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Boat Noodle Restaurant
Consistently popular thanks to bargain Thai food and a sprinkling of Khmer dishes for good measure.
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Boddhi Tree Umma
Opposite the Tuol Sleng Museum, this is a secret hidey-hole in which to nibble tapas and drink fruit cocktails. The restaurant provides a much needed sanctuary after the ghostly horror of that macabre visit.
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Café 151
A hole in the wall offering coffee and shakes, with 100% of profits going to help street children.
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Café El Mundo
If you're on a mission to mellow after a frantic day, sneak inside this café and the madness of Phnom Penh will feel like a world away. The mezzanine level has wall-to-wall lounges, which makes staying here all day a very tempting prospect. Fruit teas and West meets East food.
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Café Yejj
An air-conditioned bolt hole, this bistro-style café specialises in tasty pastas and healthy salads. Or forget the healthy and have a frappuccino and a chocolate brownie. It promotes fair trade and responsible employment.
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Cantina
A taste of Tijuana riverside. The Mexican food is worth raving about with tortillas and salsa made fresh daily.
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Chi Cha
Cheap Bangladeshi curry house turning out a savoury subcontinent selection, including bargain thalis (traditional 'all-you-can-eat' meals).
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Chiang Mai Riverside
Easily overlooked along the ever glitzier riverfront strip, this place has delicious and inexpensive Thai food, including fish cakes, spicy laap (a Lao dish of chopped meat or fish with a ton of herbs and spices) and creative curries.
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Del Gusto
Following the same formula as the Boddhi Tree Umma with a similar Mediterranean/Asian menu, the Del Gusto is set in a creaky old villa that whiffs of the colony. The old French building is perfect for the classical and jazz music that fills its space, adding a relaxed groove to the laid-back ambience.
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Flying Elephant
Eclectic and fun, the Flying Elephant is what a restaurant might look like if a bunch of uni students turned their living room into a diner. The lounges are comfortable, the staff are energetic and free beer comes with every delicious pizza or burger ordered.
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Friends
The delightful Friends restaurant is run by the Mith Samlanh Friends NGO. Staffed by street youths training for the hospitality industry, it offers healthy international dishes and delicious fruit cocktails.
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Frizz Restaurant
Ignore the German-sounding name, as this place serves up wonderfully aromatic Khmer cuisine. It also operates cooking classes for those wanting to learn its secrets.
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Garden Centre Café
A tropical garden setting and an enormous selection of wholesome and healthy food. The homemade yogurt and muesli will get you started on the right foot and the freshly baked bagels are fabulously filling.
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Hang Neak
Swanky Khmer restaurants line NH6 on the east side of the Chruoy Changvar Bridge and offer a unique and authentic dining experience for less money than likely at first glance. Try Hang Neak or Heng Lay, which both host local Charlie Chaplin-esque comedians and karaoke stars.
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Happy Herb's Pizza
No, it doesn't mean extra toppings for free, it means pizza à la ganja. Ask for extra happy and they won't be able to wipe the smile off your face for a week. Nonhappy pizzas are also good.
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Heng Lay
Swanky Khmer restaurants line NH6 on the east side of the Chruoy Changvar Bridge and offer a unique and authentic dining experience for less money than likely at first glance. Try Hang Neak Heng Lay, which both host local Charlie Chaplin-esque comedians and karaoke stars.
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Irina Russian Restaurant
A jovial restaurant where the meals are washed down with vodka. The food is authentically Russian and so heavy, it will leave your jeans happily strained across a stuffed belly.
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Jars of Clay
Scones in Cambodia? Yes, and they aren't half-bad. Just one of the baker's delights to be found in this café near the Russian Market.
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Java Café & Gallery
Interesting art exhibitions, wi-fi access, a large airy terrace, and that's before we even get to the menu. Wholesome and filling sandwiches and wraps are the speciality.
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Kandal House
The menu at this tiny restaurant on the riverfront includes some delicious homemade pastas, salads and soups, plus a smattering of Asian favourites. Chilled Anchor draught is available in pints.
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Khmer Borane Restaurant
A charming restaurant that exudes a humble grace reminiscent of the French colonial days of elegant dining. Delicious and authentic Khmer food.
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Lazy Gecko Café
This little eatery serves international dishes. Throwing some weighty support behind the JCA (Jeannine's Children Association) Orphanage, it hosts a quiz and raffle night on Thursdays and loads guests and donated goods onto an orphanage-bound minibus on Saturdays, where they can enjoy dinner and a performance by the children.
