Hungry? Not sure what Khmer food is and where to try it? Craving for something more Western? Thinking about trying something totally new? We hope your answer is ‘YES’ to all of the above, because we’re here to share with you all the culinary treats Siem Reap has in store for you, no matter your dietary preferences and needs! P.S. We hope you’re not reading this food guide on an empty stomach, because here we go…
Khmer Cuisine
Fish Amok
It doesn’t matter where you are in Siem Reap - fish amok is something you’ll be able to find almost anywhere! ‘Amok’ in this case refers to the method of steam cooking a curry in banana leaves, with the resulting fragrance simply mouth-watering. Savour the curry made of kroeung, a Khmer spice-herb made of lemongrass, galangal (or Thai ginger), turmeric and more! If you’re near Tonle Sap, chances are your fish will be even fresher compared to inland restaurants. Instead of white rice, sticky rice is more often used in this dish. You can’t miss out on this Khmer essential!
Where to eat
Khmer Kitchen: Corner of 2 Thnou Street and Street 9, Old Market, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Spoons: # 0142, Pave Road, Wat Damnak Sangkat Salakamrouk Siem Reap, 17254, Cambodia
Lok Lak (Stir-fry beef)
Another Khmer essential, this dish may be familiar to you if you’ve been to other Asian cuisine restaurants around the world. Most often cooked using beef - though you can find chicken and shrimp variants - lok lak is one of the most widely recognised Cambodian dish. Slices of beef are marinated with soy sauce, garlic and oyster sauce before being stir-fried to perfection. The meat is then served on a bed of lettuce with some tomatoes and cucumber slices. It bears a close resemblance to black pepper beef, though unlike it lok lak is usually served with some lime to add some zest.
Where to eat
Genevieve’s Restaurant: Bamboo street, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia
Khmer Grill: Watdamnak Road, Wat Damnak Village Sangkat Salakamrouk Siem Reap Town, 17254, Cambodia
Kuy Teav
Kuy teav is ideal for anyone craving a good ol’ noodle soup dish. It’s most often served with beef or pork, though it is not rare to find stalls that also serve it with some seafood. Kuy teav is most commonly enjoyed by locals for their breakfasts, so if you’re up early enough you should be able to locate many street stalls serving a nice hot bowl of these noodles. Enjoy these noodles like the locals do - this entails getting some youtiao (fried dough sticks) and dipping it into the kuy teav soup.
Where to eat
Old Market: Psar Chaa Road, Siem Reap 17252, Cambodia
Chep Por: 7 Makara St, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia
Bobor (Congee)
Hung over from your late night at Pub Street? There’s no better cure for that than a warm bowl of congee! Another Khmer breakfast essential, bobor can be found almost anywhere in the mornings, and like many other Asian countries that count congee among their cuisines, this dish is best enjoyed with youtiao. You can choose either chicken, fish or beef bobor, with the option to add other ingredients like chicken liver and gizzards along with it. With every bowl averaging around US$1.50, this dish isn’t just tasty but wallet-friendly as well. Rise and shine, and a bowl of bobor, anyone?
Where to eat
Baktouk Food House: Street Central Market St, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia
*Most street food stalls and cafes sell this dish, so finding one isn’t hard!
Lap Khmer (Beef salad)
Minced or thinly sliced beef is marinated with lime juice and prahok (a fish/shrimp paste) and served with bean sprouts, green beans, garlic and shallot. Cambodians appreciate their beef greatly, and this dish is one that’s a ubiquitous appetiser for all occasions. It’s also healthy, nutritious and flavourful enough on its own, so you don’t have to add anything else to this to get the most out of it save for some chilis, if you want your salad to be spicier. While the authentic Khmer version is served with raw beef, you can ask for grilled beef too if raw food does not suit you. Again, most restaurants and stalls will serve this dish, so you won’t have problems satisfying this craving!
Where to eat
Genevieve’s Restaurant: Bamboo street, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia
Khmer Taste Restaurant: Sok San Rd, Krong Siem Reap 17252, Cambodia
Somlar Kari Saek Mouan (Khmer red curry)
Among all the curries in the world, Khmer red curry is one of the underrated ones. However, it is just as distinct and jam-packed with flavour like most other curries. Unlike its Thai counterpart, Khmer red curry does not have an overwhelming coconut flavour to it, and is also not as spicy. Its flavour comes from kroeung, the Cambodian spicy curry paste that tastes different from other regional curry pastes because of the addition of fresh turmeric. Chicken is most often the choice of meat to go with the curry, and it is boiled till tender. Every mouthful of this curry is bound to tantalise your tastebuds.
Where to eat
The Red and Green Curry Angkor Restaurant: Street Sok San Rd, Khet Siem Reap 17252, Cambodia
Malis Restaurant: Pokambor Highway Mondul 1 Village សង្កាត់ស្វាយដង្គំ ខេត្តសៀមរាប, 17252, Cambodia
Fusion Food
As part of the former French Indochina, Siem Reap is also home to many restaurants that display this historical and cultural diversity through their food. Restaurants specialising in fusion food abound in the capital, and we have here two of the best - Cuisine Wat Damnak and Georges Rhumerie - French Restaurant Siem Reap.
Cuisine Wat Damnak
Cuisine Wat Damnak is a restaurant specialising in modern Cambodian fare and fusion food, and has proudly earned the title of Cambodia’s best restaurant. It was first opened by French chef Joannès Rivière, who studied cooking in France. When he visited Cambodia about 17 years ago to serve as a volunteer culinary instructor at an NGO, he became enamoured by the many flavours of Khmer cuisine. It led him to open his restaurant in 2011, and the rest is history.
They have two tasting menus that change every fortnight in accordance to whatever fresh produce is in season so visitors will continually get to experience the creativity and skill of the chefs. Some dishes that have been served include a black sticky rice crème brulée, which clearly integrates both Cambodian and French desserts. This delightful fusion of cuisines is evident in its other dishes. While you’re there, end your meal with one of their signature cocktails, or local brews from Siem Reap brewpub. We won’t delve too much into the specifics, since the menu is always changing - you’ll just have to head down and taste them for yourselves!
Cuisine Wat Damnak
Opens Tuesday - Saturday from 6.30pm - 11pm (last order at 9.30pm)
Street 7 Makara, Wat Damnak Village Krong Siem Reap Siem Reap City, 93108, Cambodia
Georges Rhumerie Restaurant Siem Reap
Georges Rhumerie is another restaurant famous for its French fusion food. Interesting dishes like Poulet Coco (chicken leg with coconut and tomato sauce) and Crevette Curcuma (prawns in tomato and turmeric sauce) all reveal a hybrid blend of both French and Khmer ingredients that will leave you both satisfied and curious. Homemade coconut-pineapple samosas and mango & sweet potato cake are also two desserts reflecting the elements of these two cuisines. Perhaps what might entice you to visit even more is their signature cocktails made of rum that’s distilled in-house. Kaffir lime rum, coconut rum, mango rum, and tamarind rum are just some of the zesty and tropical rum flavours they have as their cocktail bases. Head down for this unforgettable dining experience!
Georges Rhumerie Restaurant
Opens from Monday to Saturday, 12pm - 11pm (last order at 9.30pm)
Georges' Ln, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia
Happy pizzas
Utter these magic words to your tuk-tuk driver, and he’ll surely take you to an outlet that serves this local speciality. It’s not hard to find in town, but you’ll usually have to request for it as it’s sometimes not printed in the menu. Nonetheless, order one for yourself - a happy pizza usually comes topped with a special green weed that makes you feel, well, happy. Pub Street and Hospital Street are two places where you can find more than your fair share of happy pizza so chomp away. Prepare some high hopes, but just don’t eat too much!
Where to eat
Ecstatic Pizza: 072 Street 2 Thnou, Mondul 1 Svay Dangkum, Siem Reap Cambodia
Happy Siem Reap Pizza: Ta Phul street Steung Thmey village, 17252, Cambodia
No matter what you’re craving - authentic Khmer food, western food, pizza and more - Siem Reap will have it so don’t hold back and fill up your stomachs with all this delicious fare now!
