Restaurants in Cambodia
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A
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.
reviewed
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King's Court Restaurant
International food.
reviewed
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B
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.
reviewed
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C
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.
reviewed
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Riel
This unpretentious bar, restaurant and bakery, owned by a Dutch former sound engineer and his Khmer wife, occupies a hangar-like space outfitted with wicker chairs and a couple of hammocks. Specialities include pastries, cakes, German beer bread and home-made ice cream confected without eggs (to avoid salmonella). Prices are quoted only in riels - thus the name. The website has an activities calendar.
reviewed
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Boeng Tonlé Meas
The advent of the bridge over the Mekong has brought a whole rash of restaurants on stilts to the other side of the river. Many are mini versions of those huge restaurants across the Chruoy Changvar Bridge in Phnom Penh. Some have live bands, others go for karaoke and all have a good range of Khmer favourites. Try the Boeng Tonlé Meas, regarded by many locals as the best of the bunch.
reviewed
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D
Malis
The leading Khmer restaurant in the capital, Malis is a chic place to see and be seen. The garden is the most atmospheric, but air-conditioned dining is available in the maze-like building. The original menu includes beef in bamboo strips, sand goby with ginger and traditional soups and salads. Popular for a boutique breakfast, as the menu is a good deal at US$1.50 to US$3.
reviewed
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Mahogany Guesthouse
This small guesthouse in the middle of town has eight rooms, all with hot water, and they are steadily being upgraded. Better still is the excellent restaurant, serving some of the best pizzas and pastas in the province, plus an unexpected range of authentic Indian and Nepalese food. It's also a fine spot for international breakfasts, including quality coffees.
reviewed
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E
Java Café
One of the most popular cafe-restaurants in the city, thanks to a breezy balcony and air-conditioned interior. The creative menu includes crisp salads, homemade sandwiches, towering burgers and daily specials, plus health drinks, fruit shakes and coffee from several continents. It has recently expanded downstairs with some comfy couches and more great cakes.
reviewed
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F
L’Escale des Arts & des Sens
Created to celebrate the senses, this striking villa promotes renowned French chef Didier Corlou’s new Asian cuisine. The sumptuous tapas platters are a must and include a selection of teasing tasters, all washed down with a dash of rice wine. Mains include beef cooked seven ways, inspired by a royal recipe for tiger meat (thankfully not on the menu).
reviewed
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G
Shop
If you are craving the local deli back home, then make for this haven, which has a changing selection of sandwich and salad specials. The pastries and cakes are delectable and worth the indulgence. Almost next door and under the same management is the Chocolate Shop (35 St 240), a highly dangerous spot for recovering chocoholics open from 8am to 8pm.
reviewed
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H
Community Villa
Run by a Cambodian NGO that gives job skills to at-risk young people, this place, just off St 2, serves Khmer dishes, including ginger fish; Western meals, including salads; and the best pancakes and tukalok drinks in town. Most Cambodian restaurants have geckos that eat insects; this one has fearless frogs, so watch where you step at night.
reviewed
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Rikitikitavi
Named after the mongoose in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, this stylish terrace restaurant affords unsurpassed river views and is known for its generous portions. Specialities include Kampot pepper chicken, imported beefsteak, sandwiches, burgers, burritos, salads, apple pie and plenty of veggie options. Serves wine by the glass.
reviewed
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I
Sugar Palm
This beautiful wooden house captures the spirit of Cambodia to perfection. With high ceilings, gentle breezes, polished beng (wood) floors and traditional decoration, the Sugar Palm is a place to sample traditional tastes infused with herbs and spices, including char kreung (spice paste) dishes with lemongrass and chilli.
reviewed
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Kuy Teay Chhnang
Likely to fulfil the promise implied in its name, which means bon appétit, this spotless eatery specialises in Chinese soups, which are lip-smackingly tasty early in the morning. It also has lots of rice-based Khmer dishes. There's no English sign; look for neatly parked motorbikes out front and a fake brick façade.
reviewed
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Mlop Sbau Trachak Chit
Offering better value than some of the places in town, this restaurant - outdoors under a thatch roof - and its delicious Khmer dishes are hugely popular with locals, especially in the evening. Neither the menu nor the sign are in English; from St 10 walk through a gate with an Anchor beer sign over it and follow the wooden walkway.
reviewed
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J
Soup Dragon
Start with classic Asian breakfasts on the ground floor, just the recipe before tackling the temples. Later in the day, venture upstairs to the smarter restaurant with a global menu. The rooftop bar donates a percentage of profits to the Angkor Children’s Hospital, so drinking here is helping someone’s liver, if not your own.
reviewed
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K
Starfish Bakery & Café
Tucked down a red-earth alley, this attractive, NGO-run garden café serves filling Western breakfasts, light lunches (sandwiches, quiche, tortillas, salads) and teatime treats such as brownies and apple tarts. Veggie options are legion. Income goes to help poor Cambodians get medical care, housing and micro-loans.
reviewed
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L
El Mundo
A mellow riverfront establishment, which grinds up great coffee. The menu includes a range of global food and pastries, plus there’s an upstairs lounge for movies. Newly opened next door is Chill, the capital’s first dedicated ice-cream lounge, with original homemade flavours. It is open from 8am until midnight.
reviewed
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M
Slek Chak
Owned by the legendary Preap Sovath, pretty much the Robbie Williams of Cambodia, this place doesn’t look much from the street, but venture inside for a dining experience that includes a zesty frogs legs and quails eggs in a sugar palm and black pepper clay pot or a fish egg soup. The lunch buffet is just US$3.
reviewed
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N
Chivit Thai
Get down with Thai cuisine on the inviting floor cushions here, or choose table dining if the back is refusing to bend. The most alluring of the Thai restaurants in town, it is set in a beautiful wooden villa. All the classics are here, including a delicious laab (spicy Thai salad with fish or meat).
reviewed
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O
Le Tigre de Papier
Le Tigre has a split personality, facing onto both busy Bar St and the more sedate Alley. By day it’s all about food, which includes professional pizzas, homemade pasta, a nod to mainland Europe and some local specialities. By night there’s a big screen and the 24-hour kitchen quells the midnight munchies.
reviewed
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P
Metro
Metro is one of the leading spots on the riverfront strip thanks to a striking design and an adventurous menu. Small plates are for sampling and include rare-pepper tuna and tequila black-pepper prawns, while large plates include twice-cooked duck with lychee. It also pulls a well-heeled Khmer crowd.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Angkor Café
After slogging around the world’s largest religious building, there’s no better place to retreat than this café and gallery. The Blue Pumpkin looks after the menu, which includes homemade ice cream, fruit shakes, iced coffees and pastries, while Artisans d’Angkor take care of the handicrafts.
reviewed