Good (and cheap) places to eat and drink?

I´m off to Siam Reap in April and are now trying to make a budget for my trip to Asia (also going to Luang Prabang and Hanoi). Since I have no clue how the prices are in Siam Reap I thought it would be a good idea to post a new topic here.

Doeas any of you fellow travellers have any good recommendations on places to eat and drink in Siam Reap? Foodplaces, cafées, bars...both budget and some places that is a no miss!!

How much can I expect to pay?

Thanks!

Good (and cheap) places to eat and drink?

Hi

Heaps of places in SR to eat for around $3-$4 per dish. Can%26#39;t remember the name of the place but we found one (in Pub St) that had a free glass of beer(probably 400ml size) with any main course and several others that had draught beer at 50c (all these prices are $US) You can also buy beer in cans at the supermarked for about 70c (your change from $1 will come in riel)

Neat little coffee shop on the cnr NH6 and Sivatha St (just round the corner from a bank)- great for people watching and they%26#39;re open till about 9pm most nights.

Look out for the pocket sized guide -can%26#39;t remember the exact name but something like %26#39;eating %26amp; drinking in SR%26#39; - plenty of choices.

Eating at the temples - there are a group of little restaurants just near the tuk-tuk parking area beside the Bayon - Smiley Number 12 was great - meals $3 per dish (we paid less then $12 for two of us and our driver - meals for 3 plus beers for us - Suwan drank iced tea (he was driving)- drivers get their iced tea on the house)

It would take you a month to eat your way around SR - almost all top end hotels have restaurants and then it ranges down through little restaurants all the way to street stalls. Some good ideas listed in Lonely Planet.

We had Cambodian BBQ one night - place in Pub St - great fun but we asked for %26#39;no snake%26#39; - beef, chicken %26amp; squid was just fine for us.

have a fantastic time.

Helen

Good (and cheap) places to eat and drink?

What about fried spiders? Are they good?

Review of yummy places where I ate and would recommend to others:

AMOK

canbypublications.com/siemreapads/amok-page.…

This is an extraordinarily popular Khmer restaurant on ‘The Passage’ (Pub Street alley)….a very crowded and touristy street in Siem Reap. Whilst it is bigger than most restaurants nearby, with a pleasant sidewalk location, and includes an upstairs balcony and a wonderful clean bathroom (essential after shaking hands with many street kids and spider climbing 10th century ruins), it is still quite cramped. It has a photo menu which makes it easy to choose from a wide selection of traditional Cambodian dishes including its namesake the classic Khmer dish Amok. This is what we chose, alongside a local salad, which was sweet, sour, and crunch all rolled into one mouthful. Amok (the dish) itself is a rich Cambodian coconut curry which is traditionally served with fish and steamed in a banana leaf, however Amok (the restaurant) serve a tasting platter of fish, beef, shrimp, vegetable and pork. Price-wise it is definitely on the pricier end, and cost us ~$18US total (for two people) for two mains only.

SUGAR PALM

www.asialifecambodia.com/…

We had the restaurant to ourselves from noon until 3pm..... apparently no one else was interested in eating lunch there that day! But, then again, I%26#39;m told this is the place where F%26amp;B managers from nearby five star hotels come to feast, so maybe they dine afterhours. This place serves old-fashioned, flavourful, and hearty Khmer food, in a beautiful surrounding of a double story colonial style house, with an airy balcony. It%26#39;s owned by a New Zealand couple (or so the lovely NZ guy we were speaking to at lunchtime claimed).

Bruce (the NZ guy claiming to own the place) recommended to us some tasty dishes, whilst we enjoyed the warm and inviting ambience of his restaurant. This time, we ate with a non-pork eating couple, so we needed to substitute the traditional khmer grilled eggplant pork dish, to beef, and Sugar Palm were more than happy to oblige. The food has a good kick to is, all the meat is tender, and our dishes were lip-smacking good. By the time we ate this meal, some of us has already eaten two different buffet breakfasts, and numerous snacks at the temples, but still, our plates ended up spotless at the end! Not a morsel of sauce even left. Main meals were $5 - $10US (so expensive for Siem Reap standards, but well worth it. This is a classy joint, exuding old world charm, but manages not to be snooty)

VIROTHS

http://www.viroth-hotel.com/

Funky outdoor ambience with ';almost'; Western style service (our first waiter was brand new, hence the reason for the almost). We order amoks, fermented fish paste pork, and Khmer salad. Dining with a non fish eater and a non beef eater meant we didn%26#39;t fully explore all the menu options available, but nor did we need to, as we were very content. The menu is a mix of Cambodian and European foods. Price was ~$15US per person, for starters, mains, and drinks. You can also BYO here, which is good if you%26#39;ve bough up in duty free. The food was probably the least tasty out of all the places I%26#39;m reviewing here, but the ambience was contemporary, chic, and easygoing. Great for a night chatting with friends.

NEARY KITCHEN

canbypublications.com/siemreapads/nearypage.…

So, this is where our fabulous tuktuk driver user to be the chef. Our tuktuk driver, Soyean, was lovely and we were keen to eat where he used to work. Having not heard about this from other food reviewers nor online, we were not expecting much, but we were blown away and would vote this food-wise the best yet! Ambience was not as charming as Sugar Palm or Viroths, but still a kzillion times better than most other khmer food haunts around Siem Reap. We ordered volcano fish (steamed local fish in delicious soup) and Prahok Ling (fermented fish pork). These servings were so big, that it made it difficult to finish both, and the damage to our wallets including drinks was only $10US total (for two people).

It%26#39;s authentic Khmer cuisine served in a relaxed, open-air setting. At first it may look like a tourist trap, with large long tables able to sit 20+ people. But, rest assured, these will soon fill up with large local families piling out of their minivans to enjoy a night out with all their cousins/aunts/grandparents, etc. The menu is extensive, yet doesn%26#39;t describe the dishes, which made it difficult to choose something which sounded edible..... but the recommendations from our host made for a perfect combination. Homely, tasty, heavenly.

BLUE PUMPKIN

http://www.tbpumpkin.com/

This was almost going to be our worst experience, given out of the five of us who went there for icecream (their speciality), only one enjoyed it. The problem was, we ordered from the ';ice cream menu';, rather than just looking at the ice-cream on display and ordering a few scoops. Their ice-cream menu is filled with awful concoctions, such as banana splits trifles doused in peanut sauce, and sickly sweet, rum infused, meringue dotted masterpieces. However, just choosing a few flavours from their ice-cream selection would have been enough (we found out as we walked out of the place, walking past an array of yummy sounding icecream varieties...).

They also sell pastries, which make for a nice breakfast on the way to see a sunrise over Angkor Wat. They resemble French pastries in look only (they taste like an Asian breadtop style sweet treats), however are still delicious for those craving a sugar high after temple trekking.

Hi,

Pub street and surrounds have heaps of choice and almost all are pretty cheap.

Must do - Angkor What? bar - there have all sorts of drink specials. The atmosphere at night watching everyone go past with a glass of two of Angkor beer is unmissable!

We also found food stalls out at the temples good and very cheap.

And further to the last post about Blue Pumpkin - go upstairs to their restaurant area. Great food, cheap, good service - and if you%26#39;re lucky, you get to lie on one of their day beds and relax while chilling out.

Enjoy!

- k

I used the restaurant, Blue Pumpkin, when I was in Siem Reap on my trip.I was upstairs to have lunch and then I used internet there with my Laptop and it was a comfortable place for me.

I would go back to The Red Piano for the very cheap and utterly delicious ginger pork dish! http://www.redpianocambodia.com/

Temple Balcony on Pub Street - great food and pretty cheap, plus 2 for 1 cocktails. Also have traditional khmer dancing show from 1930-2130. (upstairs)

We really enjoyed ourselves - highly recommend.

My friend in Phnom Penh discouraged me from eaitngthtose spiders, saying they were sopping in oil and sweetened with sugar. (I prefer crispy snacks!)

There are numerous places run by locals just on the outside of Pub Street (right before the market) and along Sivatha Rd. If you%26#39;re on a budget these are ideal- they are up to half the cost of those fancy places with tablecloths and pretty glassware on Pub Street.

One of the best places I have eaten in SE Asi was Bopha Hotel and Restaurant. Very cheap by European standard, relatively expensive for Cambodia, but I would highly recommend. 10 US$ including wine p.P. is well worth this experience!