If you take a walk down Sihanoukville’s Serendipity Road looking for something to eat during the daylight hours, Bad Panda will probably catch your eye. Return after dark and you may wonder why Bad Panda’s doors are closed and its next door neighbour has invaded its patio space. No, the eye-patched panda hasn’t been muscled out of town by the Rambo next door; it’s actually all part of the plot.

Try Bad Panda for lunch and maybe later, try Maybe Later for your evening meal.

Maybe Later, the restaurant/bar next door, opened first and achieved instant renown for their Mexican dishes and world class cocktails. Since both Mexican dinners and cocktails are most frequently enjoyed in the evening, the proprietors wisely decided to open their doors at 17:00 instead of sitting around all day waiting for customers.

Instead of watching half a month’s rent fly out the door during the daylight hours, the proprietors  equally wisely decided to make use of the space next door to create Bad Panda. When they first opened, Bad Panda’s claim to fame was their 75 cent “drunken donuts” boasting liqueur-laced icing. I can vouch for the addictive qualities of their Bailey’s laced donuts, but one cannot live on donuts alone; so I was more than pleased when they introduced bagels and wraps to their menu.

Both the bagels and wraps are priced to suit any budget or taste. Pay $1.00 for a wrap or$1.50 for a bagel and extra for the filling or topping of your choice. Although not enough for a full meal, a bagel topped with home made garlic and chive cream cheese for $2.00 is too delicious to pass up.

Service with a smile at Bad Panda.

There’s a real Southern California feel to Maybe Later. They import their corn chips from California, but that’s only part of the reason why their Mexican dishes taste more like those you would find in a trendy LA cafe than what you’d find south of the border. It was nostalgia for that style of food that first attracted me to Maybe Later, but now that I’m taking the food for granted, it’s the friendly vibe that keeps me going back for more.

Great food and good vibes at Maybe Later.

Clearly I’m not the only one who likes the atmosphere at Maybe Later. Although they’re a bar and not a club, they rarely close before 03:00 and are often packed when most of the other bars on Serendipity Road are virtually deserted.

If you’re vegetarian or crave respite from the predominantly meat, chicken and fish dishes on offer in most establishments in Sihanoukville, you’ll appreciate the fact that both Bad Panda and Maybe Later offer vegetarian dishes. The vegetarian sausage with hummus and salad wrap ($3.25 with everything) Bad Panda serves during the day will keep you going all day and Maybe Later’s $5.00 rice and bean burritos are a perfect accompaniment to a beer.  Angkor beer is the cheapest at $1.00 for a draft or can. If the cross-cultural mix doesn’t appeal and you want to stick with Mexican, $3.00 will buy you a Corona Extra or margarita to enjoy with your meal.

Bad Panda and Maybe Later are located about halfway down Serendipity Road on the right as you’re heading towards the beach. Bad Panda opens at 09:00 and closes at 17:00, when Maybe Later opens. Maybe Later doesn’t close until the last customers leave, which is usually very late.

More still
» Previous post: Get lost in Phnom Penh’s Tonle Bassac
» Next post: Phsar Toul Tom Poung (Russian Market), Phnom Penh

Disclaimer
Travelfish.org always pays its way. No exceptions.