Can you get North Korean Food in Phnom Penh?

Can you get North Korean food in Phnom Penh? Khmer Nights went deep undercover to find out. In the good old days the answer was a resounding yes, with the North Korean state owned Pyongyang Restaurant franchise having branches throughout Phnom Penh and even in Siem Reap.

Back in the day King Sihanouk was famously really good friends with President Kim Il Sung, even describing him as his closest family after the death of his mother.

You can read more about the friendship between Kim Il Sung and King Sihanouk here.

The end of North Korean restaurants in Cambodia

Sadly as the sanctions situation against the DPRK worsened that meant that all North Korean restaurant franchises were forced to close and say this included in Cambodia, despite the formerly close relations of the two countries. And with their closure the North Koreans went home and buildings went empty.

But you can still get Korean food right?

The difference between North and South Korean food

While the cosines of North Korea and South Korea are obviously very similar, there are many subtle differences, but when it comes to dining in a fancy North Korean restaurant to say the cheap and cheerful “Seoul” franchise then it is almost like worlds colliding – quite the irony when they are both named after their respective capital cities.

You can read about the differences between North and South Korean food here.

North Korean food tends to be fresher, with dishes like kimchi being made on-site and there being North Korean specialties like Pyongyang Cold Noodles and DPRK style BBQ, to name but a few.

North Korean Food in Phnom Penh – the ambience

Of course there are upscale South Korean restaurants in Phnom Penh, but there is a certain class and style that only comes from DPRK themed restaurants. The waitresses all wear North Korean style uniforms, there are always private rooms, and the decor will usually have a grandiose painting of one of the most famous mountains in the DPR of Korea, such as Mt Kumgang, or Mt Peaktu – the mythical birthplace of the Korean people, and General Kim Jong Il

Sadly these were to close, but as we were to find out there is still at least one place that whilst not exactly North Korean, still has that DPRK flair to it.

Blue Flower Restaurant and Shop

We were to discover this restaurant on the recomendation from a South Korean friend. The restaurant is owned and managed by Chinese-Koreans from the north-east of China, with the theme definitely being to be as North Korean as possible. The decor could have been lifted straight out of Pyongyang, with the huge picture of Mt Kumgang really setting the scene.

You are then served a classic North Korean menu by Chinese-Korean staff, all wearing the classic blue uniform that so epitomized the Pyongyang restaurant chain.

Menu wise it features all the classics, such as duck BBQ, Pyongyang Cold Noodles, but most importantly Taedonggang Beer. We will not get into too many North vs South debates, but when it comes to beer the north wins hands down. Taedonggang Beer is no Cass, although at $8 per bottle you need to be a true fan of the stuff and not the kind of person who crawls the riverside looking for 25 cent Angkor Beer.

You can read about Taedonggang Beer bere.

So, while there is no official North Korean restaurant in Phnom Penh anymore, they do have Blue Flower Restaurant and Shop, which serves great North Korean food, has excellent service and best of all is in walking distance of Kim Il Sung Boulevard.

Times might have changed, but some friendships truly do stand the test of time…..

	Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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