Phnom Penh
The capital's riverside quay, the Russian Market and Malis define the city's table — from num pang sandwiches to elevated fine dining.
Food & Culinary
Cambodia Food Experiences
From Amok steamed in banana leaves to smoky street grills and Kampot pepper farms — eat, cook, and taste your way across the Kingdom with local chefs and Cambodian families.
~$25Cooking class
<$2Street eats
8Signature dishes
4Food cities
A cuisine all its own
Flavours found nowhere else
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01
Rooted in the Tonlé Sap
Freshwater fish, rice noodles, Kampot pepper and foraged herbs — Khmer food is built on terroir, so the best versions of these dishes exist only here.
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02
Amok is just the beginning
Beyond the national dish — coconut fish curry steamed in banana leaves — come Nom Banh Chok, Lok Lak and Bai Sach Chrouk, each with deep roots in the Khmer Empire.
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03
Cooked with locals, not for tourists
Market-to-table classes, village home kitchens and vetted street stalls — every bite comes with the story of the ingredient and the people behind it.
8
Signature
Khmer dishes
Khmer dishes
Fish Amok · Khmer classic
Signature experiences
Eat it, cook it, grow it
The food experiences travellers book most — hands-on, local, and unmistakably Khmer.
01 — Hands-on
Khmer Cooking Classes
Cambodia's highest-demand food experience. Learn classics like Amok Trey, Nom Banh Chok and Lok Lak — most classes start with a market tour to pick fresh ingredients, then end with a shared meal you cooked yourself. Vegan and vegetarian versions are widely available.
02 — Eat, don't cook
Street Food Tours by Tuk-Tuk
For travellers who want to eat their way through the city. Morning runs hit local markets and village noodle makers; evenings cover Cambodian BBQ and busy night stalls. Guides use vetted stalls and tell the story behind prahok, Kampot pepper and Tonlé Sap fish. Must-try: Kuy Teav, Lort Cha and Fish Amok.
03 — Catch-to-plate
Kampot Pepper Farms & Tastings
A niche experience with almost no competition in the Indian market. Kampot pepper supplied France's restaurants in the colonial era and is still one of Cambodia's most prized exports. Walk the plantations, taste red, black, white and green grades — even black-pepper ice cream — then pair it with fresh Kep crab, just 25 minutes away.
More ways to taste
Markets, home kitchens & sweets
Psar Thmei · Russian Market
Local Market Tours
Wander Psar Thmei and the Russian Market in Phnom Penh or Psar Chas in Siem Reap, as guides explain Tonlé Sap fish, seasonal herbs and prahok.
An afternoon with a familyVillage Home Cooking
Cambodia's highest-rated food experience — visit a market and mushroom farm, then cook Fish Amok and banana tapioca in a family kitchen.
Palm sugar, coconut & cacaoDessert & Chocolate
Three-hour dessert classes, artisan chocolate factory tours, and coconut-oil making on Koh Rong — Cambodia's sweet, lesser-known side.
Sunset on the Sisowath QuayRiverside Dining & Cruises
Riverside dinners in Phnom Penh, Kampot firefly cruises, and Tonlé Sap dinner boats — a relaxed, high-spend evening for couples.
Modern Khmer
Book a Fine-Dining Night
Pull up a chair at the chef's table
Refined tasting menus from $30–50 built on seasonal local ingredients — elevated Amok at Malis, the social-enterprise kitchen at Spoons, modern Mekong cooking at La Baab, or dinner paired with a world-class Phare circus show.
Where to eat
Four cities, four flavour profiles
Siem Reap
Cooking classes, the Old Market and a buzzing night-market scene near Pub Street — the easiest place to start eating Khmer.
Kampot & Kep
Pepper plantations, palm-sugar tastings and the legendary Kep crab market — Cambodia's south coast is its tastiest road trip.
Eat like a local
Dishes to put on your list
| Dish | Type | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Fish Amok | National | Cambodia's national dish — coconut-milk fish curry steamed in banana leaves |
| Nom Banh Chok | Breakfast | Rice noodles with green fish curry, herbs and bean sprouts — the classic Khmer breakfast |
| Lok Lak | Main | Stir-fried marinated beef with a lime-and-pepper dipping sauce |
| Bai Sach Chrouk | Street | Grilled pork over rice — the quintessential early-morning street meal |
| Kuy Teav | Noodle soup | Clear pork or beef bone broth with rice-vermicelli noodles |
| Kampot Pepper Crab | Seafood | Fresh crab stir-fried with the region's prized peppercorns — best in Kep |
| Num Pang | Sandwich | Cambodia's French-Khmer sandwich — pâté, pickled vegetables and chilli in crusty bread |
| Sankya Lapov | Dessert | Pumpkin custard — the signature Khmer sweet |
Good to know
What it costs & how long
~$25Cooking class, per person
2–3 hrsTypical class length
<$2Street-food bites
$30–50Fine-dining tasting menu
Questions, answered
Cambodia food FAQ
What is Cambodia's national dish?
Fish Amok — a fragrant coconut-milk fish curry steamed in banana leaves. It dates back to the Khmer Empire and appears on almost every cooking-class and street-food menu.
How much does a Khmer cooking class cost?
Most classes are around $25 per person and run 2–3 hours, including a guided market tour to choose ingredients and a shared meal of the dishes you cook.
Is Cambodian street food safe and affordable?
Guided tours use stalls vetted by experienced local guides, and most street-food items cost under $2 — making it the most affordable way to explore Khmer cuisine.
Which cities are best for food in Cambodia?
Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Battambang and Kampot each have their own flavour profile — from cooking classes and night markets to riverside fine dining and pepper farms.
Are vegetarian and vegan options available?
Yes. Vegan and vegetarian versions are widely offered, including Vegetable Amok and Khmer tofu curries, and most cooking classes can adapt on request.
Hungry for the real Cambodia?
Tell us how you like to eat — hands-on classes, street-food crawls, pepper farms or chef's tables — and our local specialists will plate up a food itinerary made for you.