Restaurant
Cuisine Wat Damnak
Chef Joannes Riviere's dinner-only restaurant in a traditional wooden house, serving regularly changing eight-course tasting menus of seasonal Cambodian produce.
The Sugar Palm
Chef Kethana's long-running restaurant and bar on Street 27, cooking home-style Cambodian dishes learned from her mother and grandmother.
At a glance
- Type
- Home-style Cambodian
- Area
- Wat Bo, Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
- Official site
- thesugarpalm.com
Good to know
- Dinner only
- Bar
- Closed Mondays
Why we recommend it
The Sugar Palm is a long-standing favourite for home-style Cambodian food. It is run by Chef Kethana, a Cambodian owner who learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. After returning to Cambodia in 2002 she opened restaurants in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and she has advised visiting chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Luke Nguyen, when they came to film their television cookery programmes in the country.
The cooking is traditional and unpretentious, the kind of food served in Cambodian homes rather than in hotels. The restaurant describes its dishes as citrusy peanut salads, curries fragrant with lemongrass and kaffir lime, and quick wok-fried stir-fries, and fish amok features among the dishes. The menu makes a good introduction for visitors new to Cambodian food, and it is worth ordering several dishes to share so that you can try a range of flavours.
The Sugar Palm is an urban restaurant and bar, and it has a relaxed, friendly atmosphere that suits couples, small groups and solo travellers alike. The bar makes it easy to start with a drink before dinner. Chef Kethana also has a farm among the rice fields outside town, where she occasionally hosts cooking classes; ask the restaurant if any are planned during your stay.
The restaurant serves dinner only, from Tuesday to Sunday, starting at 5:30pm with last orders at 9:30pm, and it is closed on Mondays. Booking a table in advance is sensible in the high season, especially for groups. Prices sit in the middle of the Siem Reap range, below the tasting-menu restaurants but above local eateries.
You will find The Sugar Palm on Street 27, opposite Pannasastra University, in the Wat Bo area. It is a short tuk-tuk ride from the Old Market, and it fits well into an evening of exploring the quieter streets around Wat Bo, which has several bars and restaurants within walking distance. If you are travelling as a group, booking ahead lets the restaurant prepare a table, and ordering a spread of dishes to share is the best way to explore the menu. Couples should ask for a quieter table if they would like a more relaxed evening.
The Sugar Palm FAQs
When is The Sugar Palm open?
For dinner from Tuesday to Sunday, from 5:30pm with last orders at 9:30pm. It is closed on Mondays.
Who is the chef?
Chef Kethana, who learned to cook from her mother and grandmother and opened restaurants in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap after returning to Cambodia in 2002.
What should I order?
Home-style dishes such as peanut salads, lemongrass and kaffir lime curries, stir-fries and fish amok.
Is it good for sharing?
Yes, ordering several dishes to share is a good way to try a range of home-style flavours.
Where is it?
On Street 27, opposite Pannasastra University, in the Wat Bo area.
Do I need to book?
Booking ahead is sensible in the high season and for groups.
Does it offer cooking classes?
Chef Kethana occasionally hosts cooking classes at her farm outside town.
Is there a bar?
Yes, The Sugar Palm is a restaurant and bar.