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After a full day of climbing temples, appreciating ancient art and getting lost in history, you’ll be ready for a cold beer. I’m not one to turn down a drink, or a plate of food mind you. Which is lucky, because Siem Reap is booze and food central, and it can be overwhelming. Let me save you a headache (maybe even a public tiff with your travel buddy or two) – here’s my list of where you should definitely imbibe… and others you could probably pass on.
Handy rating system!
To make choosing a spot easier, I’ve used this handy rating system:
move in, this place is best! bring me all the beer! solid choice bro. “one beer, and then we’re going”. are you drunk? you’ll need to be drunk. Temple Club
A main-stay in the Pub Street scene, priding itself on being Khmer owned and operated, employing Khmer people. Temple owns a handful of massage parlors and various restaurants up and down Pub Street, as well as a sky lounge and bakery on the other side of the river. The original Temple Club is next to Banana Leaf on Pub Street. In the afternoon, take a seat on the street and people watch while you sip juices and cheap draft beer. By night, the club turns into the club, with a raging dance floor on the lower level and live music on the upper floors (complete with flashing searchlights on the roof).
We often started our evenings here, dropping in to share some spring rolls and a couple of beers before heading on to other watering holes. A relaxed venue, that can get hectic if you want to.
Rating:
Where? Pub Street, between Banana Leaf & Khmer Idea.
Ph: +855 88 799 9909
Facebook: @TempleClubPubStreet
The street view from our spot at Temple Club.
Siem Reap Brewpub
A short way from Pub Street, you’ll find the only microbrewery in Siem Reap – the Siem Reap Brewpub. This place is a little more expensive than the sub-dollar draft beers, but here they brew their own. The selection of beers will pique the interest of any beer lover, and they make a point of using local ingredients where possible. The honey weiss recipe includes locally produced honey! In addition to the blonde ale, golden ale, honey weiss, saison, IPA and the dark ale, Siem Reap Brewpub also creates seasonal beers with local fruits and herbs such as dragonfruit and lemongrass.
Tasting paddles are also available, and come served in a bamboo box with ice to keep them cold. Essential on a hot day in Siem Reap. Over the taste of beer? Refresh your palate with a unique beer cocktail, concocted by the bar staff. The food is tasty, and includes a wicked version of a Western favourite – the cheeseburger. Hubby can vouch for it. I ordered the beef mince in chef’s special sauce – tasty, herbalicious and filling. The native edible blooms on the top were a unique and fresh addition.
I’m not a beer connoisseur, so I won’t even try to describe the tones and notes of the beers. I can say that the beers make a nice change from the 50c draft beer you find everywhere in Pub Street. My favourite was the honey weiss ale, but I really wanted to try the tamarind saison – I was just unlucky that it wasn’t ready yet! Its very easy to while away an afternoon relaxing in the shade of the beer garden, and knock back tasty beers. Due to the heat of the day, we caught a tuk tuk over from Pub Street which cost us US$2 (one way). You can probably negotiate lower if you shop around.
Rating:
Where? Corner Street 5 and Street 14, Siem Reap. Next door to Shinta Mani.
Ph: +855 80 888 555
Facebook: @siemreapbrewpub
Asana Old Wooden House
My absolute favourite in the Pub Street area. An olden wooden Khmer house transformed into a relaxed cocktail bar. Furniture has a rustic look; pillows and seat cushions are stuffed rice bags, there’s suspended beds to lounge on, and larger bean bags to swallow you whole. The cocktail menu is extensive, not expensive, and local produce is used throughout. They even have a cocktail tasting paddle, where you can try four of their signature cocktails before committing to a full size. Revolutionary! You know I was on like that like white on rice!
The whole place has a chilled out vibe. Close enough to the main action, but far enough to be a quiet oasis away from the sweaty heaving masses of late night Pub Street. Roll in, chill out, drink up. After dark, small snack plates appear with compliments of the staff. They’ve got a small menu with a small selection of local treats too. But the real deal – bite the bullet and take a cocktail class. You’ll love it.
Rating:
Where? Street 7, The Lane, Siem Reap. Slip up the laneway beside Temple Club, continue past Yellow Submarine and Silk Garden. It’s hard to miss, it’s a big wooden house on stilts!
Ph: +855 92 987 801
Web: https://www.asana-cambodia.com/
Angkor What Bar
From the outside, this place looks party central. The kind of seedy, off the chain, backpacker bucket bar you’d end up in at the latest part of the night, and dance til you can’t find your shoes anymore. Painted in hectic, black-light reflective paint and “promoting irresponsible drinking”, I was waiting for Angkor What? Bar to kick off almost the entire time we were in Siem Reap.
However, it was a surprisingly quiet and relaxed bar during our visit. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is only due to the fact we were there in low season. The bar is definitely set up for big, wild parties, with a large dance floor and the ability to serve almost everything in buckets. There’s long wooden tables out the front, providing a great view of the street.
Beer is extraordinarily cold and cheap, cocktails are strong and the company is great. Graffiti is encouraged; grab a marker and leave your name on the walls. Bar staff are chatty and friendly, and if the t-shirts they wear tickle your fancy – you can buy one!
Rating:
Where? Pub Street, between Le Tigre de Papier and Easy Speaking BBQ. Look for the bright graffiti style painted mural – it glows in the dark!
Facebook: @theangkorwhatbar
Miss Wong
Another absolute favourite. Miss Wongs is definitely a little posh, although the prices are still cheap. Fantastic cocktails, glorious old-world-China decor, extremely tasty dumplings. I love the theme here, and the way its carried through the whole place right down to the furniture and menus.
In addition to stocking specialty vodkas and gins from around the globe, Miss Wong also infuses its own spirits. The cocktail menu is extensive and they also do a mean flavoured syrup. Try the passionfruit cosmo – divine!
Also the fanciest bathroom I’ve ever seen, complete with koi pond! Tres chic!
Rating:
Where? 7 8 The Lane, Between streets, Pub Street. From Pub Street, slip up lane beside Temple Club, turn right at Yellow Submarine. Miss Wong is beside Fat Panda.
Ph: +855 92 428 332
Facebook: @misswongcocktailbar
Cafe Latino
A tex-mex latin inspired tequila and taco restaurant on Pub Street. A solid choice for lunch if you’re looking for something easy. The enchiladas are tasty and filling, the drinks cold. It wasn’t my personal favourite on the street, but it was quick and easy on a day when we were tired and feeling under the weather.
Rating:
Where? Pub Street, look for the big tex mex signs. Next to Original Cambodian BBQ.
Ph: +855 95 393 450
Silk Garden
An open air bar that seemed to be an expat/local muso hang out. Squeezed in between Asana Old Wooden House and someone’s garage, Silk Garden is part reggae, part hipster. Climb the rickety staircase for a bird’s eye view of the bar action below, or pull up a seat amongst the bamboo palms. Live music most nights, and an impressive drinks menu. Strong cocktails.
Rating:
Where? The Lane, Pub Street. Next door to Asana Old Wooden House.
Ph: +855 95 518 1908
Facebook: @silkgardenbar
Cambodian BBQ
Cambodian BBQ is a popular dinner attraction in Pub Street. There’s a few places serving it up for dinner, but Original had the largest menu selection and was crazy busy – a good sign! At US$14 a head, it was our most expensive meal in Siem Reap. However, with more soup, noodles, veggies and meat than we could poke a chopstick at, it was worth it. If you’ve ever had Korean BBQ, you’ll be pretty familiar with the concept. A big pot of flaming coals is bought to your table, with a steamboat-come-BBQ grill placed on top. Broth is add to the bowl, while a big piece of pork fat slowly coats the grill. Whack your meats on, and cook to your liking. Add veggies and noodles to the broth to allow them to cook as well. Then get slurping! Tasty and filling, and healthy to boot. Cheap, cold beer and friendly attentive staff.
They have a full ala carte menu if you’re not keen on the BBQ idea. However, I’ve seen the kitchen and the rate at which they churn out those charcoal pots, and you’d be silly not to give it a go.
Rating:
Where? Pub Street! Next to Easy Speaking BBQ. You’ll see the big neon sign!
Ph: +855 63 966 052
Website: www.cambodianbbq-restaurant.com
Viva
This was a surprise to us. Right next door to our hotel, we’d walked past it most days. By the time we arrived back from Preah Vihear on day 4, it was almost 8.30pm and we were exhausted. We weren’t in the mood for overbearing loud music, and really just wanted a bit of comfort food. Enter: Viva.
An instant winner is the watermelon pineapple fruit shake – yum! I ordered the ‘new burrito’ with marinated steak, which, I discovered when it arrived to the table, was as big as my head. It was amazing, served with rice and salad too. Hubby assures me the enchiladas are also delicious. Another cheap and tasty option – which proved to be a sanity (and possible marriage) saver.
Rating:
Where? No. 697, 2 Thnou Street, Old Market/Pub Street Area, Siem Reap.
Ph: +855 92 209 154
Website: www.ivivasiemreap.com/home/restaurant
Khmer Kitchen
We dropped in here for dinner one night on the recommendation of our guide Devid. The restaurant occupies a large colonial style building on the corner of Street 9 and 2 Thnou Street. The dining area seems to go on forever, with small tables extending out into the small laneway behind. The menu is an extensive Khmer affair and inexpensive. They also offer a BBQ meat selection, with the tong-wielding chef on show at the front of the restaurant.
The sour lime soup with baby bamboo shoots comes highly recommended, for a light and nourishing meal. The street frontage provides excellent tuk-tuk watching, and you can hear the dance music of Pub Street without having your conversation drowned out. The usual cheap draft beer is available.
Rating:
Where? Corner of 2 Thnou Street & Street 09, Old Market Area, Siem Reap.
Ph: +855 12 763 468
Website: www.khmerkitchens.com
Le Tigre de Papier
There was a couple in Siem Reap who took the same two seats every afternoon out the front of Le Tigre de Papier and would stay until dark, eating, drinking and working on laptops. Some life. Cheap beer and good food made the decision easier, I’m sure.
I can highly recommend the sour pineapple and pork soup (who’s Khmer name escapes me). It was super sour and a little bit sweet from the pineapple, with plenty of pork, veggies and herbs to boot. I ate a lot of good food in Cambodia, but this was an absolute standout. I’m a huge fan of sour soups!
Straight across from the Temple Club, in an old-style shophouse, you can choose to sit on the Pub Street side or retreat to the quieter laneway side. There’s plenty of seating inside and upstairs too! The staff are lovely, and there’s free wifi so you can work while you slurp the sour pineapple soup (seriously, you have to order it).
Rating:
Where? Pub Street, next to Angkor What? Bar, Siem Reap.
Ph: 855 12 659 770
Facebook: @letigredepapier
Score Sports Bar
In our travels, our search for a venue to show the A-League has lead us to some pretty excellent bars in various cities. In Bangkok, the Kiwi. On Gili T, Scallywags. In Yangon, 50th Street Bar and Grill. In Siem Reap, we found Score Sports Bar.
About 2 minutes from Pub Street on Sok San Road, Score has more TVs to show more sports than you can poke a stick at. It’s a bloke’s paradise, with a huge projector on the wall and pool tables down the back. More TVs and lounges upstairs on the mezzanine level. Cold, cheap beer (sold by the beer tower, if you so desire) and typical sports bar fare including cheeseburgers and nachos.
The manager was chatty and knew a thing about the A-League, which was a surprise. He explained that the bar is open at all hours, depending on the sport. It was packed out for boxing match a few months earlier, and various people called in to check if it would be open overnight for the English Premier League (it would be).
Rating:
Where? 12 Sok San Road, near Sivatha Blvd, Siem Reap.
Ph: +855 76 222 4725
Website: www.scorekh.com
Soul Train Reggae Bar
Found in the quieter “Little Pub Street”, Soul Train Reggae Bar is just among a small strip of bars jammed in between Wat Preah Prom Rath and the Siem Reap Provincial Hospital. Beer served with a thin layer of dust and motorbike fumes. Cheap beer and free cigarette lighters. Its got potential… but there’s better options out there.
Rating:
Where? Wedged between the temple and the hospital, on ’35 New Street A’ Siem Reap.
Ph: +855 86 430 740
Facebook: @soultrainreggaebar
Mad Murphys Irish Bar
A cute little pub on the outer reaches of the Pub Street area. You’ll find it wedged behind Khmer Relief Spa off Street 7. You’ll hear it from a mile away either by the beer-happy, singing Irishmen out the front, or the blaring Irish folk songs. A tiny bar, with kind staff and tiny tables on the laneway. The usual cheap beers, and plenty of sport on the TVs. A reasonable menu of both Khmer and Western food. To be honest, it was lovely to sit outside and chat with one of the staff about life in Siem Reap. Things have changed, he said. For the better? He thinks so.
Rating:
Where? Lane off 7 Street, beside Khmer Relief Spa, Siem Reap.
Ph: +855 70 342 168
Website: irishbarsiemreapmurphys.com/
Khmer Family
Now owned by the Temple Club group, this is another relaxed lunchtime option. A menu focusing mainly on Khmer and Asian dishes, and a cocktail list so long you’d never try them all. The beef lok lak is delicious, with chunks of tender beef in a spiced gravy with a side of salad and veggies. I had the ever faithful chicken sweet and sour which came with a huge pile of rice. Cheap and delicious!
Rating:
Where? Pub Street, across from Cafe Latino, Siem Reap.
Ph: +855 15 999 909
Facebook: @KhmerFamilyRestaurant
Beatnik
The least favourite place we stopped in at. While the decor and the location look promising, the staff are not concerned by the near constant stream of “milk scam” beggars that come through. Cheap beers, but there’s better venues on the block.
Rating:
Where? Corner of Alley West & Street 11, Siem Reap.
Ph: +855 17 294 050
Facebook: @BeatnikSiemReap
Where’s your favourite place to drink and eat in Siem Reap? Do you dig Pub Street? Or have you discovered a great little gem out of town?
