Vegan Guide to Cambodia
Updated October 2022
Our Vegan Guide to Cambodia will help you find somewhere to eat delicious vegan food whilst exploring this wonderful country. This vegan Cambodia guide links to location specific vegan travel guides for Cambodia which have extensive lists of vegan, vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurants and hotels in Cambodia, we’ve also featured some of our favourites that just you shouldn’t miss. We love Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonder, where you can immerse yourself in rich culture and history and soak up the vibrance of daily life at every turn. See lush green rice paddies and picture postcard rural landscapes, visit rainforests and waterfalls, tropical beaches, riverside towns, floating villages or fast growing urban cities; Cambodia has something for everyone.
Cambodia Vegan Tour
We partnered with the award winning Vegan Travel Asia to create a series of immersive 14 day Cambodia Vegan Tours which launched in December 2022. Exploring the country and learning about the people, the traditions, the culture and the food that makes Cambodia such an enchanting destination. The itinerary for these small group tours will include spending time in Phnom Penh, Battambang and Siem Reap. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to join our Cambodia vegan tours!
Vegan food in Siem Reap
Siem Reap is so vegan friendly that we made it our home, known to some as ‘Temple Town’, it’s home to the magnificent Angkor Wat which should definitely be on everyone’s bucket list to see. As a vegan traveller you won’t go hungry here, with multiple choices including vegetarian restaurants with plenty of vegan options and omni restaurants that also serve plant based cuisine. We’ve written a detailed and extensive Vegan Guide to Siem Reap that lists nearly 40 places where you can dine after an exhausting day exploring the temples but the following restaurants are some of our favourites.
When in Siem Reap, dine at Haven
You often read about organisations that offer help to those less fortunate than others, especially whilst travelling in Cambodia. Some of these organisations shine brightly above others, like Haven who train and support vulnerable young people, who may be from orphanages or very rural poor areas, to work in their very fabulous restaurant. We love what they do and we also love their food; the menu is omni with a number of vegan options and they are always willing to veganise other dishes wherever possible. Pay them a visit to enjoy a tasty meal whilst supporting this great initiative which has been in Siem Reap since 2011. You can even take your own bottle of wine and pay a corkage charge of $10 which goes straight into the tip jar (another great way to support the Haven family.
When in Siem Reap, don’t miss…
…the vegan menus at New Leaf, Fellini and Vannakam, the only 100% vegan restaurant in town called Hey Bong and the excellent vegetarian restaurants Banlle and Peace Cafe. There are many more options in our vegan guide to Siem Reap, way too many to mention here but you really won’t be disappointed at any of these vegan friendly restaurants in Siem Reap. Images below show the curry at New Leaf and the burger at Hey Bong.
Vegan food in Phnom Penh
The bustling capital city of Cambodia is busy, busy, busy but it’s a key place to visit to transit through to other places as well as visiting the infamous and humbling S21 prison and the Killing Fields, after some sobering sightseeing you will need to find some vegan food. Our Vegan Guide to Phnom Penh has the lowdown but here are a few of our favourites here:
When in Phnom Penh, dine at Bong Bonlai
Tough to choose a favourite in Phnom Penh but Bong Bonlai just about edges it due to the fact you can stay there too. So in addition to an extensive menu of plant based delights you can check into YK Arthouse and have a great night sleep, safe in the knowledge that a vegan breakfast awaits you the following day.
When in Phnom Penh, don’t miss…
…the excellent 100% vegan restaurant and hostel Sacred Lotus, more vegan dosas than you could dream of at Masala Dosa Street Kitchen or delicious local vegetarian restaurants JC Vegetarian and Vegetarian Menu Restaurant who now have an all vegan menu. Images below show a smoothie bowl at Bong Bonlai and amazing vegan fish at Vegetarian Menu Restaurant.
Vegan food in Battambang
Only a few hours away from Siem Reap is Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia behind Phnom Penh; despite the size it has a sleepy vibe and a thriving arts scene. Life revolves around the central market and tourists make a short visit to ride the bamboo train and see the surrounding countryside. Our Vegan Guide to Battambang tells you everything we learned from our last trip there, which included riding the bamboo train.
When in Battambang, stay at Bambu Hotel
Bambu Hotel Battambang have embraced the demand for vegan and plant based food from their guests and regular customers. We worked closely with the team to help develop their new menus which now feature vegan breakfast dishes such as scrambled tofu and noodle soup. For dinner you will find everything from vegan burgers and vegan shepherds pie, to vegan lok lak and vegan amok, all of which are delicious making Bambu Hotel Battambang the most vegan friendly place to stay in Battambang.
When in Battambang, don’t miss…
…the two excellent local vegetarian restaurants called Monorom Garden and Ahaa Boer which are located opposite each other, the social enterprise eatery, Jaan Bai who have plenty of vegan options, or La Pizza on the riverside for delicious vegan Italian food. Images below show dumplings at Monorom Gardens and vegan pizza at La Pizza.
Kampot
A sleepy riverside town that is well worth a visit, Kampot is also where you’ll find some of the world’s finest pepper. Spend a few days here and discover plenty of vegan food options. We loved our day at Bokor National Park and would highly recommend hiring a moto and setting off to explore, it was a truly wonderful day. Here is our Vegan Guide to Kampot (which needs an update) with more details of the vegan food options in town, also read about our recent stay at Amber Kampot, a vegan friendly luxury riverside resort that we loved.
Sihanoukville
On the coast and often only a stopover to the nearby islands, there were multiple vegan options in Sihanoukville before mass development changed the town forever. You won’t starve, but the vegan options are few and far between sadly. Read about our recent vegan staycation in Sihanoukville where we certainly didn’t starve, and also check out our Vegan Guide to Sihanoukville which we will update next time we’re in town.
Vegan Friendly Luxury Hotels and Resorts in Cambodia
Check out these ‘tried and tested’ vegan friendly luxury hotels and resorts in Cambodia that one of our team has stayed at. Each of them understood our request for plant based food and ensured that our experience as vegan guests was very enjoyable. We would always recommend contacting your hotel or resort in advance to advise them of your dietary choice, and then to follow this up upon check in by asking to speak with either the restaurant manager or member of the F&B team.
Other Vegan Guides to Cambodia
We hope our vegan guide to Cambodia has been helpful, for all things Cambodia check out the ever helpful Move To Cambodia website for a wealth of well researched and up to date info including this recent article ‘How to eat vegan and vegetarian in Cambodia’ which has some very useful language info cards and information about hidden ingredients to watch out for. On Facebook you can join the Vegan Cambodia group and also Veg in Phnom Penh where you will find more useful information for your Cambodian vegan travel adventure.
If you are in Sihanoukville, then be sure to visit Bamboo Bar. The largest selection of vegetarian and vegan food in the city. Cooking on clean water without using sodium glutamate. Open 24 hours 7 days a week. The kitchen works from 8am to 10pm. We will be glad to see you!
we will pop in next time we’re in town for sure!
Oh my goodness thank you so much for this information, I can’t think what we would have done without it! During our 5 day visit we tried the Peace cafe, Artillery and Chamkar – all delicious! Big thank you!
It’s so rewarding to hear that Rita so thank you for taking the time to tell us how we helped you enjoy yourselves. We’re really happy to have been useful, we love sharing our discoveries with other people and your appreciation really means a lot to us. Thank you 🙂
Caryl and Paul xx
I live in Siem Reap and i never heard some of your address. I’m happy to know this place now and i will try some.
Thanks 🙂
That’s great! Lovely to hear from a fellow Siem Reap resident 🙂
This blog is extremely informative, and it is well written. We, at Shiva Shakti, are also a part of the food industry! We serve the best vegetarian food and a variety of dishes in our restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Please visit our website for more information, which includes our menu, catering services, and event planning services. Visit our website to know more