Smile Restaurant
Restaurants
·
4.1/5 on Google
About
Reviews (5)
Location
Smile Restaurant sits on Street 7 in central Kampong Cham and serves Khmer and Southeast Asian dishes throughout the day and evening. The menu includes Fish Amok, salads, nasi goreng, and rice dishes with pork, alongside wine and spirits. The restaurant opens from 6 AM to 10 PM daily except Sunday.
Visitors consistently praise the food quality and portion sizes. Fish Amok, fresh salads, and curries are frequently mentioned as well-executed and flavourful, with fair pricing for the standard. Service receives mixed reports: several visitors describe the staff as friendly and welcoming, but others found service slow and inattentive, particularly during quiet periods. One regular visitor noted that service improved markedly when the restaurant was busy. Attention to detail has been flagged as inconsistent—some guests report impeccable experiences while others mention dirty menus with missing pages, uncleaned tables, and slow bill processing. The menu lists gin and tonic but staff reportedly lacked tonic water on at least one visit, despite it being available nearby.
The restaurant works well as a reliable dinner option during a stay in Kampong Cham, especially if you're staying nearby and want a change from hotel dining. It appears to be one of the few local restaurants offering wine and spirits alongside Khmer food in the town centre. Be aware that quality and service vary—some evenings run smoothly while others feel rushed or inattentive. Breakfast is served from 6 AM if you're an early riser. Sunday closing means you'll need to eat elsewhere that day.
Rated 4.1 out of 5 by 217 travellers on Google
★★★★★
Excellent food, rich in flavor and very generous portions—the Fish Amok was definitely a highlight! The service is top-notch, handled by a very friendly and welcoming team. The prices are very fair for such high quality. A must-visit in Kampong Cham!
★★★☆☆
This year, unfortunately, I am unable to give a 5-star rating. The overall service did not meet expectations. The staff worked quite slowly, and communication was not always easy or clear.
There were delays with guest bill payments, and the tables and chairs were not properly cleaned. It seemed that attention to service and detail was lacking during our visit.
I hope the management can take this feedback seriously and improve the service standards in the future.
★★★★★
The Smile Restaurant in Kampong Cham is absolutely worth a visit. I had a chef’s salad that was so good I immediately ordered another salad, even though I didn’t know its name. Both were fresh, perfectly balanced, and full of flavor. I also enjoyed a glass of Merlot and an espresso, which were fantastic as well. Overall, a wonderful experience: delicious food, great drinks, and a welcoming atmosphere. Highly recommended
★★★★☆
We ended up eating here lunch and dinner during our 3 night stay in a nearby hotel as we couldn't find anywhere else doing alcohol other than beer outside of the big hotels.
Gin and tonic both on the menu but they did not have tonic even though it is sold in nearby shops. Opted for Sprite instead. Red wine was fine.
Service was mixed and perversly was better when they were busy. When quiet it was difficult to get attention.
The menus need replacing, dirty and some with pages missing.
However the food was generally very good. Highlights were chilli and basil rice with pork, nasi goreng, aubergine and pork and watermelon salad. Espresso was delicious.
Cards are not accepted and there is a 10% surcharge.
We paid 13 dollars at lunch and 22 dollars for dinner.
Good but with a few changes would definitely be a 5 star place.
★☆☆☆☆
At first we really liked this restaurant, we came every day for three days and mostly the food was great. The service friendly and smiling, excellent amok. But sadly, on our last night, Saturday 10 January, tonight we went there and the food was bad. Fried noodles not fresh, they used instant noodles instead - would have expected better. also the fried spring rolls were almost inedible. The service was not very friendly either and we got a cracked glass which we had to ask to change. Even rice not cooked so well. Must be different staff on a Saturday. It felt like a completely different restaurant. The food just wasn't the same and really wasn't worth the price.Such a shame, we were really disappointed and probably won't go again. So I think, it's hit and miss, depends on the cook...
Reviews published on Google by travellers.
St 7 11 Village, Krong Kampong Cham, Cambodia
Opening hours
Monday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Tuesday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Wednesday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Thursday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Friday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Saturday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday: