Vegetarian Restaurants in Phnom Penh You Have to Try!

Not only did I spend six months living in Phnom Penh, but I’ve visted the city a handful of times since then. Suffice it to say, I’ve done a lot of eating there. There are many reasons I love Phnom Penh, but one great thing about it is that there are so many amazing restaurants sprinkled around the city. And guess what…there are a surprising amount of vegetarian restaurants in Phnom Penh. Cambodia isn’t the most vegetarian-friendly country in the world, but being a vegetarian in Phnom Penh is an absolute joy!

I generally tend to be on the frugal side so I love that I’m able to fill up on quality food from anywhere from $1-5. Seriously eating out in Phnom Penh is not only delicious, but it’s a steal!

Given the amount of eating research I’ve done in Phnom Penh over the years, I figured I might as well compile a guide to some of the best vegetarian restaurants in Phnom Penh. I’ve included some of my favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants too.

Vegetarian Restaurants in Phnom Penh

Mercy House

Location: Street 251

Mercy House is definitely one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in Phnom Penh. It offers a huge list of pure-vegetarian Chinese-inspired dishes. You know a place is good when its always packed with locals!

They don’t speak much English here but the menu has pictures. They have some seriously addictive noodle soups, make-your-own hot pots and so much more. Not to mention, most meals cost less than $3 and there’s free iced tea. Also, if you’re a fan of mock meat, like me, they have some seriously good mock meat dishes.

Vegetarian 1000 – CLOSED

Location: Street 51

This super local, pure-vegetarian place is yet another one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in Phnom Penh. I love it because the food is tasty and it’s really cheap! Vegetarian 1000 is a no-frills, buffet-style restaurant that serves up great vegetarian Cambodian food. And strict vegetarians can rest assured that there will be no fish sauce lurking in your meal!

There isn’t any English spoken here but it’s easy enough to just point to the dishes you want and they will serve you. Keep in mind that their hours are a bit odd. They are open from 6:30-9:30am, 10-2pm and open again for dinner at 5pm (though this could change). Their food selection changes on a daily basis. So far my favorite items have been the papaya salad, the sweet tofu and the vegetable soup.

They typically have a few mock meat dishes and the breaded chicken cutlets are especially good. But if you’re not a fan of fake meat, you’ll have plenty to choose from. Dishes cost either 1,000 or 2,000 riel ($.25-.50). They also have complimentary iced tea.

Evergreen Vegetarian and Café House

Location: 109, Street 130

As a vegetarian, I really don’t know what I would do without Happy Cow. Thanks to that site I was able to find this little hole in the wall during my second day in Phnom Penh. When I lived in Phnom Penh, it quickly became one of my go-to places to grab a cheap, quick and tasty meal. It is always filled with local families sharing hot pots…always a good sign if you ask me.

They offer an array of noodle dishes and soups that cost around $2. There are tons of vegetarian dishes, like mushroom dumplings, mock pork with rice, and lemongrass noodles.

I’ve tried a few things on the menu and my favorites so far are the “chicken” nuggets and the dumpling soup (see above). The dumpling soup is loaded with noodles, veggies, a few types of mock meat (yay!) and some seriously amazing dumplings. It is so good and only costs $2.

Backyard Cafe
Location: 11B, Street 246

I haven’t been to Backyard Cafe myself. Somehow I keep missing it during my recent trips to the city, but it is all the rage in Phnom Penh right now. Backyard Cafe now has three locations in the city and they’re all about serving up healthy (and Instagrammable) vegetarian, vegan and raw food dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Think avocado toast, breakfast and lunch bowls, fresh salads and a whole slew of sandwiches. I’m definitely hitting this place up the next time I visit.

Surn Yi Mei Shi Guan Vegetarian Restaurant

Location: On Street Samdach Preah Theamak Lethet Ouk (near the corner of Street 19)

Surn Yi Mei Shi Guan is another pure-vegetarian hole-in-the-wall eatery near the riverfront. I’m not going to lie: it isn’t my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Phnom Penh but they do have some decent food for really cheap. While it is a Cambodian restaurant, they have an enormous menu and a lot of variety.

I read great things about their burgers, so that’s exactly what I ordered. And for a little over $2 how could I resist?

Again, it’s not the most gourmet burger in town, not by a long shot. But they have what seems like 1.000 combinations of veggie burgers. You can basically choose from a normal veggie burger or any combination of mock meat you want…ham, chicken, steak, you name it.

I think I ordered the “chicken” burger. It was really more like a mystery meat burger topped with a fried egg and slathered with a special sauce. Admittedly I feel like I should have been either drunk or hungover to consume it but it was kind of good, even in my sober state. Also the faux chicken drumsticks are killer!

Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Phnom Penh

Taste of the Middle East

I never expected to sample authentic Iraqi food in Phnom Penh. But that’s Phnom Penh for you! Taste of the Middle East is operated by a family who fled their war-torn hometown of Fallujah in 2014. They serve up some seriously good falafel and shawarma (for around $3) as well as staples like hummus and tabbouleh.

The extensive menu features tons of vegetarian (and meat) options. When I visited I didn’t know what to order. The owner’s son gave me some recommendations and everything he suggested was incredible. I highly recommend this place!

Warung Bali

Location: Street 178 No. 25

Because I spent a year living in Indonesia, I was thrilled when I discovered this Indonesian restaurant in Phnom Penh. Because I’ve eaten so much delicious street food in Indonesia, I figured I’d walk away disappointed. But this place is run by a Javanese native and it’s super authentic.

They even make their own tempeh and kecap manis (a thick and sweet sauce). They have a handful of vegetarian dishes: fried tempeh, karedok (raw vegetables with peanut sauce) and gado gado (I wrote a whole post about it here) for a under $2.

Vego Salad Bar – CLOSED

Location: Street 294

After doing an absurd amount of research on where to find bagels in Phnom Penh, I finally found Vego Salad Bar. Yes, this is one of the few places to get New York-style bagels in the city, but they also serve up some really good salads, sandwiches and juices.

Aside from their bagels (surprisingly good by the way) I’ve tried the Sicily sandwich, which has roasted eggplant, bell pepper, feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes on focaccia bread. I’ve also sampled the Cambridge, an egg salad sandwich with roasted peppers on homemade bread.

The sandwiches are a tad pricey at $4-6, but they are worth the splurge. Aside from a great selection of sandwiches they also have a fully stocked salad bar and a few curry, noodle and rice dishes perfect for vegetarians.

Cocina Cartel

Location: 19 198b Street

Believe it or not there are actually quite a few Mexican restaurants in Phnom Penh. Because I’m a total Mexican food snob I was surprised that I actually liked the food at Cocina Cartel. It’s pretty good!

They serve up great tasting California-style Mexican food – make-your-own meat or veggie burritos, quesadillas, tacos and bowls. They also have some pretty decent red and green salsa, a rarity at Mexican restaurants in Asia!  Everything costs $5-6, which isn’t all that bad for Mexican food in Southeast Asia.

Dosa Corner

Rue Pasteur No. 51

There are actually a bunch of Indian restaurants in Phnom Penh. But Dosa Corner is where it’s at. It’s a no-frills hole-in-the-wall restaurant that offers cheap, quality Indian food. They have all sorts of vegetarian and non-vegetarian staples, including tons of dosas (obvs), uttapams and even a vegetarian thali, which all cost just a few dollars. If you like Indian food, definitely go here!

Hummus House

Location: #81 Sisowath Quay (Riverfront)

I already wrote about this place in a previous post, but it’s worth mentioning again because, in my humble opinion, it’s one of the best restaurants in Phnom Penh. It’s not pure vegetarian, but the great thing about Mediterranean food is that it’s generally really veg friendly.

This authentic Lebanese restaurant has a wide selection of dishes from kebabs to wraps to salads. I’ve been there multiple times and have yet to order anything besides the falafel wrap and a side of baba ghanoush because both are so good! An added bonus is that the portions are huge. I can only ever eat half a wrap in a sitting, so for $3.50 I think it’s a total bargain.

Katy Peri Peri Peri’s Chicken and Pizza – CLOSED

Location: 51 Paster Street

Kati Peri’s Pizza doesn’t look like much at first glance. It’s is basically a wood-fired oven on the back of a tuk tuk, but this pizza is so freaking good and so freaking cheap! This is the place to go after a boozy night out (they’re open till 5 am) or you can even get pizza delivered to your hotel (after 10 pm only). I love the 4 Cheese Pizza, but they have a few other veg options to choose from.

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For anyone who’s interested, Never Ending Voyage wrote a wonderful post about vegetarian food in Cambodia called Vegetarian Survival Guide to Cambodia.  I highly recommend reading it if you’re a vegetarian traveling in Cambodia!

Have you been to Phnom Penh? Do you have anything to add to this list?