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We've compiled the best of the best in Cambodia - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Knai Bang Chatt Resort's Sailing Club restaurant has some of the freshest seafood you'll find on the coast and offers sailing lessons, kite surfing, paddle-boarding, jet-skiing, and more. Arrive in the late afternoon and linger until the evening, sipping cocktails, taking in the stunning sea views, and grooving to DJ beats on weekends.
The name translates as "food," and if you're after a Cambodian menu that appeals to the Western palate but is not without an adventurous element, this is an excellent choice. Try deep-fried frogs' legs coated with crispy rice flakes, or wok-fried local beef with tree red ants served with rice. If that's too much of a challenge, there's the duo amok soufflé of lemongrass and coconut paste with chicken and river fish, or the fun option of cooking fish or meat exactly to your liking on hot stones.
This top-notch open-air garden restaurant, out-of-the-way from the noisier part of the city, reflects the forward-thinking new generation of postdisaster Cambodia, represented here by the visionary young owner, Siv Pola. Everything is prepared with sensitivity, creativity, and great skill: try the Tonle Sap Fish, a carpaccio of snakehead fish fillet, marinated in fresh picked herbs, with a tempura poached egg.
This alfresco beachfront restaurant at the Sokha Beach Resort offers some of Sihanoukville's most breathtaking sea views. The menu focuses on seafood-driven tapas, such as croquetas, shrimp cocktails, salpicon, ceviche, and fish tacos. Book a beachside table and order some cocktails to savor the sunset before dinner.
If it's meat you're after, this restaurant, cafe, butcher shop, and deli—all rolled into one—is the place for you. The locally sourced animal products are all certified (a rarity in Cambodia) and the gourmet sausages and cold cuts are prepared, cured, and smoked on the premises.
You don't have to be a foreign correspondent to join the lively international crowd that gathers every day at this atmospheric French-colonial building. The beer is always cold, the cocktails icy, and you can grab a reliable burger or wood-fired pizza and enjoy the open river views if you're in need of a change from Khmer fare (having said that, the beef Lok Lak is one of the best in town).
There are three branches of Khéma in the city, but this one, with its French colonial stylings, heritage building, and location in the heart of the old French quarter, is the one to go to. Expect classic French and European cuisine served at all times of the day, but weekend brunch is popular with Cambodians and expats.
In tiny Kep, where you can quickly tire of the Crab Market options or your hotel restaurant, this beachfront spot is a refreshing alternative, serving local Samai-rum-based cocktails and wine in a romantic seaside setting. The artsy restaurant-lounge stands on a terrace in a pretty garden, where you can relax on loungers and enjoy the fresh sea breeze.
