The Basil

The Basil is a restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia — one of 2,134 places to eat and drink we map across the province, and part of a wider dataset of 5,033 mapped locations in Phnom Penh. In Khmer it would be described as ភោជនីយដ្ឋាននៅភ្នំពេញ. It sits at 11.56058, 104.93346, which is the coordinate any Cambodian tuk-tuk or PassApp driver can be shown directly if the name is unfamiliar to them.

As a place to eat, it serves both residents and visitors passing through Phnom Penh. It has no official website, so opening hours and prices are best confirmed by phone or by asking locally on the day — small businesses in Cambodia change hours seasonally and close for family events and festivals.

The easiest way to find The Basil is by nearby landmarks. It lies roughly 0 m south-west of Regent Park, and about 0 m south-west of DCK Travel & Tours, with Song Tra Ice Cream a further 0 m south-west. Drivers in Phnom Penh usually navigate by these anchors rather than street numbers, so naming the closest one gets you there faster than an address.

From the centre of Phnom Penh, a tuk-tuk or PassApp ride is the standard way to arrive; short in-town trips generally cost US$1 to US$3, and longer provincial runs are worth agreeing in advance. Rented motorbikes are widely available from guesthouses, and self-driving is realistic on sealed roads in the dry season — less so between June and October, when heavy afternoon rain floods side streets and unpaved approaches. The "Get directions" link on this page opens the exact coordinates in Google Maps for turn-by-turn navigation.

The Basil is listed as a restaurant on the Cambodia Today map, which in practice means table service or counter ordering with a short printed or wall-mounted menu. Prices at neighbourhood restaurant spots in Phnom Penh typically run from about US$1.50 to US$4 for a rice or noodle dish and US$1 to US$3 for iced coffee, fruit shakes or a bottle of beer. Air-conditioned cafés and restaurants aimed at visitors sit at the upper end, roadside and market kitchens well below it.

Expect Khmer staples — bai sach chrouk in the morning, kuy teav noodle soup, lok lak, amok and fried rice through the day — with Western breakfasts and Thai or Vietnamese dishes appearing wherever there is a steady foreign crowd. Cash is king: bring small US dollar notes and expect change in riel, and assume card payment is not available unless the venue is part of a chain. Most kitchens open between 6am and 8am and start closing from 8pm, earlier in smaller towns.

The Basil is not isolated: our map records 8 other mapped locations within a short ride, including Regent Park (hotel, 0 m south-west), DCK Travel & Tours (travel agency, 0 m south-west), Song Tra Ice Cream (ice cream, 0 m south-west), Pancake (fast food, 100 m north). Pairing a visit here with one or two of those makes a more efficient half-day, especially if you are paying a driver by the trip rather than by the hour.