The Sihanoukville Street Food Guide

While nowhere near as famous as its neighbors, Khmer cuisine and indeed street food is looked at by those of us in the know as one of the hidden gems of southeast Asia. And among the best in the country is Sihanoukville street food.

A famous beach and port, Sihanoukville has long been playground for visiting foreigners, from the French, to regular “barang” and now Chinese. This melting pot has thus helped turned the Sihanoukville street food scene into what it is today. How though does one go about finding the best the city has to offer?

Getting to Sihanoukville

Getting to Sihanoukville used to be quite the arduous march from Phnom Penh, at least prior to the building of the new highway. Nowadays that means that the journey from the couple has shrank for some seven to under three hours. 

Alternatively it can still take 7 hours should you wish to take the scenic train, or better still break it up with a trip via Kampot, or Kep, two towns also well renowned for their cuisines, both street and otherwise. 

Once here you then have probably the biggest range of hotels to choose from within the country, with everything from $1500 a night private island stays, to casinos and finally low end backpacker hostels and hotels. 

Food in Sihanoukville

Food wise Sihanoukville is a city you will not go hungry in, with there being classic Khmer style restaurants from high end to street food, as well as the biggest collection of Chinese restaurants within the Kingdom. 

And with such a huge population of Chinese people here it is not just the collection that is good, but also the range and quality. China is well renowned for its huge array of cuisine and pretty much all of it is represented in Sihanoukville.

This includes hot-pot, any kind of dumpling, or noodle you can imagine, as well as even slightly more obscure varieties such as the cuisine of Shaanxi province, such as Xian cold noodles. And should you know a bit of Chinese then may chefs will cook to order, should you know how to ask for what you want. 

And then of course there is Sihanoukville Street Food 

Street Food Sihanoukville 

During the day time and while people are lounging by the pool, or the beach then Sihanoukville can feel a bit like a host town. This though all starts to change as the sun starts to set and you begin to hear, see and smell the purveyors of street food hit the roads.

In town this manifests itself much the same as it would in other parts of the Kingdom, with Khmer BBQ, ice-cream rolls, freshly made juices and of course fried rice and noodles. The primary difference here though is that the chief accompaniment to these staples is seafood, principally shrimp and squid, both locally caught and saved. This is then topped with signature Sihanoukville hot sauce to mean that no foodie will ever go hungry down town. 

But if you want the best array of street food within the city then you need to head down to one of the beachfronts, such Otres beach, which is now looking cleaner than it ever has. This means that beaches are now full of people either barbecuing their own food, or getting expertly served by the street food vendors who serve everything imaginable from carts, to bikes and even their own cars.

And you do not need to guess what they are selling either, with that being proudly shouted out through loudspeakers. Perhaps the most simple and indeed famous dish served on the beachfront though is simply fried squid on a stick with hot sauce. For $5 one can get themselves a plate of 12 squid on a stick, as well as having the rental of a romantic beachside table thrown in for good measure.

Should this not be enough to quench your hunger and thirst then there are restaurants from high-end to street food (and everything in-between) littering the rest of the promenade. 

Sihanoukville might get stick for what many perceive as it being unfinished, or having any over-reliance on casinos, but scratch beneath surface and it is not hard to find gems here, particularly when it come to food. 

	Sihanoukville, Cambodia
	https://www.cambodialifestyle.com/preah-sihanouk-province/
	+855 9 678 01791

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