Surreal that I stumbled upon this cafe when my sister fell ill having eaten unhygienic street food. We are travellers who believe in eating like a local, and so this cafe would probably not be on our list if not for her predicament. I had to run out to get her something to eat, and so cafe food sounded safe.

There weren’t many cafes near where we live, that or we didn’t notice them at all in the beginning. I was surprised to spot Sister Srey Cafe just having crossed a road and a small river.

Turned out, what a marvellous place it is!

The coffee tasted amazing. Sandwiches are huge and generously stacked. And the ambience at the cafe is of cool, laid-back vibes. I was there with my brother and so while waiting for food, we read up a little more about the cafe.

Sister Srey Cafe is a social enterprise in Siem Reap, Cambodia run and operated by sisters Lauren And Cassie. ‘Srey’ means sister in Khmer. The sisters are from Melbourne, who first stumbled upon and fell in love with Cambodia during their Southeast Asia backpacking trip.

Lauren is a trained barista back in Melbourne, and the girls wish to share the art of making good coffee with the locals as a skill set to pick up for their livelihood. Each staff is trained in hospitality, English language, personal development, health and hygiene, and finance. Younger staff receive educational support from the cafe too.

Sisters Lauren and Cassie noticed that the children in Siem Reap struggle aim to help and support Khmer students through their struggle of finding balance between work and studies. Since opening, the Cafe works alongside. The cafe donates 20 percent of profits to Hearts to Harmony Foundation for supporting individuals and families through education, health and hygiene.

200 POKAMBOR ST
RIVERSIDE I OLD MARKET AREA
SIEM REAP I CAMBODIA

Tuesday to Sunday, 7am to 6pm

All images by Sister Srey Cafe.