During our first week in Cambodia we stayed in three different accommodations in Kampot.
Kampot is not particularly touristy, but has this atmosphere with French colonial architecture and beautiful sunsets by the Preaek Tuek Chhu river.
One of the reasons we extended our stay in Kampot was the food. We were impressed by the Khmer cuisine and the fusion style influenced by the expats living there.
Here is our Top 5 Restaurants in Kampot.
Green House
This is one of the best meals we had in our entire trip. Green House has also bungalows to stay in a very quiet and beautiful area by the river.
It is located a little far from downtown, so we took our bicycles and rode for about 30 minutes.
The restaurant is run by a French chef who specializes on inventive and traditional cuisine focusing on the main local product, Kampot Pepper.
Before ordering a meal, we decided to indulge ourselves with some appetizers since it was still early to have lunch.
We had some homemade french fries with pepper mayo and homemade marinated olives. Good choices! We never thought pepper mayo could be this delicious! And the olives...well, growing up in Spain gives you high standards in the olive matter, but those ones were fantastic.
After the appetizers we were still hesitating about having lunch there, so we took our time while swimming right there. The restaurant has a small dock where people can sit, have their food and drinks, grab a tube and refresh themselves into the river.
Once we got hungry, we sat down again and after going through the pages of he menu and wanting to try everything with tempting names, we made up our mind and went for the chef Benjamin Martinez's special "Kampot Pepper Discovery Menu".
Since we were two, and each course had two options, we ordered one of each.
The quinoa avocat was one of our favourites. Well, anything with avocado becomes great, right?
We usually don't go to fancy restaurants where you see more plate surface than actual food. But this time, the quality of the fresh ingredients, the mix of flavors and of course, the presentation and looks made us fall for it and completely enjoy the meal without thinking about the price, which in fact, wasn't that bad.
The desserts were awesome, and we could have 3 or 4 more rounds. The apple with pepper and crumble was very unique, and the fondant was that lovely mix of warm and cold that melts in your mouth.
As for the drinks we decided to have just some Khmer ice tea. As budget travelers, we already went beyond our limits with the menu. But reading all the wines and specially the house cocktails on the menu we felt very tempted by those delightful descriptions.
After that indulging meal we recommended Green House to all our friend travelers who were going to Kampot. If we ever go again to Kampot, we are definitely trying the rest of the menu and those attractive cocktails!
Kampot Old Bridge Kitchen
We found this restaurant just walking along the river, where many other restaurants offer nice views of the sunset.
It seemed more quiet and a bit more local than the other places around. We went there a couple of times, the first time we had some banana curry and some beef special curry. Both were amazing and can't decide which one was better.
The second time we went there with our friend Moira and had a typical Khmer fish amok with slightly sweet, thick consistency and a nice lemongrass and kafir lime flavors. And some eggplant and tofu.
The amounts and flavors are really good for the low prices. That's why Kampot Old Bridge Kitchen had to be on this Top 5 list!
Ecran Noodles
This place is famous for their fresh handmade noodles and dumplings. We had to try it since it's one of the most recommended places in town.
The place is in front of the river, next to the Entanou bridge. We went there with Moira for dinner. It was a bit quiet, not many people, maybe because it was a bit too late for dinner.
We had some thick noodles soup with meat dumplings, and a fresh coconut.
We could feel the freshness of the noodles, nice texture and well cooked.
Again, good prices for nice amount of food.
Parata Roti @ Bokor Night Market
We were wondering if there was any good place in the night market. A friend of Moira recommended us the roti bread there. So, one night after exploring Kampot surroundings we stepped by the Bokor Night Market.
Many of the stalls weren't open, and it felt relatively quiet for a night market. Luckily, the place we were looking for was open and no one waiting in line. We had two roti bread with green curry chicken for $1.5 each. Low price, nice amount, absolutely delicious. We were so happy with the bread that we decided to go for one more, this time with condensed milk, as dessert: what a delight!
Aroma House
On our last night in Kampot, we wanted to try this Mediterranean restaurant with many good reviews. Actually we didn't wait until the last night, but the first night we went there it was closed. We didn't want to miss the chance, so, we convinced Moira and she joined us.
We had the chicken falafel combo and a hummus plate with homemade lavash bread. The chicken falafel didn't disappoint: It came with a nice salad and tahini garlic sauce. The hummus was one of the best we ever had. It was all so delicious we regretted not going there sooner on our days in Kampot.
The amounts were great, we got full and the prices weren't the cheapest, but considering the ingredients are a bit hard to get and everything was so fresh and tasty, we and our stomachs left totally satisfied.
Kampot is proud of Kampot Pepper and you will see it all around. You can buy it as spice, but also you will find it in many of the restaurants as part of their menu or ingredients. Try and enjoy! And maybe visit a Pepper Farm like we did to find out more about this local specialty!
We hope you like our recommendations. Have you tried other good restaurants in Kampot or nearby? Leave a comment! Share this posts with anyone who might like it or find it useful!