Pteah Chas Art Community
On my second day exploring Phnom Penh in search of art and culture cafés, I stumbled upon a rather intriguing multi-use building: Pteah Chas Community (literally “Old House Community”), tucked away on Street 110.
At first glance, it’s easy to miss. But once inside, the building reveals itself as a layered creative hub, housing a café, a gallery space, a digital art studio, a Khmer textile shop, and more. It’s one of those places where each floor feels like a different discovery.
Co & Bloom Coffee
The café serves a familiar range of drinks and light bites, smoothies, juices, coffee, nothing too experimental, but solid and comforting. What really defines the experience is the setting.
You can sit in a narrow but incredibly lush corridor that opens into a vertical stairwell, allowing natural light to pour through the building. Or you can head up to the rooftop for a quiet view over Phnom Penh. Plants are everywhere, spilling over railings, lining walls, it almost feels like a miniature Hanging Gardens of Babylon tucked into the city.
Kramuon Studio
One of the most interesting spaces in the building is this small digital design studio focusing on animation and Cambodian digital art. When I visited, I saw several pieces drawing from Khmer classical mythology and Angkorian aesthetics.
The studio is compact and run by a creator named Daro, but the work feels expansive, offering a fresh, contemporary interpretation of Khmer identity in a digital medium. It’s inspiring to see these traditional references reimagined in such a modern form.
Domlei
Located just below the café, Domlei is a handmade textile and print shop that’s perfect if you’re looking for something local and easy to bring home.
They offer a range of items, from colorful scrunchies and women’s clothing to cups, mugs, and rattan bags. It’s the kind of place where you can find small, thoughtful pieces that still carry a strong sense of Cambodian craftsmanship.
Jungle à Domicile
The plant shop on the ground floor is both charming and slightly disorienting, it can make finding your way upstairs a bit confusing at first. While most of the plants and pots aren’t exactly travel-friendly, they also sell beautiful posters featuring vintage Cambodian stamps, which make for much easier souvenirs.
Beyond these spaces, the building also hosts exhibitions, though information can be a bit hard to come by outside of their social media. From what I gathered, they’ve held photography and oil painting exhibitions, workshops, and small pop-ups featuring emerging Cambodian artists and independent brands.
It’s definitely worth checking ahead to see what’s on, I would have loved to catch one of their events.
Address: #91E Preah Ang Duong Street 110, Wat Phnom Commune, Daun Penh District, Phnom Penh
Their mini hanging garden of babylon
Here you can also see many artworks by local artists
I have a fondness for wallart, it’s a nostalgic call to frescos
