It could be for a taste explosion when you savor street food while finding other off-the-beaten-path Phnom Penh sides. Combining Vietnam and Thailand cuisine, Cambodian dishes are really something that can satisfy your love for food. In this travel blog, Indochina Voyages will with you explore the top 10+ best street foods in Phnom Penh that will leave you craving for more. Let’s begin!
10+ Best Street Food in Phnom Penh
1. Num Pang (Cambodian Banh Mi)
Like Vietnam, Cambodia is also influenced by French Cuisine, bread is one of the most popular and typical food of Cambodia. Num Pang is a famous street food in Phnom Penh. When you see bread with butter, pate, sauce, chili, salad, some pieces of carrot or papaya with meat and aromatic herbs inside, it is Num Pang. You can eat Num Pang when moving or sitting in front of an eating table for breakfast. Travelers can see Num Pang on any street.
- Best to eat: Kandal Market on the Road No.5
- Price: approximately $1.50
2. Nom Banh Chok (Khmer Noodles)
This is the “national food” of the Cambodian people. Nom Banh Chok noodle is eaten by residents in Cambodia every morning. Nom Banh Chok is made from special fermented rice and then soused with fish curry sauce.
You will smell the aroma of lemongrass, lemon leaves, and turmeric mixed into fish curry sauce. On streets in Phnom Penh, you can meet hawkers who sell Num Banh Chok noodles with a big pot of fragrant curry sauce and fresh veggies that are used for eating with noodles. Don’t forget to try eating a bowl of these special noodles with a small basket of cucumber slices, bean sprouts, and chili sauce.
- Best to eat: Russian market on road No. 440 or Kandal Market
- Price: approximately $2
3. Bai Sach Chrouk (Cambodian Rice with Grilled Pork)
Bai Sach Chrouk is a popular and delicious dish in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It consists of grilled pork, white rice, fresh cucumber slices, pickled daikon radish with ginger, and a bowl of chicken soup garnished with green onions and fried onions. The pork is thinly sliced and grilled over embers, sometimes marinated with pineapple juice or garlic.
Each plate of Bai Sach Chrouk is unique, as there are various ways of preparing it. You’ll never find two plates of Bai Sach Chrouk in the same taste in two restaurants. It is commonly enjoyed as a breakfast dish in Phnom Penh.
- Best to eat: Psar Thmei (Central Market)
- Price: around $2
3. Num Plae Ai (Cambodian Rice Cake)
Num Plae Ai is made from finely milled rice flour, molded into a round shape with sugar inside and then it is parboiled. Cooked rice cakes are dipped into a bowl of caramel and then this cake will be decorated with some yarn of fresh coconut above.
These bite-sized rice cakes are steamed in banana leaves, resulting in a soft and chewy texture. You should spend time tasting Num Plae Ai slowly.
- Best to eat: You can have good Num Plae Ai on the road named 258 and Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh.
- Price: about $1
4. Mi Char (Cambodian fried noodles)
It is familiar to students in Cambodia after stressful lessons at school. Mi Char can make grumpy customers satisfied. Noodles are put in the pan and fried with beef. Fried eggs and aromatic veggies like cilantro, mint leaves, marjoram, lettuce, and some other kinds of vegetables are displayed on the plate. You can add a bit of chili sauce to Mi Char fried noodles so that this dish will be more delicious.
- Best to eat: Center Market on Road 53 or Street 310 near Wat Koh
- Price: around $3
5. Suki Soup
Suki Soup is the Cambodian version of hot pot, featuring a simmering broth filled with an assortment of meats, seafood, vegetables, and noodles. Diners can customize their own bowl by choosing from a wide selection of ingredients. This dish could be easy to find in every restaurant in Phnom Penh, but the best is in big tin Sheds.
- Best to eat: Chaktomuk Restaurant
- Price: approximately $6.
6. Ngeav Chamboy (Cambodian lemongrass steamed oysters)
On mobile stalls of hawkers on streets in Phnom Penh, there are many pots of oysters steamed with chili, lemon leaves, and lime leaves. This smell attracts us at night. Don’t miss the chance to try lemongrass steamed oysters Ngeav Chamboy in Phnom Penh and drink cold beer to enjoy this specialty food in this tropical city.
- Best to eat: The road No.13 is full of Lemongrass steamed oysters Ngeav Chamboy.
- Price: around $4
7. Num Sang Khya l‘peou (Pumpkin stuffed eggs yolks)
This is a strange dish to tourists. It is delicious and nutritious. Chef will get rid of pumpkin’s seeds and then pumpkin is stuffed with mixture of coconut fruit, sugar and egg yolks. After that pumpkin will be steamed. Waiting until finishing cooking pumpkin, we can taste this highlight food then. I’m sure that you will be persuaded by this dish because it is not only eye-catching but also tasty.
- Best to eat: Orussei market on the road No.182 in Phnom Penh
- Price: about $1
8. Coconut juice
Like in Vietnam, you can easily find out a coconut for yourself in Phnom Penh. Coconut juice is good for your health. Moreover, coconut juice is also main cooking material for foods in Cambodia and it also really cheap.
- Best to drink: Sihanouk Boulevard and the road No. 51
- Price: around $0.50 to $1.00 for one coconut
9. Yakitori Chicken Skewers
Yakitori chicken skewers are a popular street food in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They consist of tender, juicy chicken marinated in a savory sauce and grilled to perfection. The chicken pieces, often thigh or breast meat, are carefully threaded onto skewers and then grilled over charcoal or an open flame. The grilling process imparts a smoky flavor to the chicken while ensuring it remains succulent and juicy on the inside.
The secret to the irresistible taste of Yakitori lies in the marinade. Typically, a traditional Yakitori marinade consists of soy sauce, mirin (a sweet rice wine), sake (Japanese rice wine), sugar, and sometimes garlic or ginger.
- Best to eat: Street 51 near Wat Langka
- Price: Around $1 per skewer
10. Amok Fish
No visit to Phnom Penh is complete without trying Amok Fish, a traditional Cambodian delicacy. Fresh fish fillets are marinated in a coconut curry paste infused with lemongrass, turmeric, and galangal. The fish is then steamed to perfection in banana leaves, resulting in a creamy and aromatic dish.
- Best to eat: Romdeng Restaurant
- PriceL approximately $6.
11. Fresh fruits
Cambodia is also a tropical country so there are many kinds of fruits in this country are waiting for you to taste. Fresh fruits in Phnom Penh are diversity. Vietnam has papayas, pineapples, guavas, watermelons, mangoes, dragon fruits and many other fruits. So Cambodia does.
You will have chance to taste many kinds of fruits in heaven fruits like Cambodia. So it is easy for you to see fresh fruits displayed along the roads in Phnom Penh.
- Best to eat: On the road No.258 and Sisowath Quay road.
Tips to Hack Full of Phnom Penh Street Food
To make the most of your Phnom Penh street food adventure, here are some tips to enhance your experience:
- Tuol Tompong Market (aka Russian Market) is really friendly for tourists and locals also eat there a lot. This is also the best place for coffee and Cambodian Noodles Soups
- For those who in love with the street side grilled food, South side of Russian market is the best
- If you are solo traveler, wander around the bigger market to find fried donuts, sugar coated breadly things and take away to also sip and strolling around to savor more street food is a great idea.
- If goiong for a Phnom Penh street food tour and on a groups, we high recommend you should choose dishes that can take away or have a go out box and share to eat together. Hence you can try as many as possible dishes.
- And remeber, take the main dishes (like noodles soup or hot pot in the last for the end to cover all your stomach and having time to enjoy with your friends or family.
- You can learn a few basic Khmer phrases like “hello” (chum reap suor) or “thank you” (aw kohn) can go a long way in connecting with the locals and showing appreciation for their food.
- While street food can be incredibly tasty, it’s important to prioritize hygiene and safety. Look for stalls with clean preparation areas and make sure the food is cooked thoroughly.
In general, Cambodian people have snacking habits so Phnom Penh has so many highlight street foods that attract travelers in all over the world. Are you making plan for Cambodia travel packages? Don’t forget to spend time tasting all the best street food in Phnom Penh.
Let’s put on your walking shoes, follow your taste buds, and immerse yourself in the vibrant street food culture of Phnom Penh. Bon appétit!
From Indochina Voyages Team
