Phnom Penh Noodle House traces its lineage back three generations, to a noodle cart Cheng Ung ran with his wife, Meng Tan, on the streets of Battambang, Cambodia, in the early 1940s. Their son, Sam Ung, grew up in that restaurant, working his way up from chopping vegetables as a teenager. After surviving the Khmer Rouge regime and a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border, Sam resettled in Seattle and opened the first iteration of Phnom Penh Noodle House in the Chinatown-International District in 1987.
The restaurant has operated on South Jackson Street ever since, run as a family operation. The Phnom Penh chicken wings are the kitchen's fan favorite, and the menu carries the noodle soups and comfort dishes that trace back to that original family recipe book from Cambodia.
Regulars point to generous portions, fresh and layered flavors, and a level of hospitality that keeps first-time visitors coming back — the kind of steady, community-rooted cooking that's made this a fixture of the neighborhood.
The restaurant has operated on South Jackson Street ever since, run as a family operation. The Phnom Penh chicken wings are the kitchen's fan favorite, and the menu carries the noodle soups and comfort dishes that trace back to that original family recipe book from Cambodia.
Regulars point to generous portions, fresh and layered flavors, and a level of hospitality that keeps first-time visitors coming back — the kind of steady, community-rooted cooking that's made this a fixture of the neighborhood.