Eating at
the floating villages

Kompong Phluk and Chong Kneas both have stilted and floating restaurants, serving Khmer and Western food as well as some other Asian dishes. Prices vary, but they are typically higher than in Siem Reap, because of the rural location and because everything has to come in by boat. Kompong Khleang has no restaurant for visitors at all. Here is what to expect in each village, and how to eat well on the lake. Still deciding where to go? Compare the four Siem Reap floating villages.

Kompong Phluk

Having dinner while watching the sunset is a popular thing to do in Kompong Phluk. After visiting the village and the flooded forest, you can stop at the stilted restaurant at the edge of the forest, which has a wooden deck that runs out among the trees. Main courses are around $7 to $10, more than in town: you are paying for the view, and the boat driver receives a commission for bringing you. It is still a great place to enjoy the sunset with a cold drink and some food. The menu is fried rice, fried noodles, fish and a few Western dishes.

There is no need to book unless you are traveling with a large group. It is easy to find: you will pass it after your canoe through the forest, and you can simply ask your boatman to stop. If you are traveling on a budget, you can buy food in Siem Reap and bring it on the boat with you instead.

Kompong Khleang

There is no restaurant for visitors in Kompong Khleang, which is part of its appeal. You will sometimes find local favorites like grilled Tonle Sap water snake and duck eggs, and village shops sell drinks and packaged snacks like crisps and biscuits to keep you going. If you plan to spend a long time in Kompong Khleang, it is better to bring a packed lunch, which your hotel or guesthouse can usually arrange. Some homestays in the village also offer lunch and dinner if you book in advance; they need time to prepare, and it is always a set meal of two or three main courses, usually $5 to $7. Or stop in Dam Dek, the nearest town on the road in, to eat at a local restaurant or wander the market. Our Kompong Khleang tour stops for sticky rice cooked in bamboo and fresh doughnuts on the way.

Chong Kneas

Chong Kneas has several large floating restaurants out on the open lake, and the boats there usually stop at one. You can have fried rice or a cold beer with a wide view of the lake, and the sunset is lovely from the upper decks. Prices are well above town prices, and you are always welcome to stay on the boat if you would rather not stop.

Keep in mind

While the restaurants cater to visitors, cleanliness can be a challenge: it is simply hard to keep to strict hygiene standards when you live on a lake with thousands of neighbors. If you are eating in the floating villages, a few simple habits go a long way:

• Choose food that is cooked in front of you and served hot: something fried, grilled fish, anything from a wok.
• Avoid raw vegetables and salads, and ice of unknown origin. Drink sealed bottled water.
• Make sure meat is fully cooked, especially chicken and pork.
• The safest local treats to try are the ones made fresh in front of you: sticky rice cooked in bamboo, doughnuts straight from the fryer, and anything cooked to order.

If for any reason you are unsure about a dish, it is better to leave it. There is nothing worse than food poisoning on a short holiday. To avoid hurting anyone's feelings, simply ask the server to wrap it up so you can eat it on the lake, and share it with the locals, who have stronger stomachs after years on the Tonle Sap.

Our floating village foodie tour

On our floating village and street food tour, food is the whole point of the day. In the village we show you what the lake provides: the fish, lake shrimp, clams and prahok, the fermented fish paste that flavors so much of Cambodian cooking. We explain how it is caught, dried and prepared, but we generally don't encourage you to eat it. The things we do encourage you to eat, like sticky rice cooked in bamboo and doughnuts fried in front of you, are very safe and well prepared.

Before the tasting starts, your guide always talks with you to get a sense of how adventurous your stomach is, so you can make an informed decision about each stop. You can try as much or as little as you like.

Part of the highlight comes after the floating village, when we take you to Road 60. This is where locals go in the evening for street food, and where you will find interesting insects, among many other things, with your guide ordering for you. The Road 60 street food stop can also be added to any Kompong Phluk or Kompong Khleang private tour in Design your Day.

If you want a proper meal as part of your day, you can also do it the other way round: the village and the sunset on the water, then dinner in town. That is our street food day: Kompong Khleang in the afternoon, then the evening stalls on Street 60 with a guide who knows which ones. Vegetarian and vegan guests are easy to feed on all our tours; just let us know when you book.

Frequently asked questions