Eat & Drink

Siem Reap’s food scene blends characterful cafés, social enterprise coffee spots and Khmer restaurants, from casual local favourites to refined dining rooted in Cambodian flavours.

Siem Reap may be compact, but it punches above its weight when it comes to eating and drinking. Around the river and central old town — especially near Pub Street — you’ll find everything from easygoing cafés and traveller-friendly lunch spots to refined Khmer dining rooms.

For coffee and casual eats, Siem Reap has a handful of cafés that pair good food with a sense of purpose. Common Grounds is a relaxed, welcoming space that also provides vocational training for Cambodians entering the food and beverage industry, with profits supporting humanitarian relief projects. Little Red Fox brings a touch of Australian café culture to Siem Reap, with good coffee, fresh brunch plates and a socially minded spirit.

For a proper sit-down meal, make time for Khmer cuisine. Sambo is a casual, well-loved all-rounder known for warm Cambodian hospitality and reliably good local dishes. For something more refined, Chanrey Tree is a long-standing favourite, serving elegant Khmer food in a beautiful riverside setting.

Khmer Cuisine 101

Khmer cuisine shares many familiar flavours with Thai and Vietnamese food, but with a gentler, more understated character of its own. Where Thai cooking often leans fiery, sweet and intensely sour, Cambodian food tends to be earthier and more balanced, built around fragrant herbs, freshwater fish, coconut, pepper, fermented flavours and comforting broths. Shaped by the Tonlé Sap lake and centuries of Indian, Chinese and French influence, Cambodia’s cuisine ranges from smoky grilled meats and noodle soups to rich curries like fish amok, the country’s famous steamed coconut curry. It may feel subtler than Thailand’s globally famous food scene, but that softer, slower style is exactly what many travellers end up falling in love with.

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