Best Restaurants in Siem Reap by Neighbourhood (2026)

The best restaurant in Siem Reap is the good one nearest your hotel, because this is a town where everyone eats early, walks to dinner and is asleep by 10:30 p.m. before a 4:30 a.m. sunrise. Neighborhood matters more than ranking. A $45 tasting menu across town is worth a tuk-tuk once. Every other night, the right table is ten minutes on foot.

Rankings for this question sort restaurants by review count, which rewards the places with the most passing trade, and many are copied from lists written before 2020. Siem Reap’s restaurant scene turned over heavily after the pandemic, and lists still send people to empty buildings. This guide sorts the kitchens by the six areas a visitor actually sleeps in, names only places whose operation was confirmed in 2025 or 2026, and gives hours, closing days and prices where they are published. The Siem Reap food guide explains the cuisine itself.

Prices, hours and transport times below were checked against restaurant websites, menus and official sources in October 2026.

Pick the Neighborhood First, Then the Table

The center of Siem Reap fits inside a 1-kilometer circle around the Old Market. Pub Street is one block west of it, Wat Bo 5 to 10 minutes east across the river, Wat Damnak 10 to 15 minutes south-east, Kandal Village 5 minutes north-west and the Royal Gardens 10 to 15 minutes north along the river. The Siem Reap neighborhoods guide maps them.

The practical consequences are three. First, almost every restaurant worth the name is walkable from a central hotel, so the decision is how far you want to walk after a temple day. Second, kitchens close early, with most outside the Pub Street area taking last orders between 9:00 and 9:30 p.m. Third, several of the best places close one weekday, which matters more than any star rating. A tuk-tuk across the center costs $2 to $3, but arrange the return ride from the edge-of-town restaurants, because no tuk-tuk passes at 9:30 p.m.

International food in Siem Reap, the Italian, French and Japanese kitchens, changes owners and addresses faster than any other category. Several well-reviewed names could not be confirmed as trading in 2025 or 2026 and are left out for that reason rather than on merit.

Old Market and Pub Street

The busiest square kilometer in town has the widest choice and the weakest average. The rule is to eat early here, or to walk out of it. The guide to whether Pub Street is worth eating on goes further.

The Red Piano

The honest verdict: the one Pub Street address that works as a restaurant rather than a bar. It stands at 341 Street 08, on the Street 11 corner, in a two-story shophouse with a balcony over the junction, open from 10:00 a.m. to about 12:30 a.m. The menu is European with some Khmer dishes, mains in the $6 to $12 range and draft beer around $1. Walk-in. The limitation: prices run above the street average and the food is competent rather than memorable.

Khmer Family Restaurant

The honest verdict: the locally owned Khmer kitchen on Pub Street, for a first-night amok without leaving the street. Picture menu, amok and lok lak in the $4 to $7 range, tables that fill with families before 7:00 p.m. The limitation: it cooks for a tourist palate, sweeter and milder than the riverside kitchens.

Temple Balcony

The honest verdict: dinner here is a ticket to the free Apsara dance performance, listed daily from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. for diners who order food and drink. It is on the upper floor of the Temple building mid-street, above the club. Mains are in the Pub Street range of $5 to $8. The limitation: the kitchen has slipped by recent accounts, and the club below is as loud as anything on the street after 10:00 p.m. The Apsara dance guide compares the formal performances.

Psar Chas food counters

The honest verdict: the best breakfast in the center, two minutes from Pub Street. The food section in the middle of the Old Market sells bai sach chrouk, kuy teav and num banh chok on stools at a counter, with plates at $1 to $2 according to a food guide updated in October 2026. The wet market is busy from about 6:00 a.m. and the cooked food is best before 9:00 a.m. The limitation: prices are rarely posted, so ask before ordering.

Riverside, Mondul 1 and the Royal Gardens

The west bank of the river north of the Old Market holds the classic Khmer dining rooms, 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Pub Street. The riverside walk passes most of them.

Chanrey Tree

The honest verdict: the most reliable place in town for the classic Khmer dishes cooked properly, with prices published. Pokambor Avenue on the riverside, in Mondul 1 village. Open daily 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Fish amok $10.50, beef lok lak $11.50, Korko Soup $9.50, salads from $6.90, plus 5 percent service and 10 percent tax. Book through the website for a riverside table in December and January. The limitation: the sour and fermented flavors are dialed down from home cooking.

Malis

The honest verdict: Khmer cooking at the level of a chef with a national reputation. The Siem Reap restaurant of chef Luu Meng on Pokambor Avenue, in a modern building with a garden courtyard, open daily 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The March 2026 menu lists starters at $6 to $13 and mains at $11 to $38, with tax and service included. The free-flow breakfast it is known for is served in Phnom Penh, not here. The limitation: it feeds tour groups, and on a busy night the service is efficient rather than personal.

Embassy

The honest verdict: the tasting menu for Khmer home cooking reworked by Cambodian chefs. On Corner Street 5 in Mondul 1, opened in 2014 with an all-female kitchen led by chef Kimsan Pol. The seasonal chef’s menu is $66, or $57 vegetarian, plus 10 percent VAT, with wine pairings from $48. Dinner daily 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. Lunch is a $36 menu from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Book ahead in high season. The limitation: it is the most expensive Khmer meal in town, and a long evening after a 5:00 a.m. start.

Sister Srey Cafe

The honest verdict: the Western breakfast to choose in the center. At 200 Pokambor Avenue, opposite the Old Market, since 2012, with Australian-style breakfasts, vegan dishes and coffee, and part of its profits going to APOPO’s landmine clearance work. Listings give daily hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Prices are not published online. The limitation: it is a Western menu, not the place to learn Khmer breakfast.

Scribe Bar at FCC Angkor by Avani

The honest verdict: the open-air garden for a long drink and bar food after dinner, in the former Foreign Correspondents’ Club on Pokambor Avenue, about 15 minutes on foot north of Pub Street. Open 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with live music on several evenings and cocktails at $7 to $10. The limitation: the garden is mosquito territory in the rainy season, and it is a hotel bar, not a destination kitchen.

Wat Bo and the East Bank

Across the Old Market bridge, 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Pub Street, Street 26 and the cross-streets down to the river hold more good kitchens per block than anywhere in town. The Wat Bo area guide walks the streets.

Banlle

The honest verdict: the best argument that Khmer cooking works without meat, and one of the better meals in town regardless. A vegan restaurant with a vegetarian section, run by chef Pola Siv in a restored two-story wooden house on Street 26, about 50 meters from the river. Lunch 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., dinner 6:00 to 9:15 p.m. last seating, Wednesday to Monday. Closed Tuesdays and from April 14 to 24 every year. Prices are not published, and a review updated in August 2026 puts most dishes at $2 to $4. The limitation: reservations are held for only 20 minutes.

Miss Wong

The honest verdict: the best cocktail bar in town, with a food menu good enough for a light dinner. A 1920s Shanghai-style room on Street 26, between the river and Wat Bo Road, open Tuesday to Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to midnight. Cocktails average $7, and the menu runs to dim sum, duck pancakes and hot pots. It moved here from The Lane, where older guides still place it. The limitation: it is small, closed on Mondays and full by 9:00 p.m. in December and January.

Footprint Cafés

The honest verdict: the Wat Bo café for a Khmer lunch or an afternoon with a book. On Street 26, opened in 2016, with a restaurant, a bookshop and co-working space upstairs, and most profits going to education grants in the province. Hours and prices are not published by the café, and listings in 2026 give 7:00 a.m. opening and a 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. close. The limitation: the Khmer section of the menu is short, so treat it as a café.

Pinak Pou

The honest verdict: the most personal Khmer cooking on this side of the river, from chef Mork Mengly, with green duck curry, red ant salad and an attached cooking school. The website, updated in 2026, gives daily hours of 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and dishes at $4.98 to $9.88. It also gives two addresses, Wat Bo Street 25 and Ah Leah Road in Wat Damnak, and its map listing points to Wat Damnak. The limitation: confirm the address on the day before walking there.

Aaraama Restaurant

The honest verdict: Khmer shared plates in an open-air pavilion over the lotus ponds of Angkor Village Hotel on Street 26, for a slow dinner rather than a quick one. Chef Touch Savon’s menu follows the eras of Khmer cooking. The hotel lists it as open daily 6:00 to 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., and open to visitors not staying there. The limitation: prices are not published online, and it is a hotel restaurant with hotel-restaurant service.

Hard Rock Cafe Angkor

The honest verdict: the predictable option for a group that wants burgers and a live band. In the King’s Road Angkor complex on the east bank, a few minutes’ walk over the Old Market bridge, open daily 7:30 a.m. to midnight, with live bands and themed nights several times a month. The limitation: franchise prices, and a burger costs what three Pub Street dinners cost.

Wat Damnak and Chocolate Road

South of Wat Bo on the east bank, 5 to 10 minutes by tuk-tuk from Pub Street at $2 to $3, Wat Damnak holds the most ambitious kitchen in town and a cluster of training restaurants. The social enterprises guide explains which ones to support.

Cuisine Wat Damnak

The honest verdict: the best single meal in Siem Reap for understanding Cambodian ingredients. Chef Joannès Rivière and Nguon Vengchhay run a seasonal tasting menu in a wooden house in Wat Damnak village, between Psa Dey Hoy market and Angkor High School. Dinner Monday to Saturday from 6:30 p.m., last orders 9:00 p.m. The menu is $45, or $38 vegetarian, plus 5 percent service and 10 percent tax. Children under 12 are not admitted. Book days ahead from November to March. The limitation: a French chef’s reading of Cambodian produce is not Khmer home cooking, and it is closed on Sundays.

Haven

The honest verdict: a training restaurant where the cooking would justify a visit without the cause. On Chocolate Road in Sala Kamreuk, training young adults from orphanages and disadvantaged backgrounds. Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., kitchen until 9:30 p.m., closed Mondays and during Pchum Ben. The October 2026 menu lists Khmer amok at $7.50, lok lak at $8 and mains at $7.25 to $9.50, VAT included. The limitation: the Khmer dishes are the safe classics, and the menu leans international.

Wild

The honest verdict: a garden bar for spring rolls and a cocktail before dinner. On Aleah Road in Wat Damnak, open daily 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., kitchen until 10:00 p.m. More than 15 kinds of spring roll, three to a plate, at $3.50 to $3.95, and cocktails at $4.75 to $5.95, taxes included and no service charge. The limitation: two plates of rolls do not make a dinner.

Spoons

The honest verdict: a good-value Khmer lunch in an open bamboo pavilion, with every dollar of profit funding a hospitality school. On Pave Road in Wat Damnak village, open daily 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with a new menu posted in October 2026. The limitation: service by students in training can be slow, and the room is hot at midday from March to May.

Kandal Village and Sok San Road

North-west of the Old Market, 5 minutes on foot, Kandal Village is a single street of cafés and boutiques that closes early. The Sok San Road and Kandal Village guide keeps the current list.

The Little Red Fox Espresso

The honest verdict: the coffee and breakfast stop for anyone staying west of the river. At 593 Hup Guan Street, open 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Wednesdays, with cold-drip coffee, bagels and a tofu scramble. The limitation: it is a café that closes at 5:00 p.m., and Kandal Village has no dinner of its own worth the walk.

Sok San Road’s eastern end, near Sivatha Boulevard, has cheap Western and Khmer kitchens for the hostel crowd, and Temple Design Bar there serves stone-baked pizza and pasta. Nothing on it is a reason to cross town.

Edge of Town: Worth the Tuk-Tuk

These kitchens sit 10 to 20 minutes by tuk-tuk from Pub Street. Agree the fare before leaving and book the return.

Lum Orng

The honest verdict: the kitchen for seeing where Khmer ingredients come from. Chef Sothea Seng’s farm-to-table restaurant in Thlok Ondong village, Slorkram, opened in 2019. Lunch 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. and dinner 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. daily, with seven-course tasting menus to share from $32, including a vegan one. The limitation: it is the farthest restaurant from the center, and the village road is muddy in the rainy season.

Mahob Khmer Cuisine

The honest verdict: modern Khmer cooking with clear roots, the earlier sister of Lum Orng. In a wooden house at #137 Traing Village, Slorkram. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. daily. The website publishes the menu without prices. The limitation: it leans toward refined classics rather than village flavors.

Sala Baï

The honest verdict: the cheapest way to eat in a professional dining room, and a direct contribution to a hotel school. On Tonle Sap Road in Wat Svay. Breakfast daily 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., lunch Monday to Friday 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at $14.50 for three courses or $12 for two, and dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 6:00 p.m. since October 20, 2026. The limitation: the menu is mostly European, and lunch follows the school calendar.

F3

The honest verdict: the Friends-International training restaurant that replaced Marum, worth a dinner for the cause and the garden. F3 reopened in October 2024 in Phum Slor Kram near Wat Polanka, about 1 km from Pub Street, as a training restaurant with a nail bar and shop. Current listings give Monday to Saturday 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. The limitation: the Friends-International site still shows older hours, so confirm before going.

Road 60 Night Market

The honest verdict: the evening food market built for Cambodians. From about 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., near the Angkor Enterprise ticket office, about $3 by tuk-tuk from Pub Street, with grilled meat, skewers, noodles and fried insects. The limitation: no English prices and no single center. The street food guide helps.

By Situation

You are staying near Pub Street and want a good dinner on foot

Walk 5 to 10 minutes to Chanrey Tree or Malis on the riverside. On the street itself, The Red Piano for Western food, Khmer Family Restaurant for amok.

You are staying in Wat Bo

Banlle for dinner, Miss Wong for a cocktail and dim sum afterward, Footprint Cafés for lunch. Everything is on Street 26.

You have one special night

Cuisine Wat Damnak at $45, booked days ahead, or Embassy at $66 for Cambodian chefs. The fine dining guide compares the tasting menus.

You are on a budget

Psar Chas for breakfast, Spoons or Haven for lunch, Road 60 for dinner. The daily budget guide builds the day.

You are traveling with children under 12

Chanrey Tree, Haven and Malis take children. Cuisine Wat Damnak does not. Wild’s spring rolls work at any age.

What It Actually Costs

Every restaurant takes US dollars, with change under $1 in riel at about 4,000 to the dollar. Tax of 10 percent and sometimes 5 percent service go on top of menu prices above stall level, unless the menu says included.

Meal	Price	Notes
Market breakfast, Psar Chas	$1 to $2	Before 9:00 a.m.
Pub Street main course	$5 to $8	The Red Piano $6 to $12
Haven main course	$7.25 to $9.50	VAT included
Chanrey Tree, four dishes for two	About $43	Service and tax included, rice and drinks extra
Malis main course	$11 to $38	Tax and service included
Lum Orng tasting menu	From $32	Drinks extra
Cuisine Wat Damnak tasting menu	$45, or $38 vegetarian	Plus 5% service, 10% tax
Embassy chef’s menu	$66, or $57 vegetarian	Plus 10% VAT, pairings from $48
Cocktail, Miss Wong	About $7	Average
Tuk-tuk across the center	$2 to $3	Agree before leaving

Two people sharing four dishes at Chanrey Tree spend about $43 before rice and drinks, while four mains at Haven cost about $30 with VAT included. The tipping guide covers service.

What Other Guides Get Wrong

1. Ranking restaurants that closed. Lists copied from pre-2020 lists still send readers to empty buildings and old addresses. Every place above was checked against a 2025 or 2026 source.
2. Putting Miss Wong in The Lane. It moved to Street 26 in Wat Bo.
3. Ignoring closing days. Cuisine Wat Damnak closes Sundays, Haven Mondays, Banlle Tuesdays, Miss Wong Mondays. A Sunday-night plan needs checking.
4. Recommending Pub Street for dinner. The street serves the weakest Khmer cooking in town. The riverside and Wat Bo are 5 to 10 minutes away.
5. Promising the Malis free-flow breakfast in Siem Reap. It belongs to the Phnom Penh branch. The Siem Reap restaurant opens at 11:00 a.m.
6. Forgetting the 9:30 p.m. kitchen. Most kitchens outside the center stop taking orders around 9:00 to 9:30 p.m., and the tuk-tuks thin out with them.

Addresses, hours, prices and transport times checked against operator websites and official sources in October 2026. Hours change seasonally and prices change often. Confirm anything time-critical with the operator.

Where to Go Next

For what to order once seated, the guide to Khmer dishes to try explains twenty dishes, and the best Khmer restaurants guide ranks the Cambodian kitchens alone. The Siem Reap food guide sets out the cuisine and the markets, and the evening shows guide says which performances leave time for dinner afterward.