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    Heng Lay Restaurant

    4.5 (110 reviews)
    InexpensiveCambodian

    Heng Lay Restaurant Photos

    HENG LAY RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Heng Lay Restaurant

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    Della S.

    Tiny tiny restaurant with incredible food! This was my first time trying Cambodian food and I would recommend this place to others in a heartbeat. Nothing screams "comfort food" better than their hot bowls of noodle soup. I tried the beef stew noodle ($10.50 for medium, $13 for large). The noodles came with fresh bean sprouts and limes. At first I thought that the cuts of beef looked tough, but once I took a bite I discovered that the beef was so tender it melted on my tongue. The broth wasn't too spicy, but was super flavorful. The portion was satisfying and great for its price. I also tried the special noodle soup ($9 for medium, $11.50 for large). The broth was much lighter than the beef stew, but was flavorful and comforting in its own way. The noodle soup was topped with bits of fried garlic which added a lot of flavor. The server kindly explained how to eat the trey proma ($16) on the Khmer traditional food part of the menu. It came with a bunch of fresh vegetables (cucumber, eggplant, cabbage, Thai chili, steamed broccoli, limes) and a generous bowl of rice. The fried fish "cake" had a lot of egg and was very savory.

    Beef lok lak with white rice.
    Aaron P.

    This place is small with about 7 tables of 4 and 2 round tables for a bigger party. There many Cambodian restaurants in Lowell but this is my favorite because their price is reasonable and food quality is better. For breakfast they absolutely have the best beef stew noodles and Phnom Penh noodles. For lunch I tend to order either the beef lok lak or bbq chicken with rice. The rice dish portions are large, too! This small restaurant is family run, from cashier, server, to kitchen staff. It's like going home for meals. They do a lot of takeout business as well.

    Chicken with Spicy. (Spicy what? That's a secret.)
    Gary G.

    The soups are excellent and so are the wings (sweet plus heat, crispy, juicy, and piping hot). Only real downside is the tight parking. I'll post a more detailed review later, but lemme say this: I'm also a fan of Simply Khmer, but like Heng Lay a little more. More home style food at a significantly better value.

    Bonnie C.

    This is my go-to Cambodian restaurant ever! My boyfriend and I make it a point to stop by here whenever we are in North Andover. We only ever order the same two things here - beef stew noodles and the shaken beef! The shaken beef comes with a delicious pork broth soup that is so good. Unfortunately it does not come with the order if you order take out - only dine in I believe. The shaken beef is nice and tender with great flavor. The beef stew noodle soup has a flavor that I never had before and it's quite addicting. It's hard for me to finish a bowl of noodles, but I'm always finishing this one! The staff is always so friendly. I love coming here!

    Pork Belly w/ Chinese Broccoli
    Rosie Q.

    Excuse me Heng Lay Restaurant, where have you been? I've been trying to find a little restaurant that serves good food, nothing pretentious, just authentic Asian flavors without having to travel to all the way down to Chinatown for it and I think I found it. There's a casual dining room with some Cambodian/Thai decors, not anything fancy, it's just a total gem for inexpensive food. Pork Belly & Chinese Broccoli- My guilty pleasure are the fatty parts of meats. The fattier, the better! They stir-fried that with chinese broccoli and garlic and whoa. I felt I transported back to my childhood taking that first bite. I actually ended up saving half to eat it later because I wanted to savor it. So good! Thai Iced Tea- Cinnamony, creamy, rich with tea fragrant served with ice. Yum. Overall Service: I called to order for pickup initially and asked for pork belly & morning glory and the lady on the phone was very nice. Then I got a call right before I was on my way from I think the cook saying they don't have anymore morning glory, and asked if I wanted it with a different veggie. I just told him I trust his recommendation and the dish turned out fantastic. For him to call and it was ready when I got there, that's great customer service in my book.

    Kathern A.

    The best!!! Everything we tried was amazing including the shakes. Hoping to go back a second time during our trip but definitely will be back in the future.

    Phnom Penh noodle with big rice noodle dry

    This was my first time in Lowell and Massachusetts ever so I had to go to their famous Cambodian restaurant. The quality of their food is great and top notch for a small mom and pop shop! I really liked the noodles I got! It was different from California food but just as good! I also ordered egg rolls and it was so delicious and crunchy! I did not expect how perfectly season the egg rolls were. They give you a lot of food and it all came out quickly. I was also impressed at the types of Cambodian food they had. I didn't expect such a big menu or so many different things! I'm from California so I don't know if it's common for restaurants to be that small but I'm surprised that a restaurant that good would be so small. I wish I had a chance to try more things on their menu but I didn't. But if you're in the area, I suggest going down there to check them out!

    Markara P.

    The food was terrific, and the atmosphere was welcoming and festive. We brought a young family friend who spent 2 years in the Peace Corp in Cambodia, in a small village living with a family for the entire two years. She speaks fluent Khmer, and was able to talk with the owner and her entire family in their native language, exchange stories, tell jokes, and look at cellphone pictures of the native land. Our friend absolutely loved the food and said it was the most authentic Cambodian restaurant she has visited since her return. This was our second visit to Heng Lay and we will return soon and often. This is a gem, very modest in appearance, in a kind of residential neighborhood, a bit out of the downtown Lowell area. Set your GPS for the address and prepare for a great meal!!

    K'tieu beef
    Cindy L.

    My cousin and his wife took me here for lunch. They are known for their pho/k'tieu dishes here, from what I'm told, so we came here. This little hole in the wall is not a bad place, with ample parking in the back. The place was a bit cold with no heat on and they had Fox News on the tv, which was a bit weird for me. I ordered the pho bowl, which was good, however, they forgot the chinese donuts that my cousin ordered until the end. The place looks like it has a lot of options but I just stuck with the comfort foods since I don't get to have it out in CA where I live.

    a plate of chicken wings
    Johnny G.

    We were searching for Cambodian food on our way back to Maine from Boston. I can't really eat anymore but I enjoy going to new places and my wife interprets flavors and scents for me. We ordered the Phnom Penh egg noodle soup, the chicken wings with with spicy/fish sauce glaze and the waiter recommended the beef and fried rice. Everything was wonderful per my better half. The restaurant had a great homey feeling with locals enjoying the food and company. Lowell is a wonderful Mecca for Cambodian culture and cuisine.

    Seafood Vermicelli was simple and tasty!
    Joyce W.

    Homey food that will def hit the spot! My friend and I came on a rainy Sunday and ordered the Seafood Vermicelli Soup Noodles + the BBQ Pork Dried Rice Noodles. Both were super solid and def warmed us up! The Vermicelli Noodle Soup was simple and tasted clean/refreshing. The BBQ Pork Noodles came with hearty eggroll chunks and a bed of lettuce to kinda give the dish some semblance of healthiness. Overall, it was a tasty, simple meal that's def made with love! The menu is HUGE and I'll def be back to explore it all!

    Gatiev Gok Special(Dry Noodle)

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    2 years ago

    Loved the visit. Food was great. Clean inside and staff are friendly. Take-out option on line was simple.

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Best in lowell .. clean... quick ... friendly... delicious... my go to for authentic Cambodian food.

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    7 years ago

    Great place to try new dishes not commonly found around the Boston area. Get the spicy chicken wings if you feel basic:) .

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    3 years ago

    Great local Khmer food ! Great service! Just the parking a little hectic because of the four way stop. Other than that try it out!

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    Ask the Community - Heng Lay Restaurant

    Are there vegan friendly dishes? Dishes with no meat, dairy, egg and fish(including fish sauce)?

    It's pretty meat-heavy. I was looking for a veg dish and didn't see any. Maybe I missed one, but veg definitely not a feature

    View All 5 Questions

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    Phnom Penh Restaurant - Beef Sticks

    Phnom Penh Restaurant

    4.0(77 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $

    Beef Sticks (6/10): Flavor was great, and it was nice and crispy. The beef was a bit dry, though…read more Some pieces were also kind of tough. Way too expensive for what it is. Oxtail Noodle Soup (6/10): The soup was a bit unbalanced in terms of flavors. It also tasted a bit one-dimensional (too much fish sauce). The oxtail was decently good. Beef Loc Lac (7.5/10): This was my favorite dish of the night. Crispy and tender! Flavor was delicious. Seafood Fried Noodles (4/10): I don't recommend ordering this. The fried noodles on the outside were fine, but it was a soggy mess on the inside. That would be acceptable if the sauce were good, but the sauce wasn't good either. Also, bear in mind that you will barely get any seafood with this dish. You'll get a few large pieces of imitation crab and like 2 shrimp. I like imitation crab, but just be warned. Service was very good.

    We were passing Lowell and knew this was the hub for authentic south Asian cuisine. We Yelped a few…read moreplaces and landed here as our 2nd option. The first place we went to was closed, despite Yelped showing they were open. Apparently a lot of places in the area are closed on a Monday. Phnom Penh is truly authentic. You walk in and are surprised by how spacious the dining area is. You look to the counter area and it's truly mom and pop style. You hear really loud customers speaking to the staff and immediately feel that they are regulars who have built close relationships through many years of patronage here. This place feels very homey. There is plenty of street parking, but I did see a sign that indicated a parking lot is available in the back. The young man that seated and served us was friendly and helpful. More importantly, he was patient and answered questions for us, who are new to Cambodian cuisine. I ordered the fried rice with beef loc lac. It seemed very popular as many pictures on yelp were of this dish. The beef looked overly fried but was surprisingly juicy and tender with lots of flavor. The fried rice reminds me of the Panda Express fried rice, and there is nothing wrong with that. I accepted the offer to add a fried egg but that actually came out over cooked, IMHO. I give this dish a 8/10. The beef noodle soup was something my wife ordered. It looks spicy but is not spicy at all. Yet, it still had really good flavor. The pictures showed some beef balls, but we noticed mostly sliced beef pieces. It was good and I'd give it a 8/10 as well. I got 2 appetizers. There were so many things that looked good but there were just 2 of us dining and we already were ordering more than we could eat. The fried spring rolls were okay. I think more meat filling would really balance out the interior texture. The outside was perfectly crisp and this dish goes so well with the included fish sauce. I'd give this a 7/10. The hot wings looked so good in the picture. It is heavily and unevenly breaded and fried, then mixed in a sweet and spicy sauce. It's sticky and crunchy...and very fried. I was actually hoping for more with this dish so I'd give it a 6/10. I might try the unsauced version if I come back, as that looked so good (another table got it). Overall, it was a good experience. We were served hot tea and provided great service for delicious food at a reasonable price. I'm glad places like this are still out there. They are not flashy or anything. They are there to serve good food to the community. I hope I come across this place again (it's not near where we live). I'll just have to drive past Lowell again soon!

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    Phnom Penh Restaurant
    Phnom Penh Restaurant
    Phnom Penh Restaurant

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    Simply Khmer - Pleah Sach Ko (Khmer Beef Salad)

    Simply Khmer

    3.7(369 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Simply Khmer will still be my number one go to spot to get Cambodian food…read more The triple combo dish is the way to go. For $20 now, you get sticky rice, 5 spicy wings or 3 beef sticks, and papaya salad. You cannot go wrong with that. I wish I lived closer because I would come here every other week for this dish.

    This place is off the highway but still convenient as it's pretty much down one main street off the…read morehighway. It has a few parking spaces up front and we had no problem getting one during lunch time on a saturday. This place is pretty big and I love that they didn't try to cram as many tables as possible in there. The staff are friendly and wheel out your food on carts vs carrying them on serving trays. The decor and presentation of the restaurant is very clean and modern. - unlike most other places in the area. We've tried other cambodian restaurants in lowell and they don't compare to the ambiance and vibes of Simply Khmer. I'd venture to say other places are very mom and pop style, and almost ghetto compared to this place. The food: Hot wings - are a must order! It looks like there are variations as others come with peppers or other stuff, mine only came with sauce. Based on yelp photos, seems like its hit or miss what you get? Still, tastes great. Crispy but not overcooked and the sauce is amazing. It's not too spicy either. Crispy egg rolls - they were fine but I'd skip these. They are tiny but you get 5. There is no meat so inside is mushy, but the outside is fried perfectly crisp. The soup Kuy Tiew Special - it's just basic pho soup with beef balls, fish cakes and greens. Tastes fine if you want some soupy noodles, but nothing that stands out. Still enjoyable if thats what you're after. My waitress didn't tell us the specials but I kept overhearing the male waiter tell everyone today's specials and I heard about their new chicken skin. I ordered it to try. They are thin and crispy and half the plate is pickled veggies and some jalapenos. The chicken skin is light and airy, fried crispy with some light seasoning. Worth a try at least once. overall, this is one of the more popular places in Lowell for cambodian food and I can see why. I'm looking forward to my next trip back here. Food quality is good, service is friendly, parking was easy and it was not too far off from the main highway.

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    Simply Khmer - Store inside

    Store inside

    Simply Khmer - Pleah Sach Ko (Khmer Beef Salad)

    Pleah Sach Ko (Khmer Beef Salad)

    Simply Khmer - Cha-Kroung Trey (fish fillet)

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    Le Petit Cafe

    Le Petit Cafe

    4.5(37 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $

    I've been wanting to try Le Petit Cafe for quite some time, particularly after hearing about the…read morebeef stew/Kaw Ko. It did not disappoint, and was sincerely one of the best Asian soups I've ever had--it was that good. Rich in flavor and a truly comforting meal. I ordered take out and all of the items were individually packaged with care, and the owner/cook was very kind. I live very close to Cambodia Town, and am looking forward to coming back for the Kaw Ko, especially on the frigid winter days!

    If this restaurant was at a different location it would be a 5 star place in my book as they nail…read moreit for service and good otherwise. It is easy to miss when you are looking for its location. Limited parking for the plaza is available across the street. We found street parking. There are about 8 tables and the place is very popular by locals of all different nationalities. It appears to be a family run business. We were greeted as Sol as we came in and told we could choose where to sit from the available tables. Our server was a young man (about 18) that was super nice and also gave us recommendations. Hot tea was brought to the table a few minutes lates. We started with their spring rolls that were freshly fried and very. I went with the flat noodles with seafood for my main course. Sauce was delicious and the overall dish was fantastic. Now if you need to go to the bathroom you have to go down the hall. That shared bathroom is in need of some serious renovation. It is a cash only business but you can use Venmo and CashApp. Hey I was there for the good and I loved it. I'd go back to try other dishes.

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    Le Petit Cafe - My menu

    My menu

    Le Petit Cafe - Best Cambodian sandwich I've ever had (and I've been to Philly & Long Beach for Khmer food).

    Best Cambodian sandwich I've ever had (and I've been to Philly & Long Beach for Khmer food).

    Le Petit Cafe - Ka kho with bread

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    Ka kho with bread

    Heng Lay Restaurant - cambodian - Updated May 2026

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