The Best Street Food Stalls in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Found sizzling away in pans of oil, chet chien (deep-fried bananas) are the Cambodian version of the Scottish deep-fried Mars bars and a popular street food snack. Ripe bananas are flattened and dipped into a sweet batter with black sesame seeds and then deep-fried. While they can be found across the city, the food cart on Street 9 at Phsar Kapko serves up mighty fine versions of the snack.

Phnom Penh’s smattering of markets are the best place to sample street food, with the bustling community hubs packed full of stalls serving every kind of dish available. Carts also traditionally dot the outside of markets. The Night Market on the riverside is aimed at young locals, with the noisy affair containing an array of stalls selling everything from clothes and accessories to CDs, DVDs and electrical goods. It is also home to a large food quarter, with grilled meats, noodle and rice dishes, Cambodian sausages, spring rolls and everything in between.

Blink and you’d miss it, but this nondescript coffee stall in the centre of Russian Market does what its name suggests: serves the best Khmer coffee. And the best part of it is the hospitality of its owner, Ai Bounnareth, who has operated the coffee and fresh juice stand since 1980. Friendly, he is happy to share his knowledge with visitors while he makes drinks from behind the counter. And with coffee costing $1, it’s a bargain compared to the upmarket coffee shops he is competing against outside.

Forget Krispy Kreme, which made its debut in the capital at the end of 2016, because there are stalls dotted across Phnom Penh selling donuts that are just as delicious and cost a fraction of the price. One of the best is the fried-food stand on Street 9. For 25 cents, you can buy a light and fluffy donut with a delicate dusting of sugar. These are sold throughout the morning, with the stall switching to fried savoury foods in the afternoon.

For mighty fine and delicious Yakitori spit-roasted chicken skewers, look no further than the stall on Street 123 — although their skewers are only sold during dinner time. With prices starting at 50 cents for a thigh or heart, veggies are also catered for, with mushroom or aubergine and cheese options available. Other meals are served throughout the day, including chicken, rice, salad and chips.

The baguette remains a relic left by the French, with carts stacked full of the bread seen throughout the capital. A great place to feast on the snack is at Phsar Chas, or Old Market, where street vendors selling the sandwiches line the outside of the market. Nompang sak koh is a good option, with skewers of barbecued lemongrass beef layered inside a baguette with pickled vegetables and chilli.

Another Khmer staple is noodles, and there is an abundance of places to get your fix from. One of the finest is the fried noodle stand on the corner of Streets 135 and 450, near Russian Market. Specialising in fried noodles with beef, tofu and veggies, with a fried egg on top (starting at $1), the popular stand ensures queues are kept to a minimum by operating a four-wok system.

Orussey Market is a large local market that has remained mostly off the tourist track. In keeping with markets, there is a large food area, with stalls selling all kinds of local snacks and meals throughout the day. This is a great place to try one of Cambodia’s national dishes, num banh chok, or Khmer noodles. Eaten either for breakfast or an afternoon snack, the rice noodles, topped with a fish-based curry gravy made from kaffir lime, lemongrass and turmeric root, this dish is a must-try while in Cambodia.

Bai sach chrouk, or pork and rice, is one of the most popular breakfast dishes in Cambodia. Served across the city, a great spot to sample the dish is at the street-side eatery on the corner of Streets 13 and 100, opposite the Post Office. Here, the scent of marinated pork being grilled on the barbecue wafts through the air, enticing diners to the bustling eatery.

Deep-fried creepy crawlies are considered a delightful snack in Cambodia and several critters form part of the country’s more unusual menu of meals. Food carts flogging the insects that dot the riverside are geared towards the tourist crowds that flock there. So, expect to pay inflated prices and to dish out a dollar for photos. Those who are brave enough can tuck into deep-fried tarantulas, crickets and even scorpions on a stick.

If you’re questioning the quality of a pizza made in the back of a tuk tuk, then Katy Peri’s will prove you wrong. As one of the capital’s most popular late-night eats, the mobile pizza cart is often swarming with punters post-2am. Open until about 5am, it also does deliveries, so you never need to go hungry in the early hours again, regardless of where you are in the city.

A new trend that is sweeping across the capital is more upmarket mobile food carts setting up shop on the city’s sidewalks. iBurger is a shining example, with the small food truck on Street 51 excelling in the burger stakes. With a small collection of tables and chairs set up on some AstroTurf, iBurger serves an astonishing range of options, including the nacho burger made of guacamole, Jalapeño and salsa, served with sweet potato crisps and the rib eye beef burger.