Khmer food is far more refined than most people expect, but it has long been overshadowed by its neighbours' reputations. What makes Khmer flavour distinctive is its base of kroeung — a fresh, finely pounded spice paste. It isn't as fiery as Thai food, but it carries a deep, complex fragrance all its own. When you're in Phnom Penh, don't just eat Thai food at your hotel — the local restaurants hide plenty of good eating.
#1 Amok
Widely hailed as Cambodia's national dish, amok is made from freshwater fish or prawns marinated in kroeung (a fresh-pounded Khmer curry paste of lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf and turmeric) blended with thick coconut milk, then steamed in a banana-leaf cup until the flesh sets firm and the sauce thickens. The flavour is gently coconut-fragrant, a touch sweet and lightly spiced, the meat soft and fully soaked in the herbs. Eaten with white jasmine rice, it's the clearest expression of Khmer cooking's identity.
- Order the traditional fish amok first, before trying the chicken or prawn versions, so you taste the real original.
- Be wary of tourist spots that make amok far too mild — find a place where Cambodians actually eat for a richer flavour.
- Good amok should be thick and dry enough that it holds together on the spoon — if it's runny and watery, it hasn't been done right.
#2 Kuy teav
Phnom Penh's most popular breakfast, with roots in Cambodia's Chinese community. Thin rice noodles sit in a pork- or beef-bone broth simmered overnight — clear yet deeply rounded. The standard toppings are minced pork, meatballs, crispy pork crackling, spring onion and sawtooth herb, served alongside a small plate of fresh vegetables. You season it yourself with fish sauce, lime, sugar and chilli powder. The result is fresh and much lighter than Thai noodle soup, the kind of thing you could eat every day.
- Order it with 'wide' or 'thin' noodles to taste — good stalls usually simmer fresh broth every morning and sell out before midday.
- Add fish sauce, lime and chilli powder to taste from the table — Phnom Penh locals almost all season theirs further.
- The best kuy teav stalls tend to open around 5.30–6 a.m. and close once they sell out, so don't wait until noon.
#3 Lok lak
A dish that blends French influence with Khmer flavour seamlessly. Bite-sized beef is stir-fried with onion, black pepper and oyster sauce, then served over hot white rice or buttered fried rice with a fried egg and fresh salad. The standout is the black-pepper-lime dipping sauce (tuk meric), sharp and sour and fragrant with fresh Khmer pepper — which is famous around the world. It's one of those dishes that Phnom Penh people eat every day, whether in upscale restaurants or at street stalls.
- The tuk meric dipping sauce (black pepper ground with lime and salt) is the dish's signature — you can always ask for more.
- The Cambodian pepper used in the sauce (Kampot pepper) is world-renowned, so pick some up to take home as a gift.
- Order it with egg (an extra 1–2 USD) — that's the traditional way Phnom Penh locals have eaten it since the colonial era.
#4 Num banh chok
A traditional Khmer breakfast handed down over hundreds of years. The rice noodles are made fresh every day from finely ground fermented rice, chewy and soft, and topped with a green fish curry built from kroeung (a paste of lemongrass, turmeric and galangal) blended with fresh freshwater fish. It's eaten over a base of assorted raw vegetables — bean sprouts, long eggplant, fresh lotus and Khmer basil. The flavour is fresh, herb-fragrant and not spicy. It's the breakfast Phnom Penh locals eat from birth to death.
- You can always ask for more vegetables — most vendors will pile your bowl until it's enough, and the variety of fresh veg is what makes the dish.
- There are two kinds of curry: green (herbal kroeung) and orange (with tomato, spicier) — try both if you're in town for several days.
- Stalls that make their noodles fresh every morning taste far better — look for noodles that appear moist and soft, not dry or stiff.
#5 Khmer cuisine
A traditional Khmer herbal stew that Cambodian chefs call the mother of every Khmer dish. It's simmered from kroeung curry paste with fish or chicken and packed with vegetables — including thick-skinned tropical fruits, young banana trunk and ground peanuts. The flavour is mild, well-rounded and fragrant with fresh herbs. It's a curry that Cambodian households cook at home, and one you'll find in restaurants that set out to present traditional Khmer food rather than only catering to tourists.
- A good Khmer restaurant will have this curry on the menu — if it doesn't, it may be a place that mainly cooks for tourists.
- Eat it with Cambodian jasmine rice (Phka Romduol), which is especially fragrant and soft and has been named the best rice in the world several years running.
- The flavour deepens as it sits — if the restaurant says it was made and set aside a while ago, that's a good sign, not a bad one.
#6 Khmer cuisine
A traditional Khmer snack made from finely ground freshwater fish mixed with kroeung, lemongrass, grated coconut and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed or grilled until cooked. The texture is smooth and firm, fragrant with banana leaf and coconut, and the flavour is lightly sweet and mildly salty — good as breakfast or a snack. It represents the traditional Khmer snacks that are still made by hand in fresh markets, unlike the tourist-friendly versions in upscale shops.
- Buy it at a fresh market for freshly made pieces that taste better than those sitting on display in snack shops.
- Point out what you want to the vendor, since the Khmer names can be hard to pronounce — market vendors understand a pointed finger just fine.
- The flavour varies from stall to stall depending on the kroeung used, so try a few stalls in the same market to compare.
Where to stay in Phnom Penh for this trip
A well-located hotel means less commuting and more sightseeing. Here are real, top-rated stays in Phnom Penh — compare Agoda · Booking · Trip.com in one click.
Rosewood Phnom Penh
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Rosewood Phnom Penh
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Raffles Hotel Le Royal
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Raffles Hotel Le Royal
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Tours, tickets & activities in Phnom Penh
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Before You Pack
The best Khmer food is usually in the places Phnom Penh locals go to themselves, down the side streets and alleys. Ask your hotel staff or a tuk-tuk driver what they eat at lunch — that answer will always lead you to the best food in the city.