The Best of Cambodia & Laos

WHERE TO DINE
All the hotels and guesthouses double up as restaurants (see above), but the real Kep
dining experience comes with the fresh seafood served on the seafront. Both the crab
market and the esplanade in town in front of the beach are places to enjoy this wonderful
aquatic bonanza. If you’re at the crab market, there is a series of wooden restaurants
with sea-facing verandas serving the Kep signature dish, among others. If directly on the
beachfront, just take a pew on one of the empty wooden platforms and the vendors will
come to you. Most places have menus in English these days. On a weekend in good
weather expect crowds (almost all of who will be locals), with a good time being had by
all. After dark many of the Crab Market stalls stay open until 11pm.
The Riel Bar and Restaurant (& 017/902-771; open daily 7–10am, 6pm–midnight)
on Crab Market turnoff is the main place to go for evening entertainment and it often
stays open late. The Dutch/Khmer management is trying to promote the use of the
Cambodian riel as opposed to the U.S. dollar, so the prices are cheaper if you use local
currency.
ATTRACTIONS
Being so close to Kampot most excursions are doable from both locations including caves
and Bokor Mountain (if and when it is open to the public). See p. 172.
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SOUTHERN CAMBODIA 8
KEP