I spent over a month working remotely from Cambodia. I wrote posts about my top 3 work cafes and a rundown of the coworking spaces available in town.
There are so many places with excellent connectivity that I decided to make a follow-up post about other great options for folks that need to get some work done.
Reminder: I made a list of every cafe I visited and scored them from 0-3. I created an algorithm based on my personal preferences and that's how I got the scores. The scoring rubric involved things like a 0 for tiny circle tables and a 3 for functional air conditioning.
Here are my Honorable Mentions for work cafes in Siem Reap.
The Missing Socks Laundry Cafe (Score 2.33/3.0)
SW side of town, near the Old Market
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| good breakfast spot too |
Missing Socks is a small cafe. What it lacks in size, it makes up in quality. Each table has an electrical outlet nearby. The wifi is strong. The staff is chatty and knowledgeable about coffee. They have great options for breakfast and craft beer if you want to have a meal before getting down to work. Plus, they can handle your laundry while you work. How productive! Only downside is the neighborhood, which is full of backpackers. It can fill up fast, l so if you are going there to work, have a backup plan.
The Hive (Score 2.28/3.0)
SW side of town near the riverside on Central Market Street
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| coffee + wifi = work day |
The Hive is a cute cafe trying to do some interesting food. Eggs benny is a hit, salad in a jar is a miss. Coffee is solid. They've got good wifi and upstairs seating so you can work in peace. The staff are extra friendly and helped me with directions to places nearby. If you are interested in detoxing, they have a fresh squeezed juice program. Aussie-owned. Cross your fingers you don't get stuck in one of the legless chairs sitting on the floor.
Temple Coffee N Bakery (Score 2.28/3.0)
SE side of town 1 block north of the Kings Road shopping area
MASSIVE cafe with tons of seating. Two floors of endless booths, corners, and tables. Strong wifi and great coffee. The seating for some of the couch-booths is oddly uncomfortable with a low table and you have to cross your legs underneath. If you are under 30, you may be ok for few hours. The staff are pretty inattentive so when you want another coffee, you have to go up to the counter. Otherwise it's fine.
Common Grounds (Score 2.22/3.0)
SW side of town near the riverside
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| Thanksgiving dinner that tastes right (!) |
Everybody knows this place. I feel like at at some point it was the only Western-style coffee shop in town that gave free wifi and it's staying alive on the residuals of this reputation. It's pretty non-descript but they've got strong signal and tables with plugs. It definitely began as a Starbucks knock-off. The major plus is that since everybody knows the location, it's a good spot to cowork or stop in to grab a coffee with a friend. They also have good Thanksgiving dinner so American expats will have a soft spot for this one. 51% Khmer-owned and 100% Khmer-managed. This is by design, so the American 49% owners are trying to do responsible things by taking a back seat.
Yellow Cafe (Score 2.11/3.0)
West side of town on Highway 6 a few blocks from Lucky Mall
What a gem! Khmer-owned cafe with low prices, super-sized coffee drinks, plugs, aircon, giant tables, and wifi. Great place to work if you are on this side of town or just want a change of scenery. The staff is friendly and let me user their lighter on a smoke break. The only downside, I am sorry to say, is that they play country music in here. I will never understand why American country music is popular in Cambodia.
There are more. I'll do a final post of honorable mentions soon. Hope this helps!
