The waterfront setting kept us at the Sailing Club from lunch into the evening.
We came to Kep for the sea and its crab, then spent much longer than planned at the Sailing Club Restaurant. A table by the water led to lunch, a slow afternoon, and sunset. Our Sailing Club Kep review covers the setting and the dishes we actually tried, from stir-fried crab with green Kampot pepper to a brownie that arrived without one promised ingredient. The experience below is from our original visit; the dining options on this stretch of coast have since changed.
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Was Sailing Club Restaurant Kep worth visiting?
Best for: Readers interested in a leisurely seafood lunch and the sunset we enjoyed at the original Sailing Club.
The Sailing Club occupied a restored wooden fisherman’s cottage at the water’s edge. Its shaded veranda was relaxed enough for a long lunch, with a breeze coming through the open sides. While we sat there, local fishermen spotted a school of fish in the shallows in front of the restaurant. We had found our afternoon entertainment without leaving the table.
As the light changed, the end of the pier became another place to sit. The sunset gave us a reason to stay through dinner time, even though lunch had been the original plan. It is the kind of setting that can make you lose track of your itinerary, which in Kep is hardly a problem.
The menu we saw covered cocktails and mocktails, French wines, beer, Kampot cider, and spirits. Seafood had a prominent place alongside other dishes and vegetarian choices. These are historical menu observations, not a promise about what the present Kep West venues serve.
Our plates were generously sized, and we appreciated the range of vegetables. Dried black Kampot pepper sat on the tables, while fresh green peppercorns appeared in the cooking. That local ingredient proved especially good with the crab.
We ordered soup, crab cakes, stir-fried Kep crab, snapper, and a chocolate dessert. The kitchen handled the seafood gently, letting the crab speak for itself, while the portions gave our leisurely lunch some substance.
Our daily soup combined chicken and mushrooms in a rich broth seasoned with young lemongrass. A little lime sharpened it without burying the chicken; noodles and shredded onion made it more satisfying than a light starter might suggest. The daily soup depended on available ingredients, so ours should be read as one visit’s version.
The crab cakes were fried, tender inside, and lightly seasoned. We could add lime or a smoky jalapeño dip, and the coleslaw brought crisp cabbage, cucumber, bell peppers, and carrots alongside. The restraint with seasoning suited the crab meat.
This was the plate that required rolled-up sleeves. The crab was stir-fried with vegetables and fresh green Kampot peppercorns, with rice and lime on the side. Getting meat and juices from the shell took work, and the pepper gave us ample reason to keep going.
The pan-seared snapper came with a coconut peppercorn sauce spiced with dried chilies. Garlic-steamed vegetables and rice gave us somewhere to put the extra sauce. We liked the contrast between the tender fish and the vegetables’ firmer texture.
Fresh mango and mango sorbet cut through the weight of the compact chocolate brownie and its chocolate sauce. We enjoyed the combination, though we had ordered it in part for the Kampot pepper topping. The restaurant had run out, and the missing pepper left us wondering how much better the dessert might have been with it.
For us, the draw was the combination of seafood and a slow afternoon beside the water. The soup and crab dishes were particularly good, service was pleasant, and the bill felt fair for what we ate. The absent pepper on dessert was a small letdown in an otherwise memorable meal. If you are planning a visit now, consult Kep West’s current dining venues first: the restaurant we reviewed is not listed there under the Sailing Club name.
| Detail | Information checked in September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Restaurant reviewed | Sailing Club Restaurant, Kep, Cambodia (historical visit) |
| Date of visit | Not specified in our original review; article published May 2021 |
| Category | Waterfront restaurant and seafood |
| Price guide (USD) | Our historical lunch bill was about US$40. Current prices are unverified. |
| Current restaurant status | The Sailing Club Restaurant is not listed on Kep West’s current dining page. Confirm the venue directly before visiting. |
| Opening hours | Not verified for the original venue |
| Website | Kep West dining |
We cannot confirm that the restaurant we reviewed still operates under that name. It is not listed among the venues on Kep West’s current dining page; contact Kep West for the latest options.
We tried chicken and mushroom soup, crab cakes, Kep crab with green Kampot pepper, snapper with coconut sauce, and a brownie with mango.
Our lunch bill was about US$40 on the original visit. That is a historical total, not a current menu price.
The shaded waterfront table, freshly prepared seafood, and the sunset kept us there from lunch into the evening.
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