Four-star Restaurants in Siem Reap

Four-star (Best) Restaurants in Siem Reap

Among dozens of restaurants in Siem Reap, we have selected nine as worthy of the highest rating of four stars, on the basis of very rigorous judgments on taste, value, and ambiance. Our latest four-star restaurant is Le Tigre of Papier on Pub Street, which we recommend for offering very reasonably priced dishes that are very tasty.

As for dishes that are offered, Abacus Cafe offers a small but thoroughly tempting list of chef's specials and other seafood and meat items that come with refined sauces, while L'Escale des Arts et des Sens makes incredibly delicious fusion cooking and Asian dishes. Molly Malone's is the only Irish pub in town, which is nicely decorated and has a comfortable atmosphere in which to drink and eat. In comparing Red Piano and Shadow of Angkor, we have experienced similarly excellent food, particularly in Khmer dishes. While Red Piano has such dishes at slightly lower prices (about 50 cents) than Shadow of Angkor, the former gives regular portions, while the latter offers too much in quantity.

As far as we have been able to ascertain, Shinta Mani, as described below, is the only restaurant that serves organically grown vegetables.

As regards pizzas, Le Tigre de Papier and Shadow of Angkor are the only two restaurants having on the menu all sorts of pizzas that are of four-star quality.

As to the two recently upgraded Indian restaurants, Maharajah and New Delhi, please go to the Indian cooking page.

Each image on this page is linked to the Website of the restaurant and its associated hotel. Please click an image if you wish to visit the site of the restaurant the image represents.

Abacus Cafe****: This is an extremely elegant restaurant with tastefully decorated furniture and atmosphere. It even has a private room that can accommodate up to about 16 people. Because the menu is written on a blackboard, it can give great flexibility to chefs that can create dishes according to what they get from local markets or importers. In any case, all the dishes we had were very delicious. One of our committee members loves duck, so he ordered two duck dishes on two occasions. Once he had a whole breast of duck in a Khmer-style mango sauce, while at another time he had a delicate red-wine sauce that he said could be just as good as in the best of restaurants in Frankfurt and the price is about 1/4th (about $12) of what he would have to pay in Germany. All of us always look forward to dining there, as the cost is not that high compared to other places and the taste is so much better.

L'Escale des Arts et des Sens****: This rather large restaurant, which is situated next to the Day Inn Hotel and Resort, is very quiet and well decorated. Because it caters a great deal to tour groups, it has many set menus, but it can accommodate groups and yet you are not crowded in because of its huge size. Their daily special consisting of a soup or salad, a fish or meat dish, and a dessert at the price of $9.50 (plus 10% tax) is a very good deal, though the portion is rather small. There is every indication that the restaurant offers well presented dishes that are delicious, with the servers competent and ambiance great. It is a type of place you can go for a quaint lunch or a romantic dinner.

In addition, they offer a free WiFi Internet access with a strong and fast signal. And there are plenty of power outlets for your notebook computers in case you wish to stay beyond your battery life.

Le Tigre de Papier****:This restaurant is one of the oldest on Pub Street, as Mr. Jean Luc, a French national, started it about 7 years ago. His menu is huge, with many Khmer and Western dishes including pizzas. So not every dish is great, but most are, and one thing about him is that he is always making an effort to improve the taste as well as the decor. He has recently hired a German butcher who can look for high-quality meat in Cambodia. As a result, his fillet steak (300g or 11oz) is fantastically good at $6.50. If you are a steak lover, you should not miss this particular item.

Another recommendation is their $1.50 breakfast that consists of two fried eggs, some bacon, cheese, strawberry jam, medium-size baquette, and butter. If you like a Western breakfast, this cannot be surpassed at any other places.

Molly Malone's****: This is a very nicely decorated Irish pub and restaurant. The food is tasty, although prices are slightly above average perhaps because of its refined decor. The bar area has a solid wooden counter, and the dining area can be indoors or outdoors.

The dishes you get are well prepared and very tasty, with lots of imaginative offerings, such as a variety of potato dishes as well as ones that are not found often in other restaurants such as chicken Kiev, chili con carne, and lamb stew, all of which are very good.

There is a WiFi free access available with plenty of power outlets.

All in all, this establishment has great food, and we highly recommend this establishment for prolonged drinking and eating sessions. VISA and MasterCard are accepted, to ease your mind.

Red Piano****: This rather large restaurant consists of a cozy patio with large wicker chairs, tables with stiff chairs in the bar area and in the second floor. Like almost all other eateries in Siem Reap, this restaurant serves Khmer as well as Western dishes. The prices are reasonable and food tasty, with the serving portions fairly large. Khmer dishes start from $3.00, while Western dishes are around $5.00.

One pleasant surprise during the low season (?) is that they have the "Happy Hour" offering of a free draft beer or a soft drink with your meal. It is a pleasure to note that this free offering is still continuing in November, 2009.

Shadow of Angkor****: We believe this is one of the most attractive restaurants in terms of value, taste, and ambiance in Siem Reap. Most Western dishes, like Chicken Mexicana, domestic beef steaks, and pork chops, are less than $6.00, while Khmer dishes, such as lok lak with beef or chicken, smoked eggplant with pork, and Cambodian curry with coconut milk, are less than $4.00. The serving portions of these dishes tend to be rather large.

In addition, the restaurant serves a large assortment of delicious pizzas that cost between $3.50 to $7.00 depending on size. Particularly good are the vegetarian pizza for vegetarians and the spicy beef pizza for meat lovers.

One other point of interest at this eatery is that between 5 and 9 PM, the special "Happy Hour" prices apply. So, in the evening, one can sit in a whicker chair and have beer or a rather inexpensive cocktail, in an old colonial building, with plenty of pot plants and a view of the river.

At the end of your meal, this restaurant offers you, free of charge, a dish of fresh fruits, which is a very friendly gesture not found in other places near the Old Market.

Shinta Mani****: This is a very low-keyed and quietly refined restaurant that has an air-conditioned room seating and outdoor seating arrangement. The foods that one gets either from a buffet dinner table (BBQ or Asia dishes) or from the menu are well harmonized combinations of meat and organically grown vegetables, which are cooked just right with a refined taste raised to the highest standard in Asia. The diners must feel very well protected by eating here because the management is really concerned with the health of customers by using pesticide-free vegetables. We highly recommend this restaurant for its food and service in a romantic atmosphere.