It may seem unbelievable now, given the pace of Siem Reap’s evolution, but reliably great coffee and other deli and bakery staples were tough to find before Blue Pumpkin set up shop near the turn of the millennium. Success may have changed the venture—it now has a number of outlets in Siem Reap, and several more in Phnom Penh—but the philosophy of serving simple but high-quality Asian and Western dishes remains intact. Menu highlights include generously proportioned breakfasts and sandwiches, decadent cakes, famous yogurt shakes, and a wide selection of homemade ice creams and sorbets.

Fine dining doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg in Siem Reap, as Viroth’s proves in classy style. With its secluded tables, separated from each other by silk screens, the venue is a prime spot for an intimate dinner. Elegant furnishings and low mood lighting, meanwhile, up the romance factor. You’d expect such luxury to come at a premium; however, the prices at Viroth’s are highly reasonable. The menu here encompasses some Western and fusion-style dishes, but the emphasis is very much on refined Khmer cuisine. Must-try options include a selection of curries and the restaurant’s prahok (fermented fish paste) grilled in banana leaf.

Exotic cultures collide at this buzzy venue. Drawing on his surroundings in Southeast Asia as well as taking cues from France and the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, chef Georges brews a heady gumbo of culinary influences on his creative menu. While the venue, which encompasses two very different dining areas—a casual, breezy garden and a smarter, more formal area indoors—is highly regarded for its Creole-influenced cuisine, it’s just as famous in Siem Reap for its tremendous rum drinks. House-made rums with local infusions form the basis for a lineup of potent cocktails guaranteed to enliven any evening.

To many gastronomes, the subtle flavors and spicing of Khmer cuisine makes it one of Southeast Asia’s great food secrets. That’s certainly the view of French chef Joannes Riviera, who has taken inspiration from Cambodia’s unsung culinary traditions to create one of the region’s biggest restaurant success stories. Cuisine Wat Damnak has received numerous accolades since opening for business in 2011. Using only the freshest local produce (think juicy tropical fruit, bamboo shoots, and fish from nearby Tonle Sap), Riviera devises regularly changing tasting menus that burst with creativity. Recent hits include a fish sour soup with green banana and rice paddy herb, and a duck confit curry with fresh rice noodles. Dinner is a steal at just $27 for five courses or $31 for six.

The beloved Cambodian breakfast dish of nom banh chok is a love-it-or-hate-it dish for most foreigners, who would probably prefer to have this cold to luke-warm noodle dish served hot. The process of making these rice noodles is depicted in bas reliefs on Angkor temples, suggesting that the dish dates back to the Khmer Empire and traveled to Thailand at the end of the Angkorian era. In Thailand, there is a similar noodle dish called kanom jeen. In Siem Reap it’s typically served at street-side stalls and by roaming women vendors who carry baskets of ingredients on their shoulders. Like anything in Cambodia, you can expect to find an array of versions but a favorite comes with a yellow kroeung curry, a mound of thinly sliced banana blossoms, pickled cucumber, and fresh fragrant green herbs.