The dining scene in Phnom Penh has matured and become much more sophisticated in recent years. There are now many excellent dining venues to satisfy all tastes and budgets. They range from Khmer and French restaurants, to American-style bar & grills to budget noodle shops, to contemporary delis and cafés. There are many restaurants featuring unique design themes and original décor.

And, yes, fast food is also here. Most types of western food are here, and many American, British, and Irish pubs and bars are also restaurants serving excellent food. Because Cambodia was a French colony, and because of the country's long exposure to French cuisine, it is not surprising that many of Phnom Penh’s finest restaurants are French.

You can find most world cuisine here, including American, Mexican, Italian, German, Greek, English, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Malay, Indonesian and Thai, just to name a few. Of course, the majority of restaurants in Phnom Penh are Khmer, and most all other restaurants have some Khmer food on the menu. Khmer food is very similar to the food of other Southeast Asian countries, although Khmer cooking is generally not as spicy.

There are restaurants all over town, but some areas of the city have a greater concentration of eateries. These are the riverfront along Sisowath Quay, and the Boeung Keng Kang 1 area south of the Independence Monument. Below we have listed a sampling of a few dining venues in Phnom Penh.