Skip to Content

Siem Reap Breakfast Restaurants: 7 Great Community Restaurants Supporting the Locals

Siem Reap Breakfast Restaurants: 7 Great Community Restaurants Supporting the Locals

Siem Reap breakfast, and dinner restaurants are hot on supporting locals through their community restaurant start-up schemes.

Visitors can enjoy breakfast in Siem Reap knowing that not only will their food taste amazing, but they are also helping to support local social enterprises by eating in one of the community-run restaurants and cafes in Siem Reap.

Western favourites of avocado toast and smoothie bowls sit side-by-side on menus with delicious local Khmer meals. Everyone is covered with a wide range of dishes for all tastes.

The restaurants pride themselves on offering training and employment to the local people to aid in their development and well-being, with local and international charities supporting these ventures and creating great places for the traveller to eat whilst giving back to the community.

During my four nights in Siem Reap, I discovered these wonderful community restaurants and ate there for breakfast and dinner in Siem Reap. It felt good to support local ventures and experience some fabulous meals.

This travel guide may contain affiliate links – please read my disclaimer and privacy policy for more information.

Do you need to arrange travel insurance, car hire or accommodation? Please check out my resources page to help you plan your trip.

Best Siem Reap Restaurants and Cafes for Travellers

Footprint Cafe

This was my favourite cafe on Street 26, near Siem Reap’s river. 

I loved the concept of a restaurant within a bookstore where travellers can enjoy a meal and then leave with a book. The Footprint Cafe is supported by a charity and managed by local staff, making it a viable self-sustained business. Visitors can buy donated books, with sales helping to generate grants for local communities. The motto “People, Planet, Profit” certainly explains their ethos.

What’s on the menu?

The menu offers mouth-watering dishes such as peanut butter & dark chocolate porridge combo, vegan pumpkin pancakes with sautéed green apples, bananas and a ginger glaze or for those with a more savoury palate,  Sunni’s savoury fry-up. Fresh smoothies and great coffee complement the dishes.

I was so impressed with my Siem Reap breakfast and the friendly staff that I returned in the evening for dinner. The Cambodian chicken curry was sensational and washed down with a delicious cocktail.

Find Footprint Cafe on Street 26, 50 metres from the river in Siem Reap.

The Missing Socks Laundry Cafe

This is a laundromat and a cafe near Pub Street and the Night Market.

Whoever came up with this idea is on to a winner. Travellers can use the 24/7 self-service laundry machines whilst they sit down to enjoy breakfast or a coffee.

What’s on the menu?

The Missing Socks Menu features awesome waffle choices, from scrambled eggs on waffles to seasonal fruits and ice cream or a matcha waffle, offering a change from the norm. Did I mention that one of Cambodia’s past barista champions also works here, so expect your flat whites and chai lattes to be outstanding!

They have a great motto: “The Missing Socks Laundry Cafe came from a desire to serve the ones bitten by wanderlust”, which just about sums up the place.

Find The Missing Socks Laundry Cafe at 55 Steung Tmey Village Siem Reap

Vibe Cafe

Head to this cafe offering health-conscious vegan and plant-based choices located on 715 Street, not far from the Children’s Hospital. 

The Vibe cafe’s foundation works with poor, rural communities in Cambodia. It aims to provide 10,000 schoolchildren with healthy vegan food in Cambodia. They work directly with farmers producing products without chemicals and pesticides. This allows them to source the highest quality fresh ingredients for the food.

Whether you are vegan or not, head to the Vibe Cafe for their vibrant vegan, gluten-free and raw breakfast options. The foodies amongst us who care for our health and the environment will enjoy its creative diversity. A great Siem Reap breakfast cafe.

What’s on the menu?

The menu offers raw and gluten-free açai bowls alongside quinoa porridge with honey. You must try the coffee, sourced locally and served with cashew milk. Please don’t leave until you have tasted the Spanish bomb coffee; it is a real treat. Healing and botanical teas are available alongside smoothies and elixirs, all sugar-free and freshly produced.

Find Vibe Cafe at 715 Hup Guan Street Kandal Village, Siem Reap

Breakfast bowl with fruit and granola
Photo Credit @VibeCafe

The Little Red Fox Espresso

A cafe started by an Australian and managed by a Cambodian in the heart of Siem Reap’s new Kandal Village precinct. 

Diners can enjoy breakfast created with ingredients sourced from local Cambodian growers. This ensures that small Cambodian-run family businesses from around the Siem Reap area receive continued support in the community throughout the year.

The Little Red Fox Espresso was one of the first cafes in Siem Reap to take noticeable action towards lowering its daily carbon footprint and sharing knowledge on going green and clean with its team and the community. Read more here.

What’s on the menu?

The menu offers a vast selection of coffee, as you would expect, providing the best quality fairtrade and organic beans from Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

Breakfast bagels, bircher muesli and sunshine smoothie bowls are popular choices on the menu. The brunch menu is varied and delicious; all served with a smile from the Little Red Fox team.

Find Little Red Fox at 593 Hap Guan St, Krong Siem Reap, Cambo

Photo credit@the little red fox espresso

Sister Srey

Two sisters opened this cafe near Pub Street and the Old Market area.

This cafe donates a percentage of its profits to a landmine clearance organisation to aid in making Cambodia safer.  

Educational support is given to staff members to bridge the gap between work and home life. Their ethos is that Sister Srey is a cafe with a heart, a cafe with the desire to see change and the ability to do so.

What’s on the menu?

Fresh organic produce is vegan and gluten-free and sourced only from suppliers who support the local community. Breakfast choices range from green eggs and ham to stuffed toast and dragonfruit smoothie bowls with a wide selection of beverages.

Find Sister Srey at 200 Pokambor St, Riverside – Old Market Area, Siem Reap

Siem Reap Breakfast Bowl

HAVEN

A Swiss couple opened this restaurant on the aptly named Chocolate Street in Siem Reap.

HAVEN is a training restaurant and social enterprise that creates new life prospects for disadvantaged young adults, teaching them valuable work & life skills while serving delicious, honest food.

What’s on the menu?

Siem Reap breakfast dishes include favourites like eggs benedict and blueberry pancakes and local Khmer noodle dishes, all washed down with fresh milkshakes. HAVEN is also open for lunch and dinner.

Find HAVEN at Chocolate Road, Sangkat Sala Kamreuk, Siem Reap

WILD

Started by a Parisian couple, WILD is a great cafe in the heart of Siem Reap.

Committed to serving great food and drink while supporting their staff and the wider community, WILD offers travellers amazing western and eastern breakfast and dinner dishes.

The philosophy is to support the staff with flexible working hours, decent hourly rates and training in community issues such as plastic reduction and education.

What’s on the menu?

WILD calls itself a finger food restaurant and specialises in spring rolls.

Catering for meat-eaters and vegetarians, the spring rolls at WILD even come as desserts with fillings such as caramelised pineapple and cinnamon!

Find WILD at Wat Damnak, Krong Siem Reap

Please Pin for Future Travel to Cambodia

Are you looking for further Cambodian Travel inspiration? Please check out the following posts:

The Very Best Travel Advice on How To See the Angkor Temples in Siem Reap

17 Best Things to Experience in Siem Reap Cambodia

Visit Bayon – The Smiling Face Temple in Angkor Thom Cambodia

Visit Ta Prohm: The Tree Root Temple in Cambodia

Must-Visit Preah Khan: the Sacred Sword Temple in Cambodia

Visit Ta Nei – The Hidden Jungle Temple in Cambodia

4 Great Siem Reap Temples That Aren’t Angkor Wat

Marvel at Angkor Wat: The World’s Largest Religious Temple

Cate Michelle

Friday 7th of August 2020

I got so hungry reading this post! I'm planning a trip to Cambodia when we can safely travel again and I am so excited to try some of these cafes! I like to make breakfast one of the biggest meals of the day when I travel! Gorgeous food!

Georgina

Wednesday 1st of April 2020

A lovely post listing helpful choices in breakfast selections in Siem Reap - definitely a must read for first time travellers to this part of the world.

Jay Artale

Monday 16th of December 2019

We at at Joe to Go in Siem Reap ... and I just linked back to your article so my readers can get more inspiration about where to support the community, and get great food next time they're in town.

WhereAngieWanders

Tuesday 17th of December 2019

Thanks Jay! I'm glad that my post appealed to you. I loved finding all the community brunch spots and helping support their causes whilst enjoying amazing food.

Deborah Gough

Friday 27th of September 2019

We are off to Cambodia soon so will definitely try out some of the cafes you have recommended !

WhereAngieWanders

Friday 27th of September 2019

You will love Cambodia and the curries are incredible! Have an amazing journey.

Andrew Price

Monday 19th of August 2019

Wonderful post angie. Really nice read.

WhereAngieWanders

Tuesday 20th of August 2019

Thank you