Phnom Penh Restaurant

Really nothin special. Wanted to go to Heng Lay but they were closed. Orders salad rolls and beef with crispy noodles. The salad rolls came out after my entrée and tasted a bit off. The rice paper wrapping was a bit tough too.
While the beef with crispy noodles was favorable, I’d return to Heng Lay instead.
Décor is sparse, parking good (much better than Heng Lay). Service is fine. Don’t think I’ll go back.

The food is AWESOME! I always overeat when coming to Phnom Penh. There spicy wings and wonton soup are my favorite. The duck is also really good. Good for lunch or dinner; even breakfast if you have any leftovers.

Came back to this Resturant with lots of update but still old fashion authentic food.
I’m very impress

Love this place. Huge dining room with attentive staff and a pretty good menu from rice plates, to soups, to main dishes. Ordered the standard beef lok lak with fried rice. There was a mountain of fried rice on the plate! I was surprised I finished it! Came with free soup on the side. Had the steak with broccoli once before and it’s fantastic. Not sure what they put in the sauce but super tasty. Don’t be intimidated if the dining room is kinda empty.

The restaurant is located on the busy area of Westford street congested with other grocery stores, Asian salons, legal practices and a liquor store. Parking is bit tough on the main street but there is ample parking in the lot behind the restaurant with a back door entry for convenience.
We’ve eaten almost everything on the menu. My favorite is the fried whole fish with «Tuk mpol» a sweet and sour tamarind sauce with ground pork. The «Student fried noodles» is also very good; it’s almost the same thing as pad thai or «Kuy tiev cha.»
The restaurant is spacious and the décor is in line with many of the other Cambodian restaurants in the area. There are TV’s on the wall and plants throughout the restaurant.
The menu also featured many Chinese entrees such as Ma Po Bean Curd and Eggplant in Szechuan sauce.
Similar to Simply Khmer, the Cambodian restaurant also had a combination platter with sticky rice, papaya salad and wings. Their version included an additional (2) beef skewers and was priced at $ 12.95, a little more money than Simply Khmer’s version.
Since we had plans to eat lunch in Boston, we stuck with a light breakfast. I ordered the Kuy Tiev, Cambodian rice noodle soup. The special version comes with shrimp, meatballs and tripe. I love that there was lots of garlic. I didn’t get the fried crullers because I didn’t want the extra carbs and calories. The broth was just OK and lacked flavor.
The soup comes with the usual bean sprouts and lime. Unlike many other Vietnamese restaurants and some Cambodian restaurants, there were no Thai basil or other herbs provided on the side.
My husband ordered Lhort cha, which is a thick stir fried noodle dish resembling the texture of udon noodles. The dish was served with Cambodian sweetened dish sauce. Some restaurants serve it on the side and some cook with it already in the dish. I prefer the later. The dish looked plain and boring. It lacked color and luster. Of course he added some Sriracha hot sauce to give it a kick. He said it was just OK.
For food pics

If you’re looking for an «authenthic Cambodian experience» you might find it here.
I was conflicted on whether to give this place 1 or 2 stars. Thinking things over I just did not have the heart to rate so lowly. In fact, I have had decent dining experiences here in the past. Unfortunately, after my last time here, I was not pleased at all!
Service: Two servers managing the floor the Monday I was here. It was Labor Day I believe. Quite busy with two of their larger tables full and several other tables being taken. The young lady who served us was not familiar with the menu or foods. I fear that her knowledge of Khmer food may just extend to «Mee Kathang.» Sorry. She also did not understand Khmer as well. When we asked for fish sauce, she mistakenly brought the sweet fish sauce and when we told her this was not correct, she still brought us back the same sauce! Not happy :-(
Atmosphere: IN NEED OF FACE LIFT. There has to be some safety hazards or regulations they are not abiding by here. The dim lighting did not help disguise the dirt stained floors or walls. There is a front and back entrance to the establishment. The back shares a lot with Hong Kong Supermarket. Upon entering, you are greeted by A HUGE TRASH BIN. Nice whiff of that before eating?. Cherry. =.= Up a couple steps and you enter the establishment. The hall before the dining area seems like a journey although it probably is about 10 ft. I say this because there is a stench, maybe hiding in the walls that hits ya like a ton of bricks. Perhaps it is the bathrooms behind those walls. Quite unpleasant. There is great room for improvement. But like I mentioned, this place was packed. As someone who has their feet semi in the biz, sometimes I wonder, «Is this what Cambodian people want? Do they like the tacky décor and unkept floors?» To each his own I suppose. *sigh* :-(
Food: When eating Khmer, the family likes their soup, rice dishes, and noodles. Standard. What once was flavorful is now lack luster. Soup (Somlaw Machu Greung) was bland and missing it’s character punch. Beef in our soup was dried out and the beef sticks were almost inedible. The noodle dish was prepared with inedible seafood (most likely old). Improvement needed. :-(
When things like this happen, we can not blame the chef in the kitchen. It is definitely the management that needs to be worked on here. I hope they can recognize that some of these things are unacceptable.

My boyfriend and I we drive 12hr from Columbus, Ohio… love coming to Lowell during Water Festival along w/​my bf brother and his wife… Also this year came along w/​a friend n his wife… We got in town Wednesday Morning check in our Hotel, shower n get ready to discover Lowell which I heard we can find GREAT KHMER RESTAURANT!
Phnom Penh Restaurant was the first place we choice to go have lunch… Since it was early everyone want Katiew Combination (noodle soup or Phở) except me, my bf think im weird bcuz i hate katiew… but i still taste the katiew soup… It was WOW! the soup was GREAT n TASTY!!! Two Thumbs up!!!
Since i havent eat Loak Cha for longest time, that what I got Seafood Loak Cha… It was ok GOOD enough it hit the spot… Now Seafood Crispy Noodle I leave it alone it was ok but yet not the best…
Only thing we was unhappy w/​was they didn’t serve water to us, but they serve ice cold tea which it was GOOD… Over all everything were good n would go back if we come back to Lowell next year…

Based upon other reviews we tried Phnom Penh. Not such a great experience. We had ground fish salad and beef with noodles (Chow Foon). The beef noodle dish had a brown sauce which was like a canned beef gravy. Meh. The ground fish salad was spicy and salty, not worth having again. Our experience was quite different than the other reviewers.
The interior of the restaurant is spartan, almost like a cafeteria; nothing in the way of ambiance.

I stumbled upon this place based on positive Unilocal reviews and have to say that it was a terrific experience. We ordered the khmer style chicken and also the flank steak with chinese broccoli. The service was quick and friendly, and the food was tasty, especially the broccoli with beef, which sounds Chinese but was prepared a little differently — the leaves were arranged below the stems and the entire setup was topped with a flank steak cooked perfectly to medium doneness. Also, I happened to visit when the 49ers vs Saints game was on TV and the chef/​owner was cheering on the 49ers, another positive sign. ;-)

After reading a lot of great reviews, I figured I’d stop in the area and try. Place looks like a typical asian restaurant — not very modern if you don’t mind. I ordered the crispy chicken and asked for the sweet/​spicy chili sauce on top, and seafood flat noodle rice. I’ve had these elsewhere and were way better and way tastier. The chicken was subpar, not spicy at all. The flat rice noodle tasted chinese and not as good as Simply Khmer’s. The waitress rung me up, and the other prompted her to add $ 2+ because I asked for the spicy sauce and said it was a special order, however I got what the picture looked like… Overall, the place is ok. It was flat out empty when I went during dinner time on a weekday.

This place is seriously the shit. I walked in there once, armed only with the knowledge that it exists, and that I want some Cambodian food. I walked out 2 hours later, having eaten all of the calories, and not regretting a single one of them.
Absolutely everything this place does is made of delicious south-​east Asian fairy-​dust magic. I have no idea what sort of wizardry is being conducted in the confines of their kitchen, but the result is about the most fucking delicious Cambodian food I’ve had since I’ve been to Cambodia proper. Also, it didn’t hurt that I was the only white guy in the whole joint that day; being in the minority at an Asian restaurant is always a pretty damn good sign you’re in for a treat.
The rundown:
1) Beef Loc Lac was awesome.
2) The shrimp pancake was awesome.
3) The service was quick.
4) fairy-​dust magic in the kitchen.
End of story.
Also, the reviewer ahead of me made a comment regarding the shrimp paste, and I completely agree: if you can’t deal with something that smells like ass on your Cambodian food, well… maybe you’re not really cut out for Cambodian food to begin with.

I use to come here everyday after school for their chow foon and share it with my best friend. I don’t know… Its just not the same. The cook hasn’t changed. The little old man. Maybe its because I’m not friends with her anymore ?- no somethings def changed. Sorry pp there are other great restuarants in lowell just minutes away

I love coming to this place for the BEEF CURRY NOODLE SOUP
(khmer: Ka-​thiew kwah-​ko) And LOC LAC w/​white rice. Yum yum yum… Hmm, I’m due for a visit there.
* Prices are cheap (to me @ least)
* Plenty of seatings (Lots of tables)
* Alot of gr8 S.E.A dishes, drinks, shakes and I think they have beer (not sure).
* 2 or 3 TV’s
* PLENTY of off street parking and parking in the back of the restaurant.
* Customer service is OK.
I say that cuz most of the time my waitresses speak very lil English =./​but they are sweet. Sometimes they can be slow.
ALSO, Best restaurant location ever! You have various convenient stores all around (American and Khmer), Liquor store, bars and a laundromat.
Go for a quick South East Asian food fix while your clothes are drying, hahaha…
— Happy eating

Best Phở in Lowell!
and I’m pretty sure they’re the only ones in town who will make jaquai (fried bread) fresh for you if you ask, SO GOOD!

This place is my regular spot if i’m in the mood for soup! Phnom Penh Noodle is the best there!

One of the better places for Cambodian food in the area, I always find myself stopping by for a guaranteed good meal.
The dining area is quite spacious and very clean with TVs adequately placed at the front and rear of the restaurant showing the latest Cambodian pop songs from back home.
The décor could use a face lift though, very depressing beige, black and white colors decorate the establishment and overall just doesn’t seem that welcoming.
But like the old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover.
The food here is superb, all the times that I’ve eaten here I’ve never had a bad meal. The food is usually well cooked, well seasoned as well as very affordable.
I highly recommend the following dishes:
Mee GaThung Special: Cambodia’s take on Chinese Chow Foon, This broad noodle dish comes with moist succulent beef, big juicy pieces of shrimp, fishcake and hearty amounts of crunchy veggies served in its own special gravy. I come back here mainly just for this dish alone at many given times.
Lort Cha Special: Short rice noodles stir fried with eggs, shrimp, beansprouts and your choice of beef or chicken. Its usually hard to find a good Cambodian restaurant that can cook this dish just right but Phnom Penh does it well, seasoned with just the right amount of spices and not too much on the greasy side.
Beef Loc Lac: Seasoned marinated beef cooked in its very own special gravy served on a bed of fresh crisp lettuce leaves, freshly chopped onions and big juicy sliced red tomatoes with white rice and a lemon pepper dipping sauce on the side.
The meat for me personally has always been well cooked, not too chewy yet at the same time not too soft, has just the right amount of seasoning and sauce, the flavors dances on your tongue just enough to hold you over until you get the chance to take another bite of the marinated beefy goodness.
Would give it 5 stars if they would just rework their color choices

Decent food, the cook is pretty funny (atleast I think he is the cook). The cambodian style chow foon is pretty good here

i love this restaurant. being a Lowell native, I guess I have a different perspective on what south east Asian food should taste like. you see there’s a Huge Asian population in Lowell. the food we cook or sell here is unapologetic. its as close to authentic as you can get. don’t like the stinky shrimp paste in the papaya salad? fuck you. go back to brookline.
(shrimp paste is an essential ingredient to papaya salad that many restaurants around Boston leave out because it smells like poo. its really just fermented concentrated shrimp paste.)
the food at Phnom Penh is fantastic. the servings are large and the prices are relatively cheap. depending on what day you walk in the servers maybe busy watching the latest Karaōke DVD of their favorite pop star back in Cambodia, or just watching kickboxing beamed in from the border provinces of our country. its an authentic dining experience. its unapologetic.