Art Café Hopping Day 3

Java’s humble selection of books on Cambodia

On an ordinary day it looks like a regular coffee place

The Grounds refurbished interior, wonder what it used to look like!

Chiet Café’s gorgeous wooden indoors

It’s my third day of arts and culture café hopping in Phnom Penh, and I’ve come across three places that genuinely piqued my curiosity. What they all share is the ability to hold your attention for hours, whether you’re working on your laptop, reading, or simply wandering through their art-adjacent spaces. Interestingly, two of these picks stand out not so much for a specific artistic initiative, but for the cultural and architectural significance of the spaces themselves.

Java Creative Café Toul Kork

For many locals, Java Café has been part of Phnom Penh’s creative scene for nearly two decades. It has moved across several locations over the years, and now sits in the quieter neighborhood of Toul Kork.

What’s remarkable is its consistency in supporting independent Cambodian artists. The café regularly hosts exhibitions, live performances, festivals, artist talks, and open panels. Artists like Ly Polen, director of Further and Further Away (2022), and Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, a renowned royal ballet dancer, have been part of its programming. Their efforts were recognized with the 2023 EuroCham CSR Award for Social and Community (SME).

When I visited, there wasn’t a major event happening, although I did notice a workshop related to women’s breast cancer awareness. I ended up ordering a breakfast bagel and a coffee–ice cream mix, then settled into their spacious, well-lit interior. There’s also a small open library, with books on Cambodia ranging from photography to fiction, perfect if you want to linger a bit longer.

If you’re curious about their programming, it’s worth checking their events page online.

Gather Grounds Coffee and Eatery

This one is a different kind of choice. I wasn’t drawn to it for an artistic initiative, but for its architecture and historical weight.As you probably know, Cambodia was once under French colonial rule. Over time, through conflict, neglect, and rapid urban development, many colonial-era buildings have disappeared. Gather Grounds stands out because it hasn’t.

The café occupies a 120-year-old villa, likely dating back to the early 1900s, blending French colonial and Chinese merchant architectural styles. It’s one of the few remaining structures from that period that still feels intact. The building has lived many lives; it once housed different businesses, including Meta House Phnom Penh, a well-known cultural space.

Today, it exists as a quiet café. I had a coffee in their garden area and stayed there for a while, sitting in this preserved fragment of the past, while just across the street, the skyline pushes upward with new developments. There’s something quietly striking about that contrast.

Café Chiet

This last one is another spatial choice. I was drawn to it for how it reinterprets traditional Cambodian architecture.

The café is designed to evoke a Khmer wooden house on stilts. Sitting there, especially if you’re working on your computer, feels like being underneath a traditional home, surrounded by wooden columns, with natural light filtering in. The walls are decorated with Khmer string instruments, adding another layer of cultural texture.

It’s not every day you encounter this kind of architectural reference in an urban setting anymore, which makes the experience feel a bit special. The menu is also quite extensive, and its location, just a short walk from the National Museum of Cambodia, fits perfectly with the overall atmosphere.