Khmer Kitchens Siem Reap Food Tour with 15+ Tastings

Cambodian cuisine is a daring tightrope walk between jungle herbs, river fish, and the smoky caramel of the sugar palm. But let’s be honest: navigating the city’s local eateries isn’t always straightforward, and not all street eats are created equal. Fear not; you’ve come to the right place. Our feasting tour of 15+ tastings invites guests on a culinary experience around the backstreets of Siem Reap led by our team of professional foodie guides. Before we get started, our tour reflects the local cuisine and the limitations of street food vendors means we unfortunately cannot cater for every dietary restriction. Here's an honest appraisal for the tour so no-one is disappointed: ✖️Vegetarians have 4-5 less tastings due to limited alternatives at some vendors. ✖️ Unsuitable for severe allergies, halal and celiac diets, due to risk of traces and cross-contamination. If you are feeling adventurous for a foodie journey, read on!

Look past the laminated menus on Pub Street; our evening food tour is the backstage pass to the hidden kitchens of the Khmer Kingdom. Begin with mee Kola speciality, a dish that tells the story of the country’s multicultural backbone. Alongside is sizzling banh chao - golden, lacy crepes that earn their name from the moment the batter hits the searing iron pan. We’d rather not spoil all the surprises, but there’s 15+ tastings in total, so you'd best come hungry. Step into the workspace of Ry Sanren, who preserves a vanishing art, still hand-pressing every noodle strand with four decades of muscle memory. The payoff is a bowl of num banhchok, Khmer noodles with a depth of flavour no factory shortcut could ever match.

Our tuk-tuk ventures on a scenic countryside ride to the base of the ancient Phnom Krom, a sacred landscape chosen by King Yasovarman over a millennium ago. As sunset glows over endless lotus fields, dine on grilled snakehead fish with a sweet and sour glaze, and the cornerstone of the Cambodian table, prahok fish paste, served with an overflow of foraged greens and wild aromatics. Later visit a food hero known for her legendary broth simmering for five hours daily. We tackle bone marrow like cavemen picking at a kill, followed by a restorative beef noodle soup. Next, hit a local institution that has mastered wok hei, the "breath of the wok.", with the smoky charred edges of chive cakes, and a house-made signature sauce that has been a guarded recipe since 1991.

As the night cools, we visit a women-led kitchen for marinated beef skewers, slathered in a complex kroeung paste and grilled over charcoal. It’s served with a sharp reminder of the French protectorate: a crisp baguette, and pickled green papaya. Cool down with our final treat of lotus seed dessert, harvested when the Mekong’s floodwaters recede, and the wetlands explode with the petals the Khmer carved into the walls of Angkor Wat. Whilst it's possible to attempt such a culinary marathon alone, you’d be hard-pressed to find these spots without joining our nightly food feast. This is the ultimate crash course in the dishes beloved by locals in Siem Reap.