Sambath Donuts and Khmer Cuisine is starting 2026 off strong with a new menu celebrating the traditional Cambodian food enjoyed by the owner and her family.
The owner of Sambath Donuts, Sambath Lim, moved to the United States from Cambodia in 2001. While she initially settled in Chicago, she moved down here to Baton Rouge in 2013 and opened her restaurant the following year.
At first, the operation was solely a doughnut shop. Lim would work hard every day to prepare doughnuts and other breakfast items from scratch. She still does, but around the COVID-19 pandemic, things began to change.
The pandemic was a trying time for many economically, and Lim and her shop were no different. Her daughter, Suasdey Julie Pha, said that this need for income led to an expansion in the menu. Thai food became a new feature of Sambath Donuts rather than Cambodian. Pha said this was to make it more appealing for an American audience.
“We started doing Thai food,” Pha said. “We didn’t do [Khmer] food at first because not a lot of American people know about Cambodian food, so obviously they’ll want to come eat Thai food more if they hear Thai.”
The Thai menu stayed for a while at the establishment until Feb. 20 of this year. That is when Sambath Donuts had its grand re-opening, trading its Thai menu out for the new Cambodian one.
Pha said there is a greater Asian influence in Baton Rouge that empowers the family to embrace their cultural food, not to mention there are plenty of Thai restaurants already. Pha said her mother not only wants to share this food with Louisiana but also support family back home during a violent conflict on Cambodia and Thailand’s borders.
“The bombings and attacks are really hurting our family, which most of our family is in Cambodia,” Pha said. “All the ingredients, like the dried ingredients, soup bases and stuff like that, are actually all from Cambodia. So we’re helping buy from them while spreading our food to people in Louisiana.”
As luck would have it, the Sambath Donuts and Khmer Cuisine family reports the new menu as a success. The reception has been widely positive, and thanks to their new social media presence, Pha believes the word is spreading.
So, that is a much longer history section than I usually do for a Paul’s Plate. I want to give you guys something more to chew on since I will only be talking about the food this time around. I did not have the opportunity to spend time in the lovely establishment, so it is only fair.
What I ate
The food I got at Sambath’s was gracefully recommended by the family themselves. I gave two dishes a try: the amok fish and the samlor machu srea, along with a pine cone doughnut for dessert.
I absolutely adored both of these dishes for wildly different reasons. The amok fish, for one, is a rich and delicious fish curry mixed with lemongrass and coconut milk. With the cold weather outside, this is the perfect recipe to warm you right up. The curry hits just the right spot; the lemongrass adds a sweet, fresh tinge to the creaminess of the coconut milk.
With the amok fish, I was almost ready to call it quits. It was delicious, but quite filling, and I was not sure I could eat any more food.
Luckily for me, the samlor machu srea was the ideal counterbalance. This dish is a traditional sour tamarind soup with catfish and vegetables. The broth itself was incredibly refreshing, both parts acidic and sweet, making it so addictive. It went down so smoothly, I almost felt ready to eat more. I quite enjoyed the addition of the zucchini and pepper, as they added another layer of freshness I never thought possible.
At this point, I was legitimately full, so I only had a few bites of the pine cone doughnut. By God, though, I wish I had more room in my stomach to scarf it down.
The pine cone is heavenly, fluffy and has a flawless glaze on top. It is a lot bigger than your average doughnut, and it is a pull apart, so I recommend sharing it. You will want to share this cinnamon-sugary experience anyway so your partner can pinch you back to reality.
At the end of my meal, I was as satisfied as if I had just had dinner at my grandparents. Pha said this is by design, as her mom wants her customers to feel not like customers, but like family.
“She wants for them to experience what us as children ate at home to them,” Pha said. “Just a different type of home-cooked meal that they haven’t tasted before but they can still feel the love in the food.”
You can check out Sambath Donuts and Khmer Cuisine’s menu, hours and more on its website and Instagram.
