Tourist Entertainment Guide For Cambodia

All over the country, you’ll find small food stalls selling local foods such as fish, salads, rice and sweets. Most offer fairly palatable food at down-to-earth prices, but don’t expect anything fancy. If you want something slightly more upmarket, you’ll find it in Phnom Penh or in Siem Reap. Phnom Penh has a number of restaurants, both stand-alone and in-house, where you can get Cambodian food and international cuisine, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, American, and fast food like burgers and pizzas. Most of Phnom Penh’s eating establishments - especially its food stalls- are concentrated in the O Ressei Market, the Tuol Tom Market and the Central Market.

Cambodia is not hot and happening when it comes to entertainment. Yes, the country does have a rich cultural heritage- the highly stylised dance forms and the traditional music are very beautiful indeed; but the problem is that there are relatively few venues where you can see organised performances of these. Most cultural performances take place in Phnom Penh; you should look out for listings in the local newspapers for any performances to be held. If you’re lucky enough to be in Cambodia at the time of one of the major festivals, you might even get to see some `live’ performances at parades or processions.

For the `nightlife-crazy’ Phnom Penh doesn’t have much to offer; a few restaurants and bars offer live shows or dancing, but other than these and the odd discotheque or karaoke lounge, there’s really not much in the way of nightlife. Outside Phnom Penh, there’s little scope for entertainment, other than what you might be able to see at festivals.