Upperstar Kota Kinabalu: A Mediocre Diner

2018-08-15 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

After feeling the full terror of a Southeast Asian afternoon, I was starving. It was already 4 PM, a bit late to call it lunch, but it was my second meal of the day so I had to eat. Wondering where to go, I got out of my Uber to enjoy the cool AC at Imago Mall while I thought about it. Maybe because I had sweated so much, my mouth didn't water no matter which restaurant I walked past. Just as I was about to give up and head home, I spotted Upperstar, and suddenly my appetite came rushing back.

Upperstar is a staple in every tourist guidebook, always carrying the modifier "Kota Kinabalu's best American-style restaurant." I don't know if it's due to aggressive marketing or if it's actually delicious, but it was definitely packed. At first, I worried it might be an expensive family restaurant like Outback Steakhouse, but Korean reviews said it was cheap, so I went in with peace of mind. ~~I only saw the reviews calling the food mediocre after I finished eating.~~

Red signboard and glass entrance exterior of Upperstar Restaurant and Bar

Bar counter with staff working and walls decorated with musical instruments and framed pictures

Restaurant interior with ornate chandeliers hanging and many people dining

Mythological painting on the ceiling with an ornate chandelier hanging below it

Crowded restaurant interior with famous paintings on the pillars

The interior feels somewhat luxurious but also has some tacky elements, and just when you think it's tacky, certain parts look sophisticated. The decor is so unique (or weird?) that it makes you think, "Ah, this is what the word 'dissonance' was made for." But I didn't know it yet. The dissonance of the interior was nothing compared to the food here...

Menu listing various drinks and alcoholic beverages with photos

Menu featuring photos of various foods such as Western dishes, pizza, and desserts

Lunch special menu including burgers, rice dishes, and desserts — Looking at this massive menu, all I could think of was a bad neighborhood joint with a wall completely covered in menu items.

Maybe because I walked so much and sweated so hard today, absolutely everything looked delicious. I ordered a combo set that came with tomato spaghetti, satay, and sirloin steak—which I had been craving. And they gave me two sets of cutlery.

Forks and spoons resting on a napkin on a wooden table — Should I have brought someone along...

Glass full of ice filled with cola and a straw

Bottle of Kimball tomato sauce on a wooden table — The tomato spaghetti tasted exactly like they just squirted a bunch of ketchup on it and mixed it up.

Plate containing rice topped with a fried egg, chicken, and skewers

Table with an empty spaghetti plate, a rice dish topped with a fried egg, and cola — As if two people were eating...

To give my personal review: it's "not great." The spaghetti that tasted like it was made with ketchup and the meat that tasted like thawed frozen food were really disappointing. Even the rice tasted like it had been frozen and microwaved. But it's hard to completely write it off as a terrible place, purely because of the price. Beer is quite cheap for Malaysia (a Muslim country), and the food is so cheap I had to double-check if this was really a family restaurant. It is definitely cheap. If you're totally broke and want cheap, large portions, I recommend Anak Mami or Upperstar.

I say all this, but I still finished the entire two-person portion before leaving...

Exterior of Dubuyo (Korean restaurant) inside a shopping mall

People lining up in front of a KFC store inside a shopping mall — Looks like an ambitiously opened Korean restaurant, but it's losing out to KFC. Honestly, our country's food isn't always the most delicious.

Expenses (calculated conservatively by multiplying by 300 to get KRW)

Accommodation until Sept 4: RM 120
Transport to Lok Kawi: RM 25
Drinks: RM 3
Lok Kawi Wildlife Park admission: RM 20
Coke: RM 2
Transport to accommodation: RM 20
Lunch: RM 20.3
Transport to Jesselton: RM 7
Mantanani Nanamun Tour reservation: RM 230
Rafting reservation: RM 160
Transport to Tanjung Aru: RM 7
Ice cream: RM 9.5
Transport to accommodation: RM 8
Transport to Hard Rock Cafe: RM 5
Hard Rock Cafe pin purchase: RM 112
Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe: RM 102
Transport to accommodation: RM 5
Drinks, snacks: RM 20.9

Daily expenses: RM 876.7

Total trip expenses: 2,875,000 KRW + RM 2522.58