If you've seen our recent blogs you'll know Kampot as the place where we headed to allow us to make the rather odd but fun claim that we tried durian on Durian Roundabout. Aside from this, we had a really enjoyable time in the small city of Krong Kampot. The city gets a small tourist footfall, but it felt more off the beaten track than many of the other places we'd visited so far. It wasn't short of things to do though: we took a trip to a Kampot Pepper plantation, went climbing and caving, and spent a lot of pleasant time strolling around the city streets. We were really impressed by the number of quirky landmarks and statues in Kampot: from a seagull marking the millennium, to the iconic Durian Roundabout that you can see in our durian blog.
Eating Vegan in Kampot
"When I first arrived in Cambodia I found it very buzzy and very happening. It seemed like quite a cool place, and everyone, tourists and locals, seemed to be in good spirits!" - Stacey Dooley
Kampot was a quiet place, but it was very friendly with a small town or village feel to it. We met a few people during our time there which we kept bumping into: this gave it a really homely atmosphere, a contrast to some of the bigger cities we had been spending time in! Given that Kampot is smaller, and a little less touristy, we weren't expecting much of a vegan scene - but how wrong we were! We were really excited to find an abundance of tasty and wholesome vegan food in Kampot, and some of the loveliest and most memorable cafes of our entire trip. Read on, then watch our video at the bottom of the page, to find out more.
1st: CV Cafe
30 Street 726 Krong, Krong Kampot, Cambodia
CV Cafe was actually the last place we visited in Kampot, and it very quickly grabbed the top spot on this list. We popped down for breakfast, and were met by a warm welcome and fantastic, friendly service throughout our visit.
I ordered the smoothie bowl, which was absolutely amazing! Smooth, cold, fruity, and with so much flavour: the smoothie base was made with vegan milk and was incredibly tasty. It was topped with a sweet and crunchy granola and really delicious, fresh banana; sesame seeds were a final flourish that added extra texture and goodness to the dish. I loved this breakfast more than I can even put into words: it looked amazing, but it tasted even better!
Mike fancied a more savoury breakfast on this day, and picked the smashed avocado with tomatoes and onions on rye bread. He's not actually a fan of rye bread usually, but he found this to be the tastiest and least heavy rye he has ever tried: it complemented the avocado, onion and tomato mix really well. The portion size was really good; though there was only one slice of rye, the toppings were plentiful. This was a light, but surprisingly filling way to start the day, with really fresh and tasty flavour. It looks so simple, but was one of the best breakfasts he had had for a long time. Mike loved his avocado on rye just as much as I loved my smoothie bowl: a testament to how delicious CV Cafe's breakfasts really are!
The other thing we were impressed by was the price: how amazing that our favourite place to eat vegan in Kampot was also the cheapest! Mike's avocado breakfast cost $3 (approx. £2.50 or €2.83), and my smoothie bowl was $3.50 (approx. £2.91 or €3.30). Cambodia has got a little more expensive recently, but overall we were pleased with these prices, which we thought were very reasonable for such fresh, wholesome and homemade breakfasts.
2nd: Simple Things
Old Market Street 54, Krong Kampot, Cambodia
From the last place we visited in Kampot to the first: we actually grabbed lunch here at Simple things before we'd even checked into our hostel! This vegetarian cafe and yoga studio has an impressive selection of vegan dishes on the menu; its tranquil vibe set our first impressions of Kampot as a chilled out place with so much to offer, and plenty of little surprises!
Their menu comprises a wide range of breakfasts, sandwiches and lunch dishes, as well as pizzas, pastas, salads and desserts. For such a small and supposedly simple restaurant, there's a lot to deliberate on when it comes to the menu! Everything here is homemade from hearty and wholesome ingredients, so even the most junk food style dishes feel good for you!
After a long journey we both fancied one of our favourite comfort foods from home: a toasted sandwich! Mike opted for the vegetarian grilled cheese, which came with slices of juicy tomato inside. I picked the fully vegan grilled eggplant sandwich, which I was impressed to discover was packed with plant-based pesto! It was really tasty, the eggplant and tomato inside my toastie were so fresh, juicy and flavoursome - but the real highlight here was that homemade pesto. Vegan pesto can often be quite bland, but this one was so impressive and infused the whole dish with that delicious basil taste. I usually like my toasties to come with vegan cheese, but this one was excellent without.
One thing to say about these dishes is that they were huge: so much bigger than we were expecting! I couldn't actually finish my toastie, it was so big! Without knowing this, our hungry tummies had ordered a plate of sweet potato fries too; the portion was similarly generous... and we definitely didn't need them alongside our Goliath sandwiches! But talk about value for money! Our humongous toasties cost $4.50 each (approx. £3.74 or €4.25) while the sweet potato fries were $3 (approx. £2.50 or €2.83). I would have loved to try one of their desserts too, but I was way too full!
3rd: Epic Arts Cafe
Sovan Sakor Village, Sangkat Kampong Kandal, Kampot City, Cambodia
There are so many reasons to visit Epic Arts Cafe, and one of them has to be their outstanding food. But we really loved this cafe for its mission too: the proceeds from your meal go towards providing education for disabled people right here in Kampot. Many of the staff are ex-students and are deaf, so the order system simplifies communication. Once you've picked from the extensive vegan and non-vegan menu, you fill in the order form (making sure to tick the vegan box at the top!) and hand it in at the counter. It's as simple as that! Your freshly made food and drinks will come to you soon - and in the meantime, why not learn a bit of Cambodian Sign Language using the guides on the menu!
This was another breakfast spot for us, where I picked the Bokor Porridge, while Mike chose the Epic Muesli. My porridge was so hot and creamy, and the portion was really hearty too. It was topped with fresh bananas, sweet raisins, and a dish of cane sugar to crumble over the top. No joke, this was the best porridge I have ever had. It tasted so nutritious, but also indulgent too - I couldn't get enough of this. Mike's muesli was served in a similarly generous portion, with big chunks of banana and dragonfruit (Mike's favourite!) alongside the crisp and crunchy granola. It was sweet, it was hearty, it was fresh and delicious: we were very happy enjoying our tasty breakfast in this serene garden cafe. This is all about the food, but I can't not tell you about the Epic Brownie Shake too - the most chocolatey, indulgent, and delicious shake of this entire trip; and what a great way to use up those extra brownie chunks!
Like most places in Cambodia, the prices here were a little steeper than in much of Southeast Asia: but it feels great to know that the money is going to such a great cause. Both breakfast dishes here cost us $3.50 (approx. £2.91 or €3.30) - and I would pay that over and over again for these delicious breakfasts that kept us full through a very active day of rock climbing, until our very late lunch!
4th: Burgershack
4 Street 726, Krong Kampot 07000, Cambodia
We love trying local cuisine wherever we go, but sometimes we find ourselves with a huge craving for some Western food. This happened in Kampot, so we headed down to Burgershack, a small burger joint well known for its vegan and non-vegan burger meals. It felt like a really cool place (if you properly fall in love with it, they even have merch you can buy!) and we really enjoyed the burgers here... so much so that we tried their restaurant in Phenom Penh too!
In our first Burgershack trip we tried the Unbeliev-a-burger. This burger's plant-based patty was so thick and meaty, the texture and flavour were the best we had tried in Southeast Asia and even rivalled Western giants like the Beyond Burger. The burger includes ketchup, mustard, tomatoes and pickles, for that perfect hamburger taste. The seed-topped bun was soft and fresh, and fries on the side were crispy and golden. Overall, this wasn't a fancy vegan burger but it was a really, really tasty one. Sometimes you just need to indulge in a bit of fast food, and Burgershack really delivered when we got that craving.
Our burger meals cost $5 each (approx. £4.16 or €4.72), which included fries and a drink: it was the most expensive meal that we ate in Kampot, but we thought the price was still pretty reasonable for this impressive vegan patty. If you want a really local flavour, they also have a seitan chicken burger on the menu, which includes a Kampot Pepper crust! Cheeky tip: if you want to try Burgershack, their prices are actually cheaper here than in Phnom Penh (presumably because rent and prices are more expensive in the bigger city) so definitely worth giving it a try while you're here!
Where is your favourite place to get plant-based food in Kampot? Are there any new places or old favourites that we've missed? Leave us a comment to let us know (and others who might be visiting too!)
Recommendations
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Where should I stay?
When we were in Kampot we stayed at Monkey Republic hostel, in one of their private rooms. We found the hostel to be a really hip and peaceful - though there is a bar with a great menu, a pool table and a yoga studio, so you won't be stuck for things to do. It's cheap and conveniently located, and their newly renovated rooms look great!
For an even more relaxing experience, soak up the sun at Bohemiaz Resort, Gym and Spa. Situated a little outside of the city, Bohemiaz has pools, a Jacuzzi and sauna, spa treatments and a juice and cocktail bar. They offer private rooms, and have a restaurant on site offering some vegetarian and vegan options of Khmer and Western food.
Tours & Experiences
One of our favourite things we did in Kampot was our visit to La Plantation, a Kampot Pepper plantation that aims to improve the lives of local people through funding to education and housing.
If this isn't for you, or you'd prefer to see more in and around Cambodia, why not check out the top rated Viator trips below.
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