Cambodia Town, Long Beach food corridor

Cambodia Town, officially designated as a cultural district by the City of Long Beach in 2007, is centered along Anaheim Street between Junipero Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. This roughly 1.5-mile corridor serves as the commercial and culinary heart of one of the largest Cambodian diaspora communities in the United States, second only to Phnom Penh in its concentration of Khmer-owned businesses. The area emerged in the 1980s and 1990s as refugees from the Khmer Rouge regime settled in Long Beach, transforming a previously underutilized stretch of auto shops and vacant lots into a vibrant hub of Southeast Asian commerce and culture. The district’s food corridor is particularly notable for its dense concentration of family-run restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores that preserve and evolve the culinary traditions of Cambodia.

The signature cuisines of Cambodia Town reflect the full breadth of Khmer gastronomy, with an emphasis on dishes that are less commonly found in other Asian food corridors in Southern California. Num pang (Cambodian-style baguette sandwiches) are a staple, often filled with char siu-style pork, pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs, distinct from Vietnamese bánh mì in their use of sweeter, more heavily marinated meats and a thicker, chewier bread. Kuy teav, a pork-and-seafood noodle soup with a clear, deeply savory broth, is served at multiple spots, often with a side of lime, chili, and fresh bean sprouts. Lok lak, a stir-fried beef dish served over rice with a tangy lime-pepper dipping sauce, and amok, a steamed coconut fish curry traditionally cooked in banana leaves, are also widely available. The corridor is also known for its bai sach chrouk (grilled pork and broken rice), num banh chok (Khmer rice noodles with fish-based green curry), and an array of tropical fruit shakes and desserts made with durian, jackfruit, and taro.

Beyond Khmer-specific cuisine, the food corridor reflects the broader culinary crosscurrents of the Cambodian diaspora, including influences from neighboring Thailand, Vietnam, and China, as well as adaptations to Mexican and American ingredients. Many restaurants offer chha kh’nhei (stir-fried dishes with galangal and lemongrass) alongside pho and pad thai, while bakeries sell both num kom (sticky rice cakes filled with coconut) and pan dulce. The district’s grocery stores stock hard-to-find ingredients like prahok (fermented fish paste), kroeung (curry paste), and fresh lotus stems, alongside Mexican chiles and masa harina, reflecting the neighborhood’s multi-ethnic character. The annual Cambodia Town Parade and Culture Festival, held along Anaheim Street, further showcases the food corridor’s role as a living archive of Khmer culinary heritage, with vendors offering everything from num ansom (banana-leaf-wrapped sticky rice cakes) to cha houy teuk (jelly desserts with coconut milk).