Cafeography
Phnom Penh · Riverside & Royal Palace

Cafés in Riverside & Royal Palace

Sisowath Quay, the Royal Palace and the café streets behind it: 178, 184, 240 and Palace Lane.

Photo: Roger Madura, Pexels License

Sisowath Quay runs along the west bank of the Tonlé Sap, and the Royal Palace stands one block inland on Sothearos Boulevard.1 The palace stands on the western bank of Chaktomuk, the confluence of the Tonlé Sap and the Mekong; King Norodom built it between 1866 and 1870.2

Most cafés here are in the grid behind the palace rather than on the waterfront. Street 240 holds the densest run, Street 178 north of the National Museum is known as Artist Street, and Street 184, Palace Lane (Street 244) and Street 136 add more.1

Local tip: Dress for the palace before breakfast: shoulders and knees must be covered inside, so pack a scarf rather than walking back to change.3

At a glance

48Cafés listed
11With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Cafe Bora, from 06:30 (Daily 06:30–19:30).
  • Closes latest: Planta, until 23:00 (Daily 07:00–23:00).
  • Most listed streets: វិថី ព្រះធម្មលិខិតអ៊ុក (១៨៤) (3), វិថី វីម្មលធម្មថុង (២៤៦) (2).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (21%), vegetarian options (8%), open late (6%).

Let It Be Café-Music

  • 15 វិថី ព្រះធម្មលិខិតអ៊ុក (១៨៤)
  • Tue–Sun 07:00–22:00
  • Open late
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Jojo Milk Tea & Toppings

  • 141 St 144, corner Preah Ang Eng St.(13)
  • +85515792486
  • Bubble tea
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Luxuries Café & Pub

  • វិថី ព្រះធម្មលិខិតអ៊ុក (១៨៤)
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Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Phnom Penh.

Coffee chains in Riverside & Royal Palace

Visiting the palace and the museum

The palace grounds include the Silver Pagoda, officially Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot, whose Maitreya Buddha is set with 9,584 diamonds; the king's living quarters are closed to the public.2 As of 2025, entry costs US$10, and shoulders and knees must be covered.3

The National Museum, designed by George Groslier and opened on 13 April 1920, holds more than 14,000 objects; its visitors' entrance is at the corner of Streets 13 and 178, and the Royal University of Fine Arts is its neighbor to the west.4 The Museum Café nearby opens 07:00–20:00.

Street 178, Artist Street

Connecting Hands Training Cafe, at #42H Street 178, is a not-for-profit training café run by an Australian charity with AFESIP Cambodia; its trainees learn kitchen work, drinks and customer service.5 The women it trains have left human trafficking, and profits go back into supporting them.6 It opens Monday to Saturday, 09:00–18:00.

Chhma Catfé at No. 33 opened in 2018, reputedly the capital's first cat café; its owner kept around 23 cats that year.7 It is now open daily 09:00–22:00. Lagrace Cafe gives its address as Mekong Arts, also No. 33, and Artist Cafe and VNK's Coffee are further along the street.

Street 240 and Palace Lane

Street 240 is lined with cafés, restaurants and hostels.3 The Barista is at No. 35, AHHA at No. 34 and The Shop Café & Bakery at No. 39, with the Warehouse and koki Kitchen further west on the stretch named Oknha Chhun Street.

Palace Lane (Street 244) has Cakolate, open 07:00–19:00, and Planta, open until 23:00. Fox Tale on Street 246 is Australian-owned and a sister café to Little Red Fox in Siem Reap; it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 07:00–16:00.8

Mornings and evenings on the quay

Every morning the quay opens with an exercise session, as locals do calisthenics in front of the palace.1 The promenade is at its best again in the early evening.1

Olala Cafe at 245 Sisowath Quay and Underground Coffee at the corner of Street 130 are two of the few cafés right on the waterfront. Feel Good Café, at 136 Street 136, opens 07:30–18:00; Feel Good Coffee was founded by New Zealand partners and roasts and blends its coffee in-house.8

For coffee at either end of the day, Cafe Bora serves 06:30–19:30, ALPHA Coffee & Bakery at 20B Street 184 runs 07:00–21:00, and Let It Be Café-Music at 15 Street 184 is open 07:00–22:00 every day except Monday.

Sources

  1. Phnom Penh travel guide, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  2. Royal Palace, Phnom Penh, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. 24 hours in Phnom Penh: What to see, do and eat in the Cambodian capital (October 2025), The National, accessed October 2026
  4. National Museum of Cambodia, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Six residents enrolled in training cafe in Phnom Penh, AFESIP Cambodia, accessed October 2026
  6. Meaningful Meals: 7 Restaurants Supporting a Better Cambodia (October 2025), South East Asia Backpacker, accessed October 2026
  7. Coffee with a side of furr at capital's Chhma Catfé (August 2018), The Nation, accessed October 2026
  8. Damn fine coffee! Where to find it in Phnom Penh (March 2023), Move to Cambodia, accessed October 2026
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In Riverside & Royal Palace, also browse: Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Outdoor seating

FAQ

Riverside & Royal Palace cafés: questions

What does it cost to visit the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh?

As of 2025, entry to the Royal Palace on Sothearos Boulevard costs US$10, and shoulders and knees must be covered. The grounds include the Silver Pagoda, whose Maitreya Buddha is set with 9,584 diamonds; the king's living quarters are closed. The cafés of Street 240 and Palace Lane are a short walk away.

What is Street 178 in Phnom Penh known for?

Street 178, north of the National Museum, is known as Artist Street. Connecting Hands Training Cafe at #42H trains women who have left human trafficking and opens Monday to Saturday, 09:00–18:00. Chhma Catfé at No. 33, reputedly the capital's first cat café, opened in 2018 and is open daily 09:00–22:00.

When is the best time to visit Phnom Penh's riverside cafés?

Early morning or early evening. Dawn on Sisowath Quay starts with open-air exercise sessions in front of the Royal Palace, and the promenade is at its best again in the early evening. Cafe Bora opens at 06:30, and Let It Be Café-Music on Street 184 stays open until 22:00 every day except Monday.

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