We were not sure about Cambodian food, so like in Phnom Penh, we had a lot of Western and Thai food. We even had Belgian beers on Pub Street! Although they’re quite expensive, it was worth it to have a taste from home. You should really have a drink on Pub Street when you’re in Siem Reap. The street is filled with pubs (duhuh) hosting artists playing live music, although not all of them good singers. However, this blogpost is about where to eat in Siem Reap, not drink.
Our first dinner in Siem Reap was at Lilypop Restaurant, where we more or less passed on our way back after enjoying the sunset at Angkor Wat. We parked our e-bikes and sat down in the quite uncomfortable chairs inside the restaurant. It was a shame the little terrace in front of the restaurant was full. I chose the Thai chicken cashew nut ($3) and Brecht the Khmer (we did try a Cambodian dish) Amok chicken ($3). Both dishes were quite good. We couldn’t have wished for a nicer start of our stay at Siem Reap: a beautiful sunset and a nice meal.
Breakfast was not included in our stay in Siem Reap Holiday Garden, so we had breakfast quite a few times at Bored Stoeng Thmey, right around the corner. They serve breakfast for $1 and a large bottle of water only costs $0.5, which is strangely enough cheaper than most shops. We had the same dishes every time we ate here: me an omelet and Brecht fried eggs, both served with baguette and butter.
On our first day in Angkor, we ate at a restaurant near Srah Srang, which is also a free charging point for the e-bikes we rented. For dinner we went to Tell Steakhouse, because Brecht found out they have cheese fondue ($22 for two). At home, we always eat cheese fondue in ‘t Fonduehuisje in Leuven for my birthday (which passed a few days earlier). I was so happy we could keep the tradition alive on our trip around the world! Too bad it was without my friends who join me every year… Admittedly, the cheese fondue was not as good as back home, but it was still great. I had a permanent smile on my face for the rest of the evening.
Sister Srey Cafe is a cute little cafe near the water. Actually it’s more than a cafe, it’s a social enterprise, supporting students and helping less fortunate people. To quote their website, it’s “a cafe with a heart, a cafe with the desire to see change and with the ability to do so”. The staff was friendly and the menu looked promising. I had the toasted pumpkin pide ($4.25), Brecht the bowl of goodness ($4.50). Brecht’s dish was OK (but had coriander in it), mine tasted a bit bland. We said we would return for the passion cheesecake, but unfortunately we didn’t.
On our way to Tell Steakhouse, we passed Flying Zebra, a cute little pizza place. We agreed we would eat there the next day. We ordered a large pizza for two ($9.50), one half vegetarian and the other half mushrooms and ham. They have all kinds of games to play while waiting for your pizza, which was delicious by the way. I had forgotten how much fun “four in a row” can be!
On our day off from Angkor, we went to Franginpani Villa for a day by the pool (as you may have read in our Angkor Wat Itinerary). You can swim in the hotel’s pool if you eat at their restaurant. So that’s what we did! I had a good spaghetti bolognese ($6.05) and Brecht a nice pumpkin soup ($4.95). The food was good and we really enjoyed our day at the pool!
We read about the popular Genevieve's Restaurant online. As it was really close by, we felt like we had to try it out. The owner regretted to tell us the restaurant was fully booked for the moment, but he looked at his notebook and told us he could squeeze us in about half an hour later. We had a drink in a cafe next door, while getting excited for dinner. If the place is that fully booked, it must be good! Brecht had beef lok lak ($6.50) (yep, another Khmer dish) and I had fried yellow noodles with chicken ($3.50). It was not bad, but not great either. Not sure what all the fuss was about. I didn’t even have a good time as I was being tormented by insects while trying to eat dinner. Nevertheless, we were glad to contribute to providing financial support to local organisations wanting change for the better, as the restaurants shares their profit with one of them every month.
Our last dinner was at Burger Gourmand, a French burger restaurant. I had the raclette beef burger, Brecht the bacon beef burger (both $6.75). Brecht thought the burger was delicious, I liked the fries better. You should really try their homemade lemonade!
If you’re ever in Siem Reap we think you should definitely have a delicious pizza at Flying Zebra and a great Thai or Khmer dish at Lillypop Restaurant. Enjoy!