Wild Phnom Penh — Restaurant in Khan Chamkar Mon

Lovely, lovely indoor/outdoor oasis serving delicious food, cocktails, and mocktails. Cash or credit cards accepted. Some English spoken.

This is a blink-and-you-might-miss-it kinda place. More accurately, this is a place that can and will confuse some of your Grab drivers. Mine gave up and I had to walk the last few blocks. Then rounding a corner in an alley I walked right by the entrance to this walled garden. Massive trees provide lots of good shade and if there's a breeze blowing, it's actually pleasant sitting outside mid-day with friends.

They specialize in both fresh and fried spring rolls here. The I had a salad/spring roll combo. The 'Big Green Salad' was exactly that - a lot of fresh green lettuce leaves and a few diced tomatoes - nothing else. By default they serve a house oil & vinegar dressing with salt that is very good and light. The Taco Loco fried roll I paired it with was less than amazing, though. While the exterior was fried perfectly to a uniform crispness without some of the awkwardness of having the inner layers still chewy and tough, the filling was lackluster. Very mushy, as in all the ingredients smashed together into an inseparable and unidentifiable paste. The flavor wasn't bad but tasted more Italian than Mexican, and texture-wise it wasn't very appetizing.

Their dessert rolls are incredible - the Banana Wonder is truly delicious, with the right ratio of chocolate to banana to keep it from becoming too cloyingly sweet. Served with two sauces - one a mango puree and the other some sort of cinnamon concoction that is well worth trying. They also had a chocolate chip cookie fried wrap that was essentially chocolate chip cookie dough wrapped and fried. In other words, awesome! Served with a small dish of chocolate to dip in.

Finally, I opted for their La Pocion Azteca and was very pleased. A well-balanced cocktail with tequila and mezcal along with honey and lime juice. Though a bit acidic from all the lime juice the flavors harmonized well. The smokiness of the mezcal was nicely kept in check by the honey. Delicious and light, very refreshing.

Servers were all very attentive - refilled my water at least half-a-dozen times (much appreciated!). Highly recommended. Lots of open space where there's artwork for sale and where younger patrons can...

Terrible music, not suitable at all for the ambience. Why play trashy sports bar style music at such a beautiful place?

Arrived and asked for menu, was seated and then had to wait several minutes for the staff to prepare water and collect the menus? Not very good SOP.. when guests come, they want the menu immediately.. later you can bring the water and also explain the menu.. also, use a tray for carrying water glasses.

Menu. Minimal vegan substitutes, if you remove feta or egg from a meal, adding more salad isn't an acceptable replacement unless you are also removing 30% from the price of the meal.

Vegan Salad bowl with hummus. Tasty, though difficult to eat in a bowl with a fork and very small ingredients.. change the bowl to something more suitable like a plate or a larger bowl or don't cut the ingredients so small..

Cambodian vegetable spring rolls. Very disappointing.. overcooked, the inside lacked any real flavour at all.. The tomato salsa style sauce served with it is also very lacking of any flavour, taste like it came straight from a can.. please work on this dish, could easily be so much better..

Two meals later, I now have to look for another place to fill my appetite.

Prices seem excessive, much better tasting cafes and restaurants around, the bill also suggests tipping staff without obligation but it is obvious the owner already takes their tip money by adding it to the cost of the overpriced mediocre food items..

Super friendly and kind staff made the...

If you're hungry, this is not the place to go. Their specialty is spring rolls—which means there’s not much else on the menu. I don’t see the appeal of wrapping Mexican-style chicken in spring roll skin and deep-frying it. Other than you don’t need to train a chef for that—just take it out of the freezer, drop it in the fryer, and wait a few minutes.

Their menu proudly states that they provide jobs for over 40 people and support local NGOs. But isn’t that what every business does? If they didn’t, someone else would. Why do expats always feel the need to celebrate themselves? And this constant emphasis on NGOs—do we really need to make visitors feel sorry for Cambodia? The country has proven that it doesn’t need pity, just respect and recognition like any other place.

Edit: Thank you for your reply, and for the new sudden positive reviews, highlighting the spring rolls. One reviewer even photographed the entire menu 😊

According to Cambodian labor law, employees are entitled to at least 11 days of paid annual leave after one year of service, along with 13 official public holidays. The minimum wage is set to be $208 per month in 2025. Why is it necessary to mention if a business's compliance with local laws and why does it justify...