A Guide to Restaurants and Cafes in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

For anyone traveling to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, you will not be in want of great places to eat and drink. Here is a list of my very favorite ones and my menu recommendations.

Bistro Lorenzo: One of the best restaurants in all of Phnom Penh. Filipino and International food, all of which is delicious. They have a huge menu will all sorts of delicious courses. My favorites so far have been the creamy mushroom and wine soup, the tomato and basil gazpacho, a chicken dish covered in a white creamy sauce, and the mango crepes with ice cream. They have a great cozy atmosphere and the prices are very good for the quality of food. Very friendly staff as well. 092 867 901, St.63

Boat Noodle #1: A small restaurant with yummy and cheap Khmer food. I recommend the spicy beef and basil salad, grilled chicken (on a big spit out front), and the green papaya salad. 012 200 426, on the street right past Lucky Market on Sihanouk Blvd.

Boddhi Tree: Western style food that isn't the best in the world, but makes up for it in the atmosphere of the place. Tranquil garden setting, mostly outdoor seating. They have some good pastas and sandwiches as well as lots of vegetarian options. Bring a book to spend a relaxing couple of hours. 016 865 445, opposite Toul Sleng Museum

Café Yejj: A cool café with awesome food and drinks, and they always have the air conditioning on full blast. I like to eat here after shopping at the Russian Market (Psar Toul Tum Pong). They have a very nice art gallery on one side, and a fair trade souvenir and clothing shop on the other. I absolutely love their Baja Burrito, which is grilled fish wrapped in a thin tortilla with tropical mango salsa. When you first walk in, it might not be obvious that there is a second floor with more seating, but upstairs is where the air conditioning is. 012 543 360 near the Russian Market.

Chez Dim: I've never been to the restaurant but always ordered for delivery. Great pizza and recently they've added a small selection of Indian, Tex Mex, Thai, and Panini's. A great choice if you skipped dinner and then regret it around midnight after everything's closed...they're open until 2 am for delivery and they seem to do really well with not getting lost. My favorite on their menu is the Margherita pizza. 012 700 468

Chi Cha Indian Restaurant: This place serves 100% Halal Indian food and is absolutely delicious. It's in an obscure little hole in the wall location and doesn't look like much from the outside. But the food is awesome and the prices are unbelievably low. Everything on their menu is good. 023 366 065, St. 110 near the Riverside.

Comme a la Maison: French food in a really beautiful outdoor garden atmosphere. Prices are a bit more expensive here but doesn't break the bank. I like them for breakfast and lunch, and enjoy the quiche with coffee. They also have nice pizza and a great bakery too. 012 951 869, in the area where all the "foreigner" restaurants are behind Independence monument

Deli Café: Awesome Asian food at some of the lowest prices I've found in Phnom Penh. If you can get past the cigarette smoke, you'll love this place. Nice décor and air conditioning. One of my all time favorites is their fried pork ribs with sweet and sour sauce, only $3. Also, the beef stew with bread is amazing. They have really good noodle soups and a nice chilled noodle dish with basil and crushed peanuts. The coffee and fruit shakes are great, too. You can't go wrong with this place. 012 963 366, St. 202 Sihanouk Blvd.

Dosa Corner: Excellent Indian food in one of the most fun parts of town. A tiny little place with extremely low prices. I love the Rava Masala Dosa, and the vegetable pakora is to die for. They serve all sorts of delicious dips and sauces with each order. 012 673 276, St. 51 near Independence Monument.

Elsewhere: This place is amazing...not only for the food which is excellent, but even more so for the atmosphere. It is in a lush garden setting, with a large and a small pool. There are a few tables set up so that when you sit, your feet dangle in the water. You can choose a normal table or lounge on the oversized cushions. All sorts of great, Western-style fare and a huge list of drinks that you can't find anywhere else in Phnom Penh. Free WiFi too...a modern paradise, one of my favorite places in the city. 023 211 348, corner of St. 51 and 254 (right next to the Boom Boom Room.)

Equinox: A trendy gallery and restaurant that is great fun for people-watching if you sit upstairs near the balcony. Lots of things to do around this street too. They serve a goat cheese salad that is to die for, and if you love crepes with Nutella and bananas then this is the place to be. They have a lot of artwork on display by local artists. Before or after you eat, be sure to visit the Boom Boom Room across the street for cheap music and cool clothes. 092 791 958, St. 278 near independence monument.

Frizz Café: This place is great for traditional Khmer food. Great atmosphere too. I love the traditional Khmer "Amok" dish, and if you want something fun, get the "Volcano." You get thin sliced meats and veggies to cook over a small coal BBQ. They also have an all day cooking class in English. 023 220 953, St. 240.

Hara's Café: A Cambodian run café with lots of French influence, it offers both Khmer food and some great European food. I recommend the sweet and sour stir fry, the omelet breakfast, and all of the crepes...they have both sweet and savory. They also have some great souvenirs for cheap, such as Kampot pepper or raw sugar cane sealed in a cute little box, easy to fit in a suitcase. The staff here is just a few Khmer girls that run the place, and are some of the nicest I've encountered. 092 941 218, St. 450 near Russian Market.

Jars of Clay: For those days when nothing but French toast with lots of syrup will do, Jars of Clay is the answer. They serve a heaping plate of thick French toast, layered with sautéed bananas, and drenched in maple syrup. In addition, they have all sorts of homey cakes, muffins, pies and other bakery delights. They have an excellent breakfast and lunch menu that is small but everything on it is great. A local favorite is the toasted baguette sandwich with Mediterranean veggies. They are only open breakfast and lunch. You can find a large assortment of used books on the second floor. 023 300 281, St. 155 near Russian Market

Java Café and Gallery: I can't say enough about this place. I never get tired of Java, no matter how much I come here. Their California Salad with apples, walnuts and Blue Cheese is my lifeline on bad days. I don't think there is anything on their menu that isn't great. A great place for breakfast, since you can sit outside and look over the park. They serve western food and have great coffee. In addition, you can find one of the best art galleries in all of Phnom Penh here. They are constantly changing their display, and really put an effort into making the gallery the main feature (even their menu has prints of previously displayed works throughout). Many internationally recognized artists have displayed work here, as well as accomplished local artists. Highly recommended! 023 987 420, Sihanouk Blvd. almost all the way down to where it ends near the riverside.

Khmer Thai Restaurant: This place is a nicely decorated, air-conditioned haven with excellent staff and delicious food. Huge, well organized menu and beautiful surroundings. The staff is extremely friendly and the waitresses dress in traditional Khmer outfits, which is a nice touch. You can choose to either sit at a regular table or lounge on cushions on the floor with a low table. My favorites here are all of the curry dishes, the fried kale with tofu (you have to ask for the tofu, the menu only lists meat with it), cashew chicken, and fried green beans with garlic. 011 211 448, near Olympic Stadium.

Le Duo: If you're after Italian food with great ambiance, come here! The owner is from Italy, and the food is unbeatable. Absolutely gorgeous restaurant with a replica of the Sistine chapel ceiling overhead. All of the food is fantastic, but some of my favorites are the pizza bread with herbs, Plate of cold meats and cheese, raviolis stuffed with spinach and pine nuts, the Caesar salad, the pizza, and all of the desserts. There are too many good pasta selections to name. They have a genuine wood fired oven for the breads and pizzas. 023 991 906, St. 322

New York Hotel: One of my absolute favorites. A Chinese restaurant that has great dinner and snacks. My friends and I like to go together, order a bunch of different things and share. We always get the steamed pork and spinach dumplings which are a little bit fried just on the bottom side, fried green beans and garlic, prawns, and the best of all: the spinach flatbreads (like a thin tortilla with chopped spinach, browned a little on both sides). 023 214 116, on Monivong Blvd.

The Shop: Some of the best health-conscious food on one of the most pleasant streets in Phnom Penh. I love the carrot pumpkin soup, the grilled beef and parmesan sandwich on chapatti bread, and the huge display case of yummy desserts. 023 986 964, St. 240

Tamarind: Another of my absolute favorites. This is a Mediterranean style restaurant with rooftop seating. Absolutely beautiful, romantic setting. I love the tomato and feta salad, the tapas sampler, the steak, the pasta, and the couscous served in a clay pot. The desserts are wonderful too. One of the best places in Phnom Penh for a date. 012 830 139, St. 240

The Bachelorette’s Guide to Eating in Phnom Penh

For those who try to avoid street food and don’t like noodles (and if for you, like me, cooking means standing over a hot gas range on the third story with no a/c while being eaten alive by mosquitos) you might not be very motivated to cook for yourself after a long day at work. Eating cheap in Phnom Penh becomes a challenge for those who avoid street food, don’t like noodles or fried rice, and are trying to watch their girlish figure.

Well, you have a reason to rejoice, thanks to the Door to Door restaurant guide of places that now deliver, with full menus! Delivery service is a relatively new concept here in Phnom Penh, but is catching on like wildfire thanks to people like me. Even though most places say they have a $5 minimum order, they don’t all mean it. Java Express bakery and Café is one of them, and I order from them all the time. The Shop, another of my faves, only has a $3 minimum. Be sure to keep a copy of D2D at your desk. It’s a lifesaver.

For breakfast, I either skip it and have big mug of black coffee just like I shouldn’t do, or on better days I have a yogurt (the little square ones from Vietnam at Lucky are my favorite, they are around 30 cents each), cereal with canned milk (buy a whole case of canned milk for around $5 and keep them in the fridge. Yes, it’s pretty gross but if it’s ice cold and over cereal it’s at least tolerable. Good for cooking, too.) Regular milk goes bad before I can drink it all, which equals tons of wasted money. I also love toast and peanut butter or bagels and cream cheese (bagels from TT bakery are best - 012 374 128 for delivery), cream cheese you can find at Bayon Market on Monivong Blvd. near Psa Thmei). I tried the all natural, healthy peanut butter made here in Cambodia and sold at most supermarkets, but it was gross so I just buy the unhealthy and expensive Skippy instead. Fried eggs and bacon are good on Saturday morning, you can get real bacon at Dan Meats (51a St. 204, 012 906 072) you can also get it at lucky but make sure you are getting the kind that is imported and actually tastes like bacon, not a thinly sliced pork chop. Eggs are actually cheaper at Lucky than the local market, believe it or not…at least last time I checked.

If you are wanting to go out, I love the breakfasts at Jars of Clay (Cinnamon rolls, French toast, muffins….mmmmmm), Sisters Café (Omelet), Java Café (bacon and eggs, pancakes, good coffee), and there are tons more good ones out there but because I’m not much of a breakfast person I couldn’t tell ya. Also, if worse comes to worst just take an extra 30 seconds to grab a mini French baguette on your way in the morning (every street side noodle shop sells them) and keep some butter and jam on hand at your office.

Lunch: More and more these days, I end up ordering something to be delivered and end up working at my desk, but if I do chance to go out, it is usually to Hagar Chegnan on St. 163, just after Wat Sampeou Meas, where there is a small buffet that only costs $1.25 for a ton of food. They also have fruit shakes for only 75 cents. I also sometimes go to the Sovanna Mall food court and order stir fried chicken with Thai basil and white rice (Mo-un gee cha) for about $1.50. I also love the Taro shake, only 75 cents. If it’s salad you’re wanting, hit up Java Café (my fave is the California salad with chicken), Equinox has an excellent goat cheese salad, and the Shop has all sorts of healthy salads.

For Dinner, I will either go home and have quick and easy bachelorette solutions such as scrambled eggs, cereal, leftover rice made into rice soup with chopped veggies, or a quick stir fry if I remembered to pull the meat out of the freezer the night before…or, more often than not I just go out to eat with friends since that is just about the only form of a social life I manage these days. You can find a list of my favorite restaurants here.

Some of my favorite random things to eat are: boiled pumpkin cut into wedges, sprinkled with sugar and just a little butter; steamed corn from the street vendors; BBQ chicken at Orrussy market; frozen yogurt from Snow Yogurt across from Sovanna Mall; kettle corn from street vendors; dried jackfruit chips; tamarind fruit; sticky rice with mango; fried string beans with garlic. When dieting, I pretty much stick to tofu/chicken and veggies. Boring, I know, but does the trick. Well, that about sums it up…I hope you found this list useful. Please post your own favorite things to eat in Phnom Penh, and if you know of a good restaurant, spread the word!

My favorite WiFi spots in Phnom Penh

Stick it to the man and DON’T go to Café Sentiment where you will pay 5x the price you should for gross, watery coffee and a crappy connection. Here is a list of my favorites these days, based on average connection speed, atmosphere, good coffee/food and price.

T&Coffee has a huge, brand new location near Norodom. Easiest way to get there from the SW part of town is to head up Sihanouk Blvd, turn left right after the sewage pond/entrance to Olympic Stadium, turn right at the roundabout, go straight past all the grassy dividers, cross over a few streets going straight until you come to a huge, shiny brand new T&Coffee on your left hand side.

Blue Note Café is a brand new little hole in the wall near Bantey Slek, so all of us living on this side of the rice field no longer have to go to Evil Sentiment Cafe if we’re after someplace close and convenient. The Owners are a couple from America, and the wife is Cambodian. Nice people to talk to. They have quite a zippy connection (mostly because the memo hasn’t hit the streets yet and you’ll likely be the only one using it). They serve up some good fried chicken, spaghetti, pizza, and some Asian food as well. They have a full bar too, if you’re into that sort of thing. Just head in the Sovanna Mall direction on St. 205, cross over Mao Tse Tung Blvd. and continue straight until you come to it on your left hand side.

Park Café has also just opened a great big new location near Sovanna Mall, a cause for rejoicing by all who live in my neighborhood. They are also open until 10 pm, but they’ll be shooing you out a few minutes earlier than that true to Cambodian style. Their connection is fast as long as there aren’t too many people making video Skype calls. I recommend their coffee float. Near the entrance to Sovanna Mall, on Rd. 271 (the big road that surrounds the city.)

Corner 33 is a swanky little place that is relatively new, set just a little ways back from the river side. I’ve never more than a few people there at a time, although I haven’t been much since it’s quite a drive for me. Good food and coffee, but a bit pricy. Really cool place. I can’t remember exactly how to get there…look at a map.

Obviously, there are lots near Russian Market and Riverside but since I’m not a tourist I don’t go there often. One that I do know and like on the riverside is Café Fresco, but they are kind of expensive. I work in SW Phnom Penh so most of the places I listed are near me. I encourage you to post your own list of favorite free wifi spots in Phnom Penh or Cambodia, it would be much appreciated! (especially in Toul Kork, since I might be going out there a lot pretty soon, and I have no idea where the good wifi spots are.)

Backpacking from Phnom Penh to Mondulkiri on a Budget

If you are a backpacker passing through Cambodia and seeking a bit of adventure, don't settle for Phnom Penh...get off the beaten path and visit the remote province of MondulKiri! This Province of Cambodia is in the extreme east, bordering Vietnam. Even though this is the largest province in Cambodia, it is the most sparsely populated. It is growing in popularity with Eco-Tourists because of its lush forests and beautiful waterfalls.

Most of Mondulkiri's population is made up of Hill Tribes and minority groups, who live off the land. It is much higher in elevation, so it is a wonderful escape from the heat even in the middle of the hottest season. The lush, rolling hills dotted with pine trees and covered in a hazy mist in the evening make for some breathtaking scenery. Mondulkiri remains one of the untouched places in Cambodia, and has only a small handful of tourists each year. This is the place to go if you want to see some of the "real" Cambodia.

Some activities in Mondulkiri that should not be missed include:

A trek on the back of an elephant to one of the local waterfalls. This can be booked at any of the local guesthouses.

A day trip to visit the local plantations, such as coffee, pepper, and rubber trees and also to visit some of the hill tribes and see some trees that are hundreds of years old.

Either hike or take a bus tour to the local waterfalls, including Bou Sra, the largest of them all.

Getting to Sen Monorom (capital of Mondulkiri) from Phnom Penh can be a daunting task, and is not for the faint of heart. There aren't any busses that make the journey due to the terrible road conditions. Instead, you must book a bus to the town of Snoul, and then transfer to a taxi who will take you to Sen Monorom. One of the cheapest places to book your bus tickets from Phnom Penh to Sen Monorom is Hour Lian and is one of the most frequently used by backpackers. You can find the ticket counter on the right side of Monireth, a ways down from the Olympic Stadium if you are coming from Sihanouk Blvd. It is a tiny little run down building with a spray painted sign, and is easy to miss if you're not watching carefully. You should be able to book the tickets to Snoul for around $6 a person, unless it's during Khmer New Year (mid-April) in which case they will be around $15.

Once the bus drops you off in Snoul, you need to get to the place where the taxis are. Be sure to get there by around 1 or 2, at which time they stop coming for taxi pickup. Take a motodope to the pick up point. Just say "Knyome Chawng Mee-un Taxi Toe MondulKiri" (I want a taxi to Mondulkiri). They should have you there within a few minutes. You will see a bunch of fruit stands on one side, and a huge green sign that says "Mondulkiri" across the street. Just wait around by the fruit stands and a taxi will come eventually. Beware: this place is a hotspot for scammers and thieves. A popular trick they use on every foreigner is for the fruit lady to call up her husband/brother/uncle as soon as a foreigner arrives. He rushes to the place with his vehicle, possibly a truck piled high with cargo. He and his buddies will tell you that this is the very last taxi of the day going to Mondulkiri, and you are very lucky to get a place with him. The fruit lady will adamantly verify this. He will then offer you the discount fare of $50 or more per person. Of course you will decline this offer or try to bargain, but by this time other fruit ladies have called their own contacts and more start to show up. They will all stick to the $50 and up price, and be very pushy. At this point, it is in your best interest to just walk away. The best place to go is just across the street and stand under the big green Mondulkiri sign with your luggage. As soon as a legit taxi arrives, you will know it because he stands apart from the "vultures" and when you ask the price, it should only be $6-$8 per person if the taxi is full. Usually it is an old Toyota Camry. If it's not full, you will have to pay for the whole taxi, about $40 one way.

Be prepared for the wildest ride of your life once you are on the road...the way to Mondulkiri is one of the worst roads in Cambodia, although vast road work is being done and hopefully will make travel easier before too long. You will travel through lush jungle, so keep your camera ready in case you see any wildlife along the way.

Once arriving in Sen Monorom, you have a few choices as far as guesthouses go (some of which can be booked beforehand online). Some of the best ones are Arun Reas II, Nature Lodge, Long Vibol, and Mahogany Guest House.
Arun Reas II is on the right hand side soon after you enter Sen Monorom. Each room is a separate "cabin" and this place has a great restaurant. It is located on very beautiful grounds with a great view, and is only $20 a night for a large room with two double beds. Nature Lodge is a few Kilometers out of town, tucked away in some of the best scenery you can ask for. This is one of the quirkiest places and a great choice for "Eco Tourists." It also has the best western style food in town. Long Vibol has been a long time favorite with backpackers visiting the area, and Mahogany is said to have some of the best food. All of their prices are extremely reasonable.

As for dining, you can either eat at the guesthouse or go down to the "strip" (which isn't very long) for a small selection of restaurants, some of which are very good. This area is located at the huge lion statue downtown. You can ask your guesthouse to arrange a motodope for you, if you aren't in walking distance. Prices are a little bit higher than in Phnom Penh. For lunch, you can also go down to the local market place and eat where the locals do. You can find fried noodles and rice here, as well as boiled fertilized duck eggs, platters of fried insects, and many other local foods. Some of the specialties of Mondulkiri are avocado, honey, cashews, coffee, and rice wine.

Mondulkiri is truly one of the most beautiful places in Cambodia, and worth the difficult trip to get there. This is a place where you can have a true taste of adventure and see some of the "unspoiled" side of Cambodia that is as of yet uncorrupted by too much tourism and development. Choose Mondulkiri for your next backpacking adventure for the experience of a lifetime.


See pics of my trip to Mondulkiri (April 2009): http://cid-80dc2118167cdbf3.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Mondulkiri%20pics

Royal Palace Hotel is Reopening!

I have some great news! Royal Palace Hotel, which was shut down for weeks, just re-opened today. I've heard two different stories on the reasons for closing their doors...first story, it was related to a huge drug bust. Second version says that there were seven jewelry store thieves who had set up their main operation in a few of the rooms. Either way, the place was surrounded by over a hundred police and was immediately ordered to close its doors. Now, for those of you who've been living in Cambodia anytime at all, you know exactly how this translates: Innocent owners of hotel who had no idea what was going on behind closed doors in their establishment, are now being leeched for every cent they're worth by the Cambodian government and can't open for business until they pay X amount of dollars to corrupt officials. The drug lords/thieves who were the real criminals will be back on the streets in a few days after they've paid the judge a cut of the profits.

Royal Palace Hotel is one of the VERY few hotels on that side of town that is really cheap, really nice, and not full of prostitutes...not to mention the place I go swimming every night for only $25 a month. The Church/NGO I work with books our guests into this hotel all the time and when they closed their doors, we were all in a panic. Practically the only other nearby option that doesn't involve hourly rates and staff with sticky fingers, is the Intercontinental Hotel which is hundreds of dollars a night. Hardly doable for teams of 20 on a tight budget.

I've been getting a lot of emails from those of you who visit Cambodia frequently and like to use this hotel, wondering if this is true or just a terrible rumor...I am glad tell you that Royal Palace Hotel is now back in business. Yay!

Royal Palace Hotel: 93 Monireth Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
023 884 823 royalpalace_hotel@yahoo.com

Hello from Cambodia! Tips and advice for travelling on a budget in Cambodia, written by a local expat.

Hello to all adventurers and backpackers interested in traveling through Cambodia! This blog is dedicated to the sole purpose of sharing tips, resources and experiences for those interested in passing on the "tourist scene" and getting a taste of the real Cambodia. Living as an expat in Phnom Penh, one soon realizes the value of shared experience and personal recommendations...after all, it can be hard to find the "street cart selling the best tasting fried crickets in all of Mondulkiri Province" on Google. The idea for this blog was born last April, when I was trying to plan a last minute backpacking trip from Phnom Penh to Mondulkiri on a whim and a very tight budget. I made tons of phone calls locally, but no one I knew had ever been there. So instead I spent hours and hours weeding through annoying travel agency tour ads on Google trying to get information and plan my adventure.
At other times, I have needed to book a guesthouse or hotel for a guest coming to town, and of course the ads aren't going to tell me that "exeptional value and friendly staff" actually translates as "hourly rates, lots of prostitutes." I thought to myself, how great it would be if someone living in Cambodia with first hand experience, would compile it all to share and make the world a better place! Well, the lightbulb came on and I thought that maybe if I get the ball rolling and share the bits and pieces I've got, others out there might be willing to contribute their own experiences as well.
I will post my own first hand accounts, links to my articles such as my favorite restaurants and other travel tips, and anything else that might be helpful to the cause. I also welcome anyone who has something to share that will help others discover the non-tourist side of Cambodia. Be sure to sign up to receive updates, as Cambodia is in constant development and information on things such as road conditions to certain remote areas might be outdated in a few months. Thanks for checking out my blog!