From workshops where ancestral know-how is handed down to tables that reinvent Khmer cuisine without betraying its soul, Siem Reap, located in the northwest of Cambodia (about 315 km from Phnom Penh, the capital), reveals a creative and indulgent face. Between artist homes, engaged school-restaurants, iconic addresses and new culinary gems, the city offers an immersion into Cambodian culture, through those who keep it alive day in and day out.
Craftsmanship and Museums for Aesthetes
The Satcha Handicraft Workshops with the Masters of Craft
In a lush oasis, under bamboo rooftops, the elite masters of crafts ply their trade. Thanks to the Satcha Handicraft workshops, ancestral know-how is kept alive. One wanders along a shaded little path, moving from one specialty to another: sandstone carving (the stone of Angkor temples) and wood (acacia, teak, tamarind), weaving (cotton, bamboo, silk), basketry (rattan, water hyacinth), painting (lacquer, printing)… If there is a beloved discipline, there is of course a shop…
satcha-handicraft.com
An Artist’s House-Museum and Refugee
In a lush garden, lies a bustling place, at once an ethnographic museum, a home and a gallery of Lim Muy Theam. A refugee in France during the Pol Pot regime, trained at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, who returned to the country in 1995, this painter displays his personal collection of musical instruments, pottery and tools bearing witness to rural life before the Khmer Rouge tragedy. At the end of the journey, discover his own monumental paintings, which explore the theme of resilience…
theamsgallery.com
Restaurants for Gourmets
Sala Baï, Cuisine Formed by Strong Training
Two good reasons to dine at Sala Baï, the restaurant of a hotel-management school founded by a French NGO: the meal helps finance the schooling of about 150 young people (70% of whom are girls) from poor families, and the food is truly excellent! Blending Asian and Western influences, the full menu for under $15 is served with meticulous care. Bonus: the venue also features a spa. Open only Monday to Friday, from 12:00 to 14:00, from November to mid-July.
salabai.com
The Sugar Palm, the Gourmets’ Address in Siem Reap
It is the go-to spot for Siem Reap’s gourmets. At The Sugar Palm, Cambodian chef Kethana Dunnet has set a rule to offer family Khmer recipes without altering them or sugar-coating them for Western palates. In a superb house with teak-panelled walls, you can revel in pomelo salad, crab fritters and the traditional amok (steam-poached fish curry).
thesugarpalm.com
Cuisine Wat Damnak, the Sanctuary of Khmer Haute Cuisine
No fixed menu. At Cuisine Wat Damnak (“the temple of the palace”), the country’s most famous dining room, the menu follows the rhythm of the seasons, the markets, the harvests, and highlights rare ingredients, such as Mekong prawns and fish from Tonlé Sap. Special mention for the braised beef with wild mushrooms and basil, served with a sesame pancake. For dessert, the tomato sorbet with Kampot pepper is a journey in itself. Surrounded by a tropical garden, this house was the first in the country to be included in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Menu at $45.
cuisinewatdamnak.com
Shen Kitchen, a Gentle Scent of China
Just opened and already on everyone’s lips! Shen Kitchen, tucked away on a narrow street in the city center, makes a splash with its bold red décor, evoking a blend of Maoist nostalgia and Tintin’s Blue Lotus. In the bowl, dumpling soups, knife-edged spicy noodles, a multitude of juicy dumplings, sweet-salty baos, and garlic-soft eggplants… In short, a fine Chinese table, worthy of 1930s Shanghai.
On Instagram: shenkitchen
➤ Article appeared in GEO magazine no. 570, “Cambodia”, August 2026.
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