Vegan Food in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh was the last stop on our Cambodia tour. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and is a bustling city full of locals and tourists alike. I must admit…my first impression of Phnom Penh wasn’t great as I had just traveled to Koh Rong and Kampot which were extremely laid back. Phnom Penh is a busy city and it was a bit difficult to get adjusted to city life again. However, it grew on me every day, and I ended up really enjoying my time here. As far as vegan food in Phnom Penh goes, it has so much to offer and I had some of my most memorable meals in Cambodia in Phnom Penh.

Okay Boutique Hotel

#174 Street, St 19z, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Let me start off by saying this hotel was BEAUTIFUL. If you’re looking for mid-range priced accommodation with a 5-star atmosphere, I highly recommend Okay Boutique Hotel. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, the rooms were clean, and there’s a rooftop pool and restaurant to enjoy. For breakfast, there are plenty of delicious vegan options in the buffet. I also ate dinner on the rooftop two times during my stay. The staff was able to help me pick out vegan options, and I ended up having green curry one night, and a tofu vegetable stir fry another night. Both dishes were excellent, but the curry was especially outstanding. It’s really nice staying at a hotel with vegan options so you never have to go too far for food if you’re hungry!

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Backyard Cafe

11B Street 246, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Thinking back on Backyard Cafe, what comes to mind is good, wholesome food. The food that they serve is fresh, seasonal, and organic. Plus, everything is made in-house including their sauces! Their menu offered a variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert items. Not everything is vegan, but vegan options are clearly marked on the menu. I ordered the Abundance Bowl with a matcha latte to drink and shared a smoothie bowl as a dessert with my friends. The abundance bowl was out of this world. There were quite a few ingredients in it so I won’t list them all, but here are a few to give you a picture of what it was: quinoa, pumpkin, tempeh, hummus, sauerkraut, cashew cheese, and more. YUM.

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Sara Ethiopian Restaurant

House No. 1 Street 172 Sangkat Chey Chum Neas, 12206, Cambodia

I was so surprised and excited when I heard there was an Ethiopian restaurant in town! I first tried Ethiopian food in Seoul, and totally fell in love with the flavors! Sara Ethiopian Restaurant offers plenty of vegan options, but of course, I wanted to sample as much as possible, so I opted for the vegan platter with consisted of different veggies, lentils, peas, and of course, Ethiopian pancake/flatbread (Injera). Everything was really great, but I especially loved the spiced lentils and peas for dipping the injera in!

Farm to Table

#16 St 360, 1 12302, Cambodia

This restaurant was easily one of my favorite vegan-friendly restaurants I ate at while traveling Phnom Penh. The ambiance is just gorgeous as it’s set in a garden with outdoor seating and some twinkle lights for after the sun sets. Also, this restaurant takes great measures to be as environmentally friendly as possible by cooking with the seasons, getting produce from local farms and from their own on-site garden, and selling different eco-friendly products such as metal straws. As for the food…it was as expected, so fresh and light, but it did not lack in flavor. I ate the cauliflower wings and a green power bowl both of which were quite nice! For other vegan options they also offered falafel, a Greek wrap, a jackfruit sandwich, pho, and cauliflower kung pao, but remember…the menu changes with the seasons!

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Artillery Cafe

St 244, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Artillery Cafe had been on my list since visiting Siem Reap as they also have a location there, but I finally made it to one on the last leg of my Cambodia trip while visiting Phnom Penh. We came at kind of an awkward time, so we weren’t hungry enough to order full meals which is a shame because their menu offered a lot of delicious-sounding vegan options! We were not, however, too full for desserts so we ordered smoothies, vegan cookie dough, and vegan brownie bites. I LOVE cookie dough and Artillery Cafe’s vegan version of it definitely brought me back to when I was young and sneaking it out of a bowl while baking with my Grandma. The brownies were a bit different from what I had expected, but still, they were rich, moist, and good enough that I would order them again!

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Vitking House

 315 St 430, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

After doing a lot of research on vegan food in Phnom Penh, I came across the best piece of advice: DO NOT MISS THE MUSHROOM SKEWERS AT VITKING. The article I read was quite adamant that these skewers were life-changing and that it would be a sin to skip eating these in Phnom Penh. Needless to say, after reading all of that, my expectations of these were quite high. Did they meet my expectations? YES. It was almost strange how much these mushrooms resembled meat. If I hadn’t known before that it was made of mushroom, I definitely would have guessed seitan. Everything about this dish was on point from the flavor to the texture to the presentation. I absolutely loved them. We also ordered a spicy ramen soup, dumplings, and spring rolls. They all tasted fine, but the skewers outshined the rest of our dishes by far!

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Aroma

186 Preah Ang Eng St. (13), Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Aroma’s menu boasts Lebanese Tapas which sounded fun, so a friend and I came here for a quick snack before heading to a show. However, the food was so good we ended up ordering enough to be considered a meal. Staff members were willing and able to help us with ordering vegan options, and we ended up with a really great spread! We had falafel, pita, hummus, baba ganoush, and of course a glass of wine! This restaurant is definitely a good option for having some vegan food in Phnom Penh.

Sundown Social Club

#86, Street 440, Phnom Penh 12310, Cambodia

This is a gem of a place and it definitely needs to be talked about more! First of all, it’s a rooftop bar overlooking the Russian Market and it has the cutest interior! They serve up some great cocktails including some giant ones that can be shared between friends. They also offer some epic vegan junk food on their menu which I was very excited about! I ordered tofu tacos and my friend ordered a falafel dog. They also had vegan burgers, potstickers, skewers, and fried cauliflower on the menu. The tacos that I ordered are comparable to vegan “fish” tacos as the tofu was battered and they were topped with cabbage and a creamy tartare sauce. They definitely hit the spot and made for the perfect bar snack to have with a cocktail!

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Central Market

 ផ្សារ​ធំ​ថ្មី, Calmette St. (53), Phnom Penh, Cambodia

What’s a trip to Southeast Asia without indulging in some of the amazing street food options? For vegan food in Phnom Penh that’s local and from the street vendors, look no further than the Central Market. This market is huge and is also great for shopping, but I visited with just one thing in mind…food. I especially was on the lookout for these vegan-friendly chive cakes. As soon as I saw a vendor with them, I plopped down on a plastic stool and placed my order! My chive cake came out piping hot. The dough on the outside was crispy, but quite chewy on the inside almost like mochi, and the chives inside were juicy and gave it great flavor! The chive cakes were definitely a 10/10 for me!

At the market, I also noticed some Cambodian style doughnuts and spoke to the woman selling them who was able to tell me what was and wasn’t vegan. I ended up with some of the traditional style doughnuts, and they were really nice! They had a crisp, crunchy, sugary exterior similar to creme brulee which for me was quite unique to have on a doughnut! I really enjoyed these doughnuts, and the only complaint I have about them is that it gets stuck in your teeth easily. However, it’s totally worth that struggle!

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