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Khmer food is the best reason to eat out in Phnom Penh, and it is easy to miss between the pizza and the sushi. Here are 8 dishes to know, with their names in Khmer, and where to eat them, from a plastic stool at the market to a white-tablecloth dinner.
Fish steamed with coconut milk and kroeung, the lemongrass and turmeric paste behind most Khmer cooking, often served in a banana-leaf cup. It is usually called Cambodia's national dish.
Cubes of stir-fried beef on lettuce and tomato, with a dip of lime juice, salt and Kampot pepper. Often served with rice and a fried egg.
Fresh rice noodles under a light green fish curry, topped with raw herbs, banana flower and cucumber. A breakfast favourite, sold by street vendors in the morning.
Rice noodle soup in a clear pork broth, with your choice of meat or seafood, plus lime, chili and herbs to add yourself. The classic breakfast at markets and noodle shops.
Thin slices of marinated pork grilled over charcoal, on broken rice with pickled vegetables and a small bowl of broth. Follow the smoke on street corners in the morning.
The "stirred soup": a thick green soup full of vegetables, kroeung, prahok and toasted ground rice. One of the most traditional Khmer dishes.
A dip of prahok (fermented fish paste) cooked with minced pork and coconut milk, eaten with raw, crunchy vegetables. The real test of how local you are.
Cambodia's baguette sandwich, with pâté, cold cuts or grilled meat, pickles and chili sauce. Cheap, fast and everywhere.
From cheapest to fanciest. $ = market or street prices, $$ = casual restaurant, $$$ = special night out.
For the real local breakfast, go early. The food stalls inside the Russian Market and the Central Market serve kuy teav, nom banh chok and rice dishes from early morning. Point at what your neighbour is eating, it works.
A relaxed, leafy place to try the classics in one sitting: Khmer recipes with a modern touch, local ingredients and good vegetarian options. Easy for a first Khmer meal.
Loud, local and fun: a Khmer barbecue spot for grilled meat and a cold beer. Go in the evening, with friends.
A bright Khmer café near Wat Phnom with its own 15-seat cinema. The menu mixes Khmer classics with playful takes on them.
Up the stairs above Pharmacie de la Gare, near the railway station: a wooden dining room with fish traps hanging from the ceiling, and Cambodian countryside dishes given a modern twist.
Home-style Khmer cooking in an old house, which started from its founder's own home cooking. Fresh herbs, market vegetables and several kinds of rice, with art exhibitions on the walls.
A colourful training restaurant run by the NGO Friends International, where young people learn hospitality jobs while you eat. A good stop after the National Museum and the Royal Palace.
Modern Khmer cooking on the riverside by the twin chefs Kimsan Pol and Kimsan Sok and their all-female team. Traditional flavours like samlor korko and amok, plated for a special night out.
Opened in 2004 by chef Luu Meng, Malis was Phnom Penh's first Cambodian fine-dining restaurant. Recipes collected across the country, cooked with care. It also serves breakfast.
A few words go a long way, and people will love that you tried.
| ឆ្ងាញ់! | chnganh! | Delicious! |
| មួយនេះ | muoy nih | This one |
| កុំដាក់ម្ទេស | kom dak mteh | No chili, please |
| សុំគិតលុយ | som kit luy | The bill, please |
| អរគុណ | arkun | Thank you |
Fish amok (អាម៉ុកត្រី) is usually called Cambodia's national dish: fish steamed with coconut milk and kroeung, a lemongrass and turmeric paste. In Phnom Penh you find it everywhere, from casual places like Eleven One Kitchen to Malis.
Kuy teav (rice noodle soup), nom banh chok (rice noodles with a green fish curry) and bai sach chrouk (grilled pork on rice). Go early to a market like the Russian Market or the Central Market, or to a street stall.
Not usually. Khmer cooking balances sour, salty, sweet and bitter, and chili is often served on the side so everyone adds their own.
Malis on Norodom Boulevard, open since 2004, and Sombok on the riverside, run by the twin chefs Kimsan Pol and Kimsan Sok. Both cook modern Khmer food for a special night out.
Market stalls and street vendors are the cheapest and often the most local. For a sit-down meal, Eleven One Kitchen (BKK1 and near the Russian Market) and Sovanna BBQ on Street 21 are relaxed and affordable.
Prahok is a fermented fish paste and one of the base ingredients of Khmer cooking. It gives depth to soups like samlor korko and to dips like prahok ktiss.
Checked in October 2026 from the restaurants' own pages and public listings. Opening hours and menus change, so check before you go. KAPPY Partners are marked; the other places are simply ones we recommend.
KAPPY launches in Phnom Penh in November 2026. Join the list and we'll tell you the day it's live.