We had the BEST after-dark food tour. So fun, and such a fun way to start our time in Siem Reap. We had rice liquor, all the adventurous foods in the night market, a yummy "proper dinner" and cocktails in a cool bar. Highly recommend.
B
Becky Youman
Climb on the back of a Vespa or into a vintage Jeep and let a local guide take you to the rice-wine still, the real street-food market and the family kitchens most visitors walk past, finishing with a Khmer dinner and a cocktail.
The temples close at sunset. That is when Siem Reap
starts cooking.
Rice wine, the night market, a dinner you'd never find alone.
From $68 per person. Choose small group or private
A Siem Reap food tour is an evening, not a meal: you ride the city after dark and eat your way through it, guided by a local who knows where the good stuff is. It starts with a welcome drink and a tasting of Cambodian rice wine at a family distillery, then the real street-food market, grilled lemongrass skewers, num banh chok noodles, fresh fruit, and the adventurous corner of crickets and silkworms if you're game. From there it's a full sit-down Khmer dinner, fish amok or lok lak, the dishes Cambodia is built on, often with live local music, and a cocktail or dessert to finish before you're dropped back at your hotel. We have run these after-dark tours since 2013, by Vespa and vintage Jeep.
The best food in Siem Reap is not on the tourist strip, and the stalls worth eating at are the ones with a local queue. Your guide knows which they are, orders for you, and tells you what you're eating, so you try the real thing without the guesswork or the upset stomach.
Tell us what you do and don't eat,
we'll build the night around it.
The fastest way into Cambodia is at a plastic table on a night market, eating something you can't name with someone who can. That is the evening I wanted visitors to have.
We don't take you to the tourist restaurants. We take you where we eat, and we order the way we order.
Khmer food is its own cuisine, milder than Thai, less sweet, more herbal and fermented, and most of it is unfamiliar even to seasoned travellers. Here is the lay of the land, so you know what you're looking at when the plates start arriving. We order the right things and tell you what they are; you decide how far down the menu you go.
What ties it together is two things: kroeung, the pounded paste of lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and kaffir lime that gives Khmer food its perfume, and prahok, the fermented fish that gives it its depth. Once you can taste those two, the whole cuisine makes sense, which is exactly what an evening with a guide is for.
Everything good happens after the sun goes down.
Verbatim from Google and TripAdvisor. Trimmed for length only, never reworded.
We had the BEST after-dark food tour. So fun, and such a fun way to start our time in Siem Reap. We had rice liquor, all the adventurous foods in the night market, a yummy "proper dinner" and cocktails in a cool bar. Highly recommend.
Totally amazing experience! The night market with its wild variety of foods, we had delicious protein including frog, meatballs and crickets, and desserts. Everyone was friendly and having a great time.
Best food tour we have been on in our time in Vietnam and Cambodia. Fun, interesting and delicious! Our team was authentic and relatable, which was the difference.
★★★★★ 4.9 · 319 reviews
From $68 per person. Free cancellation up to 14 days before.
Check availability →| Small group · $68 | Private · $89 | |
|---|---|---|
| Who's with you | A small table, max 6, you arrive as strangers and leave swapping plates | Just your party, your own pace |
| Stops | Rice wine, night market, Khmer restaurant with live music, cocktail bar | Rice wine, night market, full Khmer dinner, cocktail or dessert, plus a speakeasy finish |
| Start time | From 6 pm | Flexible, choose 5 to 7 pm |
| Drinks | All food + drinks, alcohol included | All food + drinks, alcohol included |
| Vehicle | Classic Vespa | Vespa or vintage Jeep, your choice |
| From (per person) | $68 | $89 |
| Kids 4 to 12 | $47.6030% off | $62.3030% off |
Check availability →Choose small group or private when you pick your date. | ||
We eat at busy stalls with high turnover where food is cooked fresh in front of you, and you drink bottled water throughout. Going with a local who knows the vendors is the lowest-risk way to try the real thing.
The market alone is cheap and fun, but without the language you can't tell which stalls are good. The tour adds vetted stalls, a full Khmer dinner, rice wine and cocktails, and someone to explain every bite.
Crickets, silkworms and frog are there if you want them. There's plenty of grilled meat, noodles, fruit and a full Khmer dinner whether or not you touch a bug.
Between the market tastings and a full sit-down Khmer dinner, you'll finish the night full. Skip dinner beforehand.
Generally no, milder than Thai. Khmer cooking is built on the fragrant lemongrass-and-galangal paste called kroeung and the savoury depth of fermented prahok, so it is aromatic and balanced rather than fiery. Chili is usually served on the side, so you control the heat.
The evening opens with a tasting of Cambodian rice wine, the clear, lightly sweet village spirit, and ends with a cocktail or two. In between there's water and soft drinks, and the private tour includes alcohol throughout. Local Angkor beer and fresh fruit shakes are easy to add.
Yes, with notice. Many Khmer dishes are meat or fish based and prahok is fermented fish, so tell us when you book and we plan vegetarian or vegan stops and a meat-free dinner. The more notice, the better we can do it.
Tell us when you book. Khmer cooking uses fish sauce, prahok, peanuts and soy often, so for allergies we need notice to choose stops safely. Standard street food is not halal by default; we will be honest about what we can and can't adapt for your night.
It can be, especially the private tour, where we set the pace and the stops around your family, and kids often love the novelty of the market. Children aged 4 to 12 ride for 30% off. It is an evening tour with some alcohol stops, so mention ages when you book and we shape it to suit.
Almost none. You travel stop to stop by Vespa or vintage Jeep, so unlike a walking food tour there is very little on foot, just a short stroll around each market or restaurant. That makes it comfortable for older guests or anyone who would rather not walk far.
It is an evening tour: pickup at your hotel around 6 PM and back by about 10 PM. You ride between stops by Vespa or vintage Jeep.
The small-group tour is guided in English. A private tour can be adjusted to your group, so if you would prefer another language, tell us when you book and we will arrange it where we can.
Yes, hotel pickup and drop-off in Siem Reap are included. Your guide and driver collect you at the start and bring you home at the end. The private tour adds cold towels and water.
The small-group tour rides by classic Vespa, pillion behind an experienced local driver. On a private tour you can choose the Vespa or a vintage Jeep that is driven for you, just tell us your preference and we confirm your ride by email after you book. Vehicles are licensed and insured, the drivers do this nightly, and guests consistently say they felt safe.
Light, breathable clothes and comfortable closed shoes, market ground can be uneven, plus a light layer for the breeze on the ride. No need to dress up.
The tour runs rain or shine, an evening in Siem Reap has its own charm in the wet. We provide ponchos, and if it is really heavy rain we switch you from the Vespa to a vintage Jeep, even on the small-group tour, so you stay dry between stops.
14 or more days before the tour: full refund. Less than 14 days: 50% refund. Less than 5 days before, or a no-show: no refund.
