Lifestyle
Updated 2026-08-02 5 min
In short
- ●SPOONS is the training restaurant of SPOONS Cambodia, formerly EGBOK, with 800+ Google reviews at 4.8/5.
- ●Strengths: authentic Khmer cooking, service reviewers call five-star, and a bamboo pavilion two minutes from the centre.
- ●Good to know: all profit goes to the hospitality programme — you are funding a year-long course, not a tip jar.
- ●Verdict: the training restaurant where the service is the point, and it shows on every table.
4.8/5
Google rating
800+
Google reviews
100% to hospitality training
Profits
One year, three modules
Programme
At a Glance
- Type: Training restaurant and social enterprise, Cambodian menu.
- Run by: SPOONS Cambodia, formerly EGBOK.
- Setting: A bamboo pavilion near Wat Damnak, two minutes by tuk-tuk from the centre.
- Google rating: 4.8/5 across more than 800 reviews.
- Model: All café profit funds the hospitality programme.
Strengths
- Service treated as a curriculum. Reviewers use the phrase five-star, which is not a thing people say about a $6 lunch unless someone has been taught properly.
- A programme with a shape. One year, three modules: hospitality, life skills, employment. Trainees leave with a job, not a certificate.
- Khmer plates that taste fresh. The menu is short and local, and that is why the kitchen executes it.
- The bamboo room. Peaceful and green, yet two minutes from the noise — one of the calmest lunches in town.
- All the profit, not a slice. Every dollar above cost goes back into the programme.
Good to Know Before You Go
- Slightly out of the centre. A short tuk-tuk ride near Wat Damnak rather than a walk from Pub Street.
- Trainees are learning. The occasional hesitation is the whole point of the place.
- Short menu. Deliberately, so the kitchen can teach it properly.
Who It's For
SPOONS suits a calm lunch with a clear conscience.
- Travellers choosing social enterprises: the money goes entirely to training.
- Anyone wanting quiet: a garden pavilion away from the strip.
- Khmer food first-timers: a short, well-executed local menu.
- Groups: the pavilion takes a table comfortably.
Practical Info
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Area | Near Wat Damnak, two minutes from the centre |
| Google rating | 4.8/5 — 800+ reviews |
| Price range | $$ |
| Run by | SPOONS Cambodia, formerly EGBOK |
| Programme | One year: hospitality, life skills, employment |
| Setting | Bamboo pavilion and garden |
Verdict
Training restaurants ask for a little patience. SPOONS asks for almost none, which is the clearest sign the programme works.
Come for lunch, notice how the room is run, and remember that the person running it started a few months ago.
Frequently asked questions
What is SPOONS Cambodia?
A hospitality training organisation, formerly EGBOK, running a one-year programme in three modules — hospitality, life skills and employment.
Where do the profits go?
All café profit goes into the training programme for disadvantaged young Cambodians.
Where is SPOONS?
In a bamboo pavilion near Wat Damnak, about two minutes by tuk-tuk from the town centre.
Is the food good, or is it just the cause?
Reviewers rate it 4.8/5 across 800+ reviews and single out the service as much as the Khmer dishes.
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Published by
Siem Reap Hub
The community guide for expats and travelers in Siem Reap, Cambodia