While I initially did not like Kampot street food, nor the city itself, it has slowly grown on me over the years. And when it comes the Kampot street food scene I have discovered that only is it rich and diverse, but there is also enough nuance to give it a unique feel.
So, when it comes to Kampot street food there are basically three kind of main genres within the city.
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So, what the Kampot?
Kampot is a small city just three hours from the capital of Phnom Penh, as well as being on the southern Cambodian train network. Yes you can get the train from Kampot to Sihanoukville.
The town itself is really nice and I have been lucky enough to visit here for pleasure and to watch football. The reasons for coming here are the river beaches, the lodges and resorts on the riverside, the relaxed vibe and even dark tourism.
And I that were not enough it is also next to Kep seafood market, home of the best street food in Cambodia. I will not include that as part of Kampot though.
Lastly it is also a bit of a knackers yard for poor expats and indeed ladies offering massages. This means 50 can beers are all the rage and that this town is not the place to come if you want to earn some money.
The best street food in Kampot
Street food in Kampot much like other river cities such as Battambang is most prevalent in and around the riverside area. Along these roads there are literally carts and stalls, as well as chairs and tables to support patrons literally everywhere.
Dishes here include all the old classics, such as Cambodian balut, as well as lort cha/mi cha, fried rice, as well as of course Khmer BBQ. There are a least a few things though that makes the street food here at least a little unique, with one of them being stands galore selling fruit, and mixed fruit juices, as well as the often controversial durian.
Durian is the cash crop of Kampot (aside from pepper) and the town is so famous for it they even have durians on their main roundabout. Alas when it off season durian are apparently imported from not as good areas and just sold overpriced.
Kampot food markets
There are a number of food courts, as well as night markets and the like, with one particularly being in the main town and around all of the bars within the city.
What makes these places really stand out is that while they do have Khmer street food dishes, that is also not their main MO. That it would appear is doing a number of western dishes with a Khmer spin on them. This includes Cambodian pizza, burgers, fries, sandwiches and even weird sausages….
It would also appear that many also take inspiration from how we word restaurants in the west, with Khmer Food Cafe confirming how they got their name. I will not lie, but I am going back there and they will get an article of their own.
Cheap restaurants in Kampot
When it comes to the best Kampot street food there is also one other key factor that you cannot ignore and that is that because of all the cheap and indeed stoner barang, food in many restaurants is as cheap as eating on the street.
This largely includes the many many Happy + Word + Pizza joints of which there are many. Once upon a time their main MO was pizza with weed, but some are now actually legit good restaurants. My favorite of these Happy Special Pizza where one can get a steak with blue cheese sauce for just $5, you really cannot argue with that.
Yes there are higher end restaurants in thus town, but you truly can’t go wrong indulging in the Kampot street food scene.