Organization
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is a family-owned Cambodian restaurant on West 25th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, with a second location in North Olmsted.[1] It serves Khmer dishes from family recipes alongside Vietnamese noodle soups, and most of its Cambodian specials can be made vegan.[1][2]
History
Phnom Penh began in a little house on Cleveland's West Side. Its founder, Mang Keo, escaped the killing fields of Cambodia and the refugee camps as a boy, came to Cleveland and offered the city the food he knew.[3][4] By 2008 it had two Cleveland locations, the small original on Lorain Avenue and a second on West 25th Street.[3] As of 2026 the restaurant is run by Mono Bun and the Bun family, who describe it as a family business. The second location is now on Lorain Road in North Olmsted.[1]
Food
Many dishes are built on kroeung, the Khmer spice paste of lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal, turmeric, garlic, shallots and dried red chilies.[1][3] The Cambodian side of the menu includes samlaw machou kreoung, a spicy and sour stew of beef, lemongrass, tamarind and spinach; bayon, a Cambodian curry with squash, eggplant, green beans and snow peas; and natin, coconut ground pork served with crispy rice.[3][5] Daily specials include mee Khmer, rice noodles sautéed with tofu, chilies, garlic and Chinese chives under a shredded omelet, and taprom, a sweet and sour dish in a lemongrass and tamarind sauce.[5]
There are also smok Siemreap, a seafood and catfish curry steamed in a banana-leaf cup; a hot pot cooked at the table in a Khmer boiling sauce; beef loklak; a Cambodian crepe of rice flour and coconut milk; and mikroolaa, rice noodles with pickled vegetables and roast pork.[5] The soups range from Phnom Penh rice noodle soup and Khmer rice soups to Vietnamese pho and Hue beef soup.[5][3]
Visiting
The West 25th Street restaurant is in Ohio City.[2] The North Olmsted location is at 27080 Lorain Road, with the telephone number (216) 251-0210. Both offer dine-in and take-out, and diners may bring their own drinks.[1]