Although a small province, it doesn't stop Siem Reap from offering visitors amazing food, night life, and entertainment that is comparable to what cities can offer; welcome to Pub Street, Siem Reap's destination for good food, shopping, party, and great times! Our last day at Siem Reap will be all about food!
PUB STREET
Pub street is Siem Reap's entertainment and food capital and in here, you can taste the best of Siem Reap from Cambodian cuisine, booze, and to something as exotic as fried critters and Crocodile burgers!
Aside from food, you will also find beauty and wellness stops and stores in the metro such as massage parlors and fish spas.
Booze is a little costly in Siem Reap because it one of the main commodities at Pub Street; if you're on a tight budget, you can still have a drink, or two, or three without spending a lot at one of the mobile bars along Pub Street; they come out late at night!
TIP: Restaurants and pubs at Siem Reap close at 2am, the latest.
It's pretty much like Vietnamese Pho noodle soup, but it works in satisfying a grumbling tummy. This bowl is around 2.80USD only!
Around Saturday night, I chanced upon these Ice Cream rolls sold by the street; this is is Ice Cream made from scratch!
Takoyaki- like balls made from coco milk; such a filling treat!
If you have a lot or minimal budget for food and booze, there's always an option for you at Pub Street so make it a part of your itinerary.
TIP: Are you an exotic eater? I dare you to try Cambodia's exotic street food namelys sauteed scorpion, flies, bugs, grasshoppers, and spider. I wasn't able to take a photo of these because the vendors have a "Picture = 0.50 USD" policy and I also didn't buy because I was petrified by them! :D
BEST RESTAURANTS IN SIEM REAP
SISTER SREY
Sister Srey is owned by two Melbourne- born sisters who fell in love with and eventually moved to Siem Reap; they set up Sister Srey (Srey means "sister" in Cambodian) as a socially and environmentally- responsible food enterprise. I really made a point to visit this restaurant because I wanted to support their advocacy and that is employment of Cambodians from underserved communities to help fight poverty and organization of clean ups around the city to help preserve the beauty of Siem Reap.
East meets West at Sister Srey; have a refreshing salad with rolled sticky nuts with coconut shavings on the side or a beef burger. Order one of their coolers to beat the Cambodian heat (my personal favorite is Watermelon and Pineapple). End your meal with their refreshing Lime cheesecake and coffee. Sister Srey is totally committed to the environment and that is very evident in their usage of Bamboo straws! Also, the owners aka the sisters are hands on with the restaurant, thus the quality of their food is maintained.
If you want a break from all that Cambodian food, head to Sister Srey for good ol' Aussie and American grub.
Sister Srey is located at Pokambor Ave., Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia.
BLUE PUMPKIN
Hailed by many as Siem Reap's best gelato, Blue Pumpkin is a quaint pastry and ice cream shop located in and around Pub Street; there's one branch outside Pub Street and one in one of the alleys lying on the side of the main Pub Street area.
Their most popular flavors are Mango and Cinnamon Speculoos, which instantly became my favorite!
Blue Pumpkin is located at Sivatha Road Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia
THE GLASSHOUSE DELI
This restaurant is Hyatt Hotel's mini cafe that serves sandwiches, bar snacks, gelato, and pastries. I also think that they have amazing Gelatos like Blue Pumpkin! Don't forget to try their yummy macaron sandwich!
The Glasshouse Deli is located at Sivatha Road, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia.
IL FORNO
Here's another restaurant that's run by its owners, just like Sister Srey: Il Forno. This quaint Italian restaurant is located in one of the alleys at Pub Street and serves delicious, home style Italian food; must eat is Chicken Scallopine
Il Forno is located at Pari's Alley, 16 The-Lane Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia.
SOKKHAK RIVER RESTAURANT
Sokkhak River is a restaurant recommended by a friend when we were looking for an option outside Pub Street. Turned out it was a delicious suggestion!
Sokkhak River restaurant is located at Pokambor Ave., Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Sokkhak is a fine dining restaurant that costs a pretty penny, but 'tis so good that you won't mind if you're in for a gastronomic treat in Siem Reap. Must try are Khmer Jungle Soup, Beef Skewers with fried greens, and for my boyfriend, fried frog legs in sauce. Sokkhak also has a French menu and our favorite is the Mango Millefeuille!
Those are the must- try restaurants at Siem Reap!
TIP: Another popular restaurant in Cambodia is Cuisine Wat Damnak, a multi- awarded fine dining restaurant; wasn't able to get a seat as the place was booked when we visited; be sure to reserve a slot before your trip should you want to sample this restaurant.
Time to go home! Here's Siem Reap International Airport. Here's a trivia; there were no direct flights to Siem Reap before and one has to land at Phnom Penh and undertake a 5- hour ride by land to Siem Reap, but the huge tourism potential of the province prompted the government and some donors to open an airport in it.
Ok Kun (Goodbye), Siem Reap!
Sharing with you the cost of our Siem Reap tours including the major transportation expenses. Please note that this may vary depending on the current exchange rate.
Check out my other Siem Reap, Cambodia diaries:
9 Comments
I'm not an exotic food lover. Maybe, given a chance to visit Siem Reap, I gonna try to eat at Sister Srey, Blue Pumpkin and Il Forno. Thanks for this travel blog Ms. Martha. Will wait for your Japan tour.
ReplyDeleteIt's been wonderful hearing about your Cambodia experience! :) I honestly felt like I was experiencing the journey myself while reading your blog posts! I cringed at the thought of eating crocodile burgers and sauteed scorpions though. I think I'd stick with the desserts and snacks. =))) Were the ice cream rolls good? These kind of ice creams are very popular across Asian countries, but I like my ice cream smooth and creamy, and looking at how they make it doesn't make me think it's gonna end up like that. I feel like it would have more of a sorbet kind of texture. However, I do really like how much you can personalize these kinds of desserts! :) Gaaah, it was literally food porn scrolling through your pictures! Thank you for sharing these insights with us :)
ReplyDeleteLOLing at the pun for Angkor What? Haha! Was suppose to go to Cambodia with fiance this year but we opted for Vietnam muna and can't do sidetrips 'cos of work so can't extend. Sad lang. This post made me NEED TO CONVINCE FIANCE TO PLAN OUR CAMBODIA TRIP SOON! xD
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Gelleesh.com
All looks good and delicious. But exotic foods? Oh my that's something extraordinary like the crocodile one? But let's just come to think of it we do have exotic foods here in our country like frog and insects so why not crocodile as well and charge it to experience. You'll never know how delicious or how good something is without trying. Although you shared your experience to us and made us all feel that we're experiencing them as well through your blog, experiencing it yourself is something different but thanks for sharing this one especially the restaurant with advocacy. We are engaging in such as well here in our company by buying a coffee from Hineleban to help our idigenous people in Bukidnon and with every coffee bag purchased, Hinelaban will plant a tree. Hope you can post more of this kind of article to influence your readers for a sustainable livelihood. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteI love everything specially I'm excited for this food post of yours ;)
ReplyDeleteis the weather in Cambodia same here in Philippines?
ReplyDeleteah.. craving for some noodle soup! perfect for this gloomy weather. coolers from Sister Srey and Ice cream from blue pumpkin looks delish! Sokkhak River Restaurant seems perfect for dinner date <3
If I will travel to Camboodia, I will try the Crocodile burger. yay!!!
Wow such a gastronomic post! 👅
ReplyDeleteI wish I could also travel to Cambodia, ganda pala dun and thank you for the detailed itinerary with prize indication pa :) appreciate it much at least when I go travel I can check this post for references!
ReplyDeleteThanks for postingyour Cambodia Adventure Ms.Martha.I enjoyed reading this one.I'm not a.fan of exotic food or dishes but I really love food so looking at the photos makes me hungry.
ReplyDeleteHope that i can also visit Cambodia soon.
:)
Let me know what you think of this post! :)