malaysia's homegrown cafe phenomenon, and some of its branches are now destinations in their own right. From a tower in Langkawi to a campus cabin in Penang, the chain's most striking outlets double up as photo spots, seaside hangouts and heritage pit stops. Here are the standouts worth pencilling into a Malaysia weekend.
On Langkawi, a branch sits at the base of the 138m MAHA Tower, the island's tallest landmark. Grab an outdoor table for Andaman Sea views, or pay a little extra to take your drink up to the tower's sky decks for 360-degree panoramas.
Two waterfront options lead the coastal pack. The PD Waterfront branch in Port Dickson is actually the brand's 1,000th store — a two-storey glasshouse right on the shoreline, fitted with surfboards, cabana booths and an open-air deck upstairs. Over in Kota Kinabalu, the Likas Bay outlet is a standalone seaside cafe with a blue-and-white striped canopy and outdoor seats facing the bay.
Heritage fans get plenty too. In George Town, Penang, the Whiteaways Arcade branch occupies a restored early-1900s building with high ceilings, Gothic-style windows and chevron parquet floors. Ipoh's Taman Jubilee outlet sports a large facade mural by local artist Nas Suha depicting a woman in traditional dress holding a kopitiam cup, while his two-storey, flag-inspired mural wraps the Kasturi Walk branch on Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur.
A few concept stores break the mould entirely. The Sunway Pyramid outlet sits beside the mall's famous lion head statue and is the first ZUS to serve soft-serve, plus an exclusive Bluewave Series of drinks. At 1 Utama shopping centre, the ZUS Coffee Meets Pastry store — the brand's first pastry-led concept — features giant croissant sculptures and bakes like beef rendang pie and chocolate chip brioche. The Garden Square branch in Gelang Patah, about 30 minutes from JB Sentral, goes full glamping with sand chairs, beanbags and indoor tents. And at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, a tiny rustic cabin outlet hides among campus greenery — charming, though seating is scarce, so it's best for takeaway.
Why bother tracking these down? Because several sit in places you'd likely visit anyway — Sunway Pyramid, 1 Utama, Petaling Street, George Town — so a scenic coffee stop costs nothing extra. Others, like PD Waterfront and Likas Bay, justify a detour purely for the sea views, and the Langkawi branch pairs naturally with a trip up MAHA Tower. For Singaporeans doing the customary Causeway run, the Johor glamping outlet makes an easy half-day escape. Bring a camera; most of these branches were practically designed for your feed.
