Legit Khmer restaurant in St. Paul. Go! I had a morning craving for kuy teav (Cambodian noodle soup), and saw Kolap opened at *10am*. Hopped into my friend's car and we headed over. Early morning it wasn't packed. Sat down, and placed an order for kuy teav and was not disappointed. Lovely aroma. We were hungry, so we got a side of beef shish kebabs - delicious fire. As in savory, not spicy. Quick service. Credit cards accepted. Can't wait to return. Next time I'll spring for the prahok ktiss (my go-to at any Khmer spot I hit up). read more

Excellent noodles and congee. They don't skimp on the quantity or quality of ingredients. Highly recommend!

Really loved the hole in the wall entrance to this place which has been well loved and carries a lot of history. I ordered the skewers and combination noodle soup both of which were really tasty and a heart portion. Prices are also very reasonable. This seems to be a popular take out establishment as the dining area was not busy but the seating was comfortable and the atmosphere inviting. The waitress/hostess was kind and served us well. read more

i'm not sure what the hype about this place is about... what we NOMd (not even): - egg rolls: frozen chinese takeout flavor - skewers: no flavor - loc lac: no flavor - siem reap: this was the best dish out of the bunch & i say that very lightly. it was the only one i had more than 2 bites of. veggies were cooked great but it smelt & tasted like straight seafood boil garlic sauce. - chinese broccoli: waxey & too raw. had that bitter taste - lemongrass chicken: mid ... where's the lemongrass? i hate to write a bad review especially for a cambodian restaurant but this did not taste even in the slightest. at least not like the stuff my yiey used to cook. i was extremely disappointed to bring this to a new years celebration to have my friends try cambodian food for their first time & see their (& my) faces of distaste & confusion. read more

Kolap Restaurant - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

Amazing dishes, lots of very good. Kolap very taste. Would recommend to if around town.

I ordered takeout and everything was delicious! We had the spring rolls, ginger chicken lunch combo, veggie fried rice and Lot Chha Hollywood. Portions are huge and the prices are very reasonable! Service was great too. read more

This modest establishment offers the little-known culinary delights of Khmer cuisine. Who is familiar with Cambodian food? You're not? Come here and check it out! The delightfully friendly co-owner, Sophie, is happy to explain the menu of soups, stir fry dishes, and traditional lunch specials. But THE item you should order is the incredible Siem Riep soup. Hailing from her home region famous for the Angor Wat Temples complex, the soup is a seemingly incongruent but culinarily delicious and addictive tangy sour soup. Lovingly described by a New York Times reporter (2016) as, "the single best thing" he ate on a trip to Twin Cities, the soup contains chunks of chicken, pineapple and bitter melon. You can ask for shrimp or tilapia if you prefer. Prices are extremely reasonable. DO eat here. The immigrant owners are the kind of folks who truly make the USA a great place. read more

See all

10000/10! two heaping bowls of congee for $20 with amazing flavor and ingredients! my 6'3"boyfriend couldn't finish it and had leftovers (rare!!). i was feeling tired and cold, but this revived me. the owner was so sweet and one of their dishes was featured in the New York Times! also, very authentic Cambodian dishes on the menu... and my congee tasted like my mom made it. read more

We had several of the Cambodian dishes, including Siem Reap Sour Soup and spicy pork Prohok Ktees (served with rice and fresh veg). They were excellent! Service by the owner was prompt and friendly. Portions are very large. We enjoyed being in this cozy and simple family restaurant. read more

The staff here are soo friendly and kind. If you are into oily and garlicky pho, this is definitely the place. Sorry, not to make it sound disgusting. The pho here is actually really really good! It's very flavorful and they are very generous about the amount of pho they give you. Definitely help support this small business! read more

Kolap Restaurant - 11. Beef Meatball Noodle Soup - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

Amazing hole in the wall restaurant with generous portions, massive flavors, and great service. Def recommend to anyone in the area!

I feel like this place doesn't get a lot of recognition because of the location. Food is awesome and service is ok. I expected it because when I went I. There wasn't anyone there and that was around 11:30am. It's an old building so I can see the wear and tear in it. Over all, it's still clean and friendly environment. read more

Cambodian food with amazing flavors - 5 stars. This was my first time tasting Cambodian food. It's definitely a gem located on the corner of Thomas & Dale. What a treat! Our food was a cornucopia of amazing flavors. I'm pretty stingy about handing out 5 star reviews but Kolap deserves it - 5 stars all the way. Kolap is in an old mixed use brick building on the corner. There's plenty of parking, in back and on both adjacent streets. We had no problem finding a spot right in front. The space is old, warm, and intimate. It's filled with interesting and wonderful displays, Asian art, lots of big tropical plants, and a large TV playing videos of ethnic Cambodian music - very cool! You can definitely feel the touch of a family, not generic shiny plastic corporate glitz. And the food, oh boy, the food! Everything has an explosion of flavors. The two of us ordered a ton of food and it was ALL amazing. We were tempted to try the dishes with pork intestines and pork sphincters (!!!???) but we weren't willing to commit to big meals with this ingredient. Maybe an appetizer - not an entire entrée. So we passed on the innards. The quantity of food is generous. Note to customers: The soups are the size of complete meals so order accordingly. The soups are all jumbo XL, including the ones listed in the appetizer section. Even my spring rolls were big. They were at least twice the size (maybe bigger) of normal spring rolls along with large shrimp and generous portions of pork. Last but not least, there's a big basket on each table with lots of yummy spices & sauces. I noticed that a lot of the dishes have some sweetness to them, almost like an Asian BBQ type of vibe. I haven't experienced this with other SE Asian foods. Very interesting and very good. I ordered the hot Thai Tea since we were experiencing a very cold spring day. It was great. You can get it served cold too. They don't have desserts but if you have a sweet tooth, they can make you a fruit smoothie. This is a family owned restaurant. The customer service from the family was great and everyone was wonderful. Finally, the prices are all reasonable. Eating here won't bust your budget. I'd go back again ANY time! Thumbs up! -Maxx read more

See all

This is a local Cambodian restaurant with unique dishes on the menu. They are open for dining in during COVID. We came here for the first time, and ordered: 1/ Siem Riep sour soup (featured on the New York times once according to the owner) I ordered this sour soup with fish only but you have the option of shrimp or chicken for your protein. The sourness is well combined with the sweetness from the pineapples, making it a savory and unique soup. All the flavors are rounded out with some fried shallots and fresh cilantro on top. The dish is served with white rice, which makes it more filling. Personally, I added some chili slices for a kick, but you can omit it too. 2/ Prohok Ktees This is well-seasoned ground pork in shrimp paste dip to go with some white rice and fresh vegetables. The pork dip is mixed in with peas and carrots, making the dish an overall pretty balanced meal. Taste: 9/10 Price: 10/10 Location: 8/10 Overall: 8.5/10 Recommend? Yes! read more

Kolap Restaurant - 8. Siem Reap Sour Soup - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

We got 3 tasty dishes for $23! Full marks because you can't beat this deal for food that feels homemade and packed with flavor. I've actually had Kolap's food many times before because they do takeout and I've been in mtgs where it was ordered. I had never been to the actual restaurant though so when I needed to schedule a lunch mtg in the area, I suggested we go here! AMBIANCE It isn't trendy or sleek, but I'm totally okay with that compared to other reviewers. It's definitely hole-in-the-wall but was bigger inside than I thought. That helped since I didn't have to worry about getting a table. I also loved that about a dozen Asian OGs came in mid-meal and they strolled-in like regulars. The servers were really sweet too. THE FOOD My table ordered the Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli (#15), Siem Reap Sour Soup (#8), & Prohok Ktees (#36). Yummmm and good mix of items to eat family-style. I liked the soup's broth. I did expect the #36 pork to be spicier but it was at least flavorful. I would of liked more cabbage & less broccoli with this dish but that's more of a preference. We had enough leftovers for 2 boxes to take home! It seriously felt like I was going to an aunty's house for food & leaving with more meals for later (like I do with all my relatives). I'm definitely coming back & bringing others here who want a low-key but awesome meal. There are so many more dishes I gotta try from my aunties. read more

See all

Wow, I have not been to this place in a long time. I was here when they first opened I think 15 years ago? It is not located in the best neighborhood and there no parking spots. Street parking is everywhere. I am Cambodian and this place is legit. Very tasty traditional Cambodian meal. I am surprised they serve cow's intestines and tripes. They are delicious. I normally get their rice congee to go when I do not feel well. Workers are super nice and friendly. There is a big screen tv inside and they always have Cambodian music video on. Highly recommended! read more

Not only was the food fantastic, but the super-friendly owner Sophie showed me how to make spring rolls that aren't so sticky. She brought out all the ingredients and supplies for the demo. Wow! My husband loved his soups soup, and I loved my afresh spring rolls. Photos are of Sophie's kaffir and curry leaf trees in the restaurant. read more

Kolap Restaurant - a large potted plant in front of a window - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

Kolap is a true St. Paul gem! The food is always delicious, and the portions are so filling. We ordered takeout today, and it was just as good as before. (It also doesn't hurt that I now have leftovers in my fridge to last me another day or two!) I highly recommend the Siem Reap Soup, Prohok Ktees, and Pak Lou (marinated pig intestines, stomach, and ears). There's a small parking lot at the back of the restaurant, which is always a blessing for those of us who struggle with parallel parking read more

Kolap Restaurant - Takeout order of Siem Reap Soup and Prohok Ktees! - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Excellent food and service. Will go again. Especially recommend the beef skewers. Nice small family restaurant.

Food here is authentic and fabulous. The owner is a gentle and kind woman who engaged with us and shared her wonderful food and her story. Service was timely and efficient. Helpings were generous and delicious. We will go back. read more

Food was authentic and delicious. The owner and chef was very hospitable and I will definitely come back the next time I'm in the St.Paul and Minneapolis area. read more

Great service and great food!! Will definitely be going back for their Beef Shish kabobs and Banh Sung

Literally the portion sizes are so massive, delicious, and the service is so good a new fav for sure

For under ten bucks/person here, you can leave with a full stomach and leftovers. The Siem Reap Sour Soup is unbelievable. If you like Asian soups (and sour soups), this is for you - herbs, spices, pineapple, big chucks of fish and loads of veggies (melons, tomatoes, etc). Deep-Fried Pompano Fish was great as well - basically fried fish in a flavor-packed sauce. I believe there are fermented beans (I accidentally bit into one) in the sauce, also a tamarind like taste! The sauce itself is a bit salty, but eat it with a bit of the fish, and it's perfect. Btw, the fish was huge! Don't be fooled by the exterior and the decor, this is one of the best Asian restaurants in town! I noticed a New York Times article posted on their door as I was leaving - and the sour soup was one of the dished mentioned. Skip the pho here (only $5) - just get the sour soup! read more

Kolap Restaurant - Siem Reap Sour Soup - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Simply the best Cambodian food in St. Paul! Very authentic. The owner is great at making recommendations and accommodating dietary needs/spice levels. Comfortable space for large groups. Great hospitality. read more

Authentic dive with many tasty Cambodian dishes to choose from. I'm always a supporter of trying dives. This one is an ultra dive! The pad Thai is good. It comes spicy and served with a small container of a sweet concoction (more what you might be used to seeing served with egg rolls) that you can use with the pad Thai. We tried the shrimp fried rice. It's served with baby shrimp and has a nice grilled flavor. The chicken with lemongrass looks Americanized but it's not. It is very flavorful and slightly spicy. Lastly, we also tried the egg rolls -- only option is pork. Egg roll wrapper is thin and crispy. Overall good flavors for a great value! After a 20% tip, our total bill was $35 for an appetizer and 3 entrees. read more

See all

First time here, stopped because of all the buzz surrounding the recent New York Times article about this place. Let me tell you, as a fan of pho, I think I've found a new favorite soup... and it's no longer The Pho. The Siem Reap Sour Soup is *unbelievable*. This is the dish that the NYT writer raved about. Now I understand why. For $8.95, I got a huge bowl that was thick with tomato, melon, lotus root, basil swimming in a mildly spiced but incredibly flavor-filled broth that is just tart enough. I chose shrimp but you can also get chicken or pork. You also get a large bowl of rice. The wait person gave me a plate and small bowl and said the way it's usually eaten is to place some rice in the small bowl, then ladle the soup over that. When the chef brought out the soup and rice, I thought, oh I'm gonna bring a whole lot of that home, and of course I did-- there are two meals there. Looking forward to warming it up for dinner later on. Even in St. Paul's Frogtown, with its plethora of great Asian restaurants, this one deserves a stop. The owners are very nice and while the interior of the place is the typical small Frogtown dive, you can also get anything you want to go as well. Seriously, if you dig Asian soups, Siem Reap may change your life. read more

Kolap Restaurant - Siem Reap Sour Soup with shrimp (#8) is unbelievably flavorful! - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I am from Washington state, and this is my first time trying Khmer food in Minnesota. I can guarantee that this restaurant is probably the best Cambodia food in Minnesota in term of flavor and the environment quality. I did try the typical Khmer food that I like in Cambodia, which are Loc Lac, Somlor Mju Youn, and Brohok Ktiss. read more

See all

This place is very underrepresented! My favorite is the pahok ktiss which is the best, most authentic I've had so far in the twin cities and even better than the one at Cheng Heng (imo) plus you get nearly twice as much. While the first half of the menu are more Chinese inspired dishes, familiar to the westernized palate, there are some hidden gems within the menu. They even have fried pork intestines which were delicious! And their sour fish soup was very good as well. The serving sizes (especially soups) are very, very generous considering the prices. Most dishes are under $10. It wasn't as busy and there weren't a lot of staff, but it's a really sweet place. My friend and I are definitely going to come here more often :) **update** salaw machu kreuong is my new fave here. The closest to home I've ever had in my time here ;DD read more

Kolap Restaurant - Salaw machu (tangy, sour fish soup), fried pork intestines and pahok ktiss - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

Going in, I had no idea what to expect of this place. I have never had Cambodian food, so I can't judge the authenticity, but many items were unfamiliar to me. When we arrived, the front door was actually locked still despite them being open for 1.5 hours by then. We called them and they let us in and thanked us for letting them know! The inside is very basic, divey as some other reviews say. It's just some plain tables in a big room. Condiment baskets in the tables. There was also a fan under a light that caused a terrible flickering all meal that is nit picky but so annoying. The waitress didn't speak English but she was nice and we did just fine communicating! However she was a bit slow- especially at the end of the meal. However the food was really good! Great really! Especially for the price and portion, you get a lot and it's good. We had the fish sour soup as so many people recommended. The fish is all over in there with a lot of bones. Maybe that's traditional, I do not know but it made it a little hard to eat picking bones out of your teeth a little, hah. The flavor though of that soup was so fresh! I took some home and filled my to go soup with some rice and it all absorb and it was so comforting. We also had the fat fried noodles and those were nummy. I wanna go back! read more

Kolap was really, really good. I have a deep love for all Asian foods, I'm the type of person that could live off white rice and Sriracha if I had to. (I may or may not have survived on this for 3 months straight in college). But my love for Cambodian food is real, and there aren't many options in the twin cities. Kolap has a honey atmosphere almost as if you are eating at someone's home. They have traditional Cambodian decor around the restaurant and plenty of seating. The service was quick and attentive. I ordered the sweet and sour soup with chicken (salaw Machu youn) which is a popular Cambodian dish served with rice. My friend ordered the luc loc, a beef salad dish which is also popular. We split the beef sticks as an app and had a few sprites. The food was amazing. The beef sticks were delish and they bring a big heaping bowl of white rice for the table. My friends dish was really great, served with the traditional lemon pepper esque dipping sauce, the meat was tender and very flavorful. My soup was also really good; just bursting with flavor. The portions were huge and I couldn't even get close to finishing my dish. The hot chili oil is great and the people working were friendly and accommodating. I'll definitely be back !! read more

I've had this place bookmarked for a while because I had been here once with the boyfriend's family for a graduation party. I remembered the food was really good and I've been wanting to come back. I finally made it back and it wasn't how I remembered. Maybe I got too comfortable with the way the bf's mom makes her dishes. We started with the beef sticks. I am really picky with beef sticks as with many other things, haha. I like my beef stick to be very tender, juicy, and a hint of lemongrass. The beef was definitely tender and juicy but I didn't really care for the flavor. There was definitely no lemongrass or what they call Kreung (learned that from the bf's family) on the beef stick. It does come with a side of pickled carrots and daikon which is the best way to eat beef sticks with. Only wished the daikon was shredded more thinly. We also ordered the highly popular, Reap Sour Soup. It was good and savory but a little on the sweeter side for me. Last thing we ordered was the octopus with green bell peppers. The octopus was lightly battered, has a very good charred taste to it, crunchy, but it was dry and didn't have any other flavor. It did come with a side of dipping sauce which seemed to have consisted of lemon juice, black pepper, and sugar. I'd definitely come back to try some other things on the menu. Their prices are really reasonable. read more

See all

I have never tried Cambodian food before and this is right by my house. I wasn't even sure if it was a restaurant at first but when I looked up the reviews I just had to go. It's pretty hole in the wall but it is clean and they have cool Cambodian music videos on a giant screen TV. I got the beef sour soup, I couldn't get enough. The staff here is really sweet. Just know that they close at 7 o'clock!! read more

Great BANG for your buck. Not much to complain about. You can park on Thomas or their little parking lot on the side of Dale. Their food is decent. Pho is good. The broth is pretty heavy on garlic and pretty hearty. Wish there was a little more noodles. Pig ear & intestines are da bomb. Egg rolls are decent. Seems like they use cured pork. Spring rolls are good. Meat skewers were decent. Chicken wings were decent. Fried rice was decent. Pad Thai was decent also. Overall, a decent place for the right price. I'd take it over Cheng Heng. I have to go back to try their other dishes. read more

This little gem is a great place for tasty freshly-prepared food that is flavorful and eye catching. Not your first choice for dine-in if you are in a rush. The sour soup is delightful with so many layers of flavor (as so many have mentioned). I also enjoyed the noodle dishes listed on the last page of the menu. Very reasonably priced. read more

Kolap Restaurant - Spring rolls, egg rolls, fried rice and so much more.... - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

The sour fish soup wasn't really sour. Nor was it fishy tasting. But it was an A+ in my book. It was enough for three meals so I took 2/3 of it home and feasted on it for two more days. They also give huge quantities of rice. And all at a reasonable price. I see more authentic dishes on the picture menu not to be found at any other Asian restaurant I have been to. I am bringing friends next time. read more

Great cambodian soups. There seems to be a split in the clientele that works well for the business - the wonderful soups and other genuine SE Asian recipes attract local Cambodian folks while others in the neighborhood come for low-priced Chinese-American standards. Everybody seems to be happy with this arrangement. I have had the Phnom Penh Noodle Soup twice and its flavors are rich and tangy. Broth seems homemade, protein is on the lighter side, but it was inexpensive so I was not appalled. This seems like the perfect little noodle stand snack one would get ladled out to them on a tropical morning in Phnom Penh. The egg rolls were handmade and packed with a nearly excessive amount of pork - a meal unto themselves. I will return soon and sample more from the soup section of the menu - I'd like to try quite a few of the off-the-beaten-path Cambodian soups that this place has to offer. Obviously family owned and staffed, local neighbors seem to adore it, a deep menu with options for the general public as well as several rarer authentic recipes from the homeland that can't be found anywhere else in town, and, to top it all off, prices that are incredible economical - what more could one ask for? read more

Sitting here with a food coma at the moment. We had the spring rolls, sour soup with fish, and beef pad thai. Huge portions, and really good food!! The soup had lots of fish, and was extremely flavorful. It also came with a giant mountain of rice, so it made for a very filling dish. The pad thai was also very good, you can tell it came right out of a hot wok, and the portions were huge. Don't be fooled by the decor, it looks like it could be a party/karaoke room at night. But there is plenty of space between tables, which is nice. Really good prices for the huge portions too! Would recommend!! read more

The first half of Kolap's menu leans Americanized asian, but there are some great whole fish and rice noodle dishes towards the back that are quite good. The whole fried pompano was great, as was the loht cha. The atmosphere is a little odd -- it kind of looks like a dingy nightclub/dance hall. The portions are generous, and most meals are well under $10. The spring rolls are notably good too. read more

Kolap Restaurant - Karaoke-ready interior - Cambodian Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

See all

Was expecting more, with all the 4.5 and 5 star reviews. On upside large portions, for a decent price. Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, could have had little more oyster sauce, in the sauce, but was good. Ordered the deep fried smelt also, got a large amount of them, they tasted ok, but the dipping sauce that they served with it, was terrible, some sauce with a ton of black pepper. The octopus with green pepper was also ok, but also came with that terrible dipping sauce. Beef Pad Thai was ok, but think they over did on the black pepper again. Left a little disappointed, most likely won't be back. read more