Best Bars in Siem Reap – from Chic Cocktail Bars to Laidback Lounge Bars

The best bars in Siem Reap range from chic speakeasy-style bars secreted down alleyways and elegant cocktail bars in luxury hotels to garden bars with beanbags on the lawn and murals on the walls to French bistro-style cafes that are transformed into moody bars after dark.

After a sweaty day scrambling the Angkor Archaeological Park temples, cycling Siem Reap’s villages or spending too much time at the swimming pool, come sundown the best spot to be is downing icy cold Beer Laos or sipping killer cocktails. Leave Pub Street to the backpackers and hit the best bars in Siem Reap instead.

Update 16 February 2022: The pandemic has been tough on Siem Reap with countless businesses having closed permanently, temporarily, or having opened periodically only to close due to restrictions, and many only just starting to open again, two years into the pandemic. With Omicron, anything could change, so while we will update this fully when more businesses open and tourists return, it’s always best to contact the venue yourself before heading there to check if they’re open AND book a table, in line with Covid-safe social distancing requirements. For now, we’ve indicated what’s open and what’s currently closed or permanently closed. 

The Best Bars in Siem Reap

If you only go to one bar in Siem Reap…

Miss Wong (OPEN)

Hands-down Miss Wong is one of the best bars in Siem Reap if not the best bar and it’s our favourite martini-sipping spot. It’s certainly Temple Town’s most stylish watering hole and is home to the city’s finest cocktails. In a new location on Street 26 in the Wat Bo neighbourhood, Miss Wong remains the most atmospheric drinking spot in town with red Chinese lanterns, teal walls, paintings of Miss Wong, Oriental bric-a-brac, and black lacquer screens that all work together to evoke old Shanghai. Head here around 6pm for pre-dinner drinks or after your meal for a nightcap to mingle with the expat crowd. The waiters (easily Siem Reap’s best) are warm, friendly and welcoming and the Kiwi owner Dean Williams and Cambodian manager Rosso are a wealth of knowledge and happy to share insider tips. A warning: the cocktails are heady. Don’t leave without trying my favourite: the Rose and Lemongrass Martini. We also recommend the China White with jasmine tea syrup, lychees, gin and Cinzano. The dim sum and steamed buns make a tasty appetiser or late night snack.
Street 26, 5pm-1am www.misswong.net

Sundowners

Asana (TEMPORARILY CLOSED)

Tucked away in an alleyway around the corner from Miss Wong, laidback Asana bar remains something of a secret. Set in the last standing antique Khmer timber house in the old town, it oozes charm. Owned by an equally charming young Cambodian woman called Pari, who invented the Khmer cocktail – a mixed drink that must contain at least two or three Khmer herbs, spices or roots – Asana is the spot for some cocktail making lessons. Even if you don’t sign up for a class you can still sink back in the comfy seats and listen to smooth jazz sounds as you sip a Little Sweet, Pari’s favourite cocktail, made from Bombay Sapphire, wild ginger, turmeric, lime, and sugar cane juice. The vibe is very low key, so it’s ideal for those looking to escape the craziness of Pub Street. The busiest Asana gets is the first Friday of every month on the ‘Jazz, Blues and BBQ’ nights (7-10pm) when $15 gets you a glass of wine and all you can eat barbecue.
Off The Lane, main entrance on Street 7, Old Market quarter, 11am-2am www.asana-cambodia.com

The Village Café (CLOSED; Owner has opened a new bar, Stewart on Street 26; to be reviewed soon)

On the edge of the hipster shopping, sipping and supping enclave that is Kandal Village, this is one of Siem Reap’s most handsome-looking drinking spots. The Village Café feels more like a French bistro or brasserie than a café, with its mirrors on the walls and romantic low-lit lighting. I personally love the low-key atmosphere between 5-6pm and enjoying some quiet conversation and a little pate on toast while sipping a glass of vin blanc at the bar. But for those up for a party, Friday nights are ‘Funky Fridays’ with DJ Strangefruit (owner Stewart) on the decks and two-for-one house drinks. From time to time, there are weekend parties with guest DJs, while Thursday entertainment tends to be more mellow, like the recent trio on guitar, cello and bongo. If you needed more incentive to drop by, head into the kitchen (no, seriously, it’s okay) and upstairs to Strangefruit and Jam Gallery, which shows some of Cambodia’s most interesting artists in a whitewashed minimalist space. A recent show featured Rithy Sin, Piseth Has and Long Kosal and the opening night saw a performance by poet, writer, artist, and actor Kosal Khiev.
Near the ANZ Bank, 584 Tep Vong Street (tuk tuk drivers know it as ‘ANZ Bank Road’, Kandal Village, Siem Reap

Foreign Correspondents Club Angkor (Currently closed for renovation; expected to re-open mid 2019)

Located on the riverside in the leafy French Quarter, where the shady streets are sprinkled with the remnants of the grand administrative buildings of the colonial protectorate, the handsome modernist building that is home to the FCC Angkor was once the former French governor’s mansion. The interior lounge bar and restaurant upstairs are in a colonial style with comfy low-slung leather armchairs and ceiling fans. The balcony is the spot to be for lunch or dinner (although the food is inconsistent), however, there are few more sublime spots in Siem Reap than the FCC courtyard for a sunset drink. Unfortunately, the cocktails are unimaginative but the cold beers hit the spot on a sticky evening and there are decent wines by the glass. If you’re peckish, give the rather average salads and mains a miss, and opt for the delicious pan-Asian appetisers, such as fresh spring rolls, satay sticks, and fried calamari. Happy hour: 5-7pm
Pokamber Avenue, French Quarter, 7am-midnight http://fcccambodia.com/

Hotel Cocktail Bars

Elephant Bar (CLOSED)

A cocktail in the elegant old bar in the historic Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, which opened in 1920s, is a must-do simply to soak up some history. As Siem Reap’s most luxurious accommodations for decades, this splendid hotel, along with its equally majestic sister-property in Phnom Penh, the Hotel Le Royal, has had countless famous guests check in over the year. One of those was former American First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1967, after whom the hotel in the capital named a cocktail, the Femme Fatale (Champagne, Crème de Fraise, Cognac). You can try it at the Siem Reap property, along with their signature drink, the tropical Airavata (rum, Crème de Banana, fresh coconut juice, sugar cane, lime juice). Drinks are expensive by Cambodian standards, however, they come with delicious nibbles, and during happy hour ‘tapas’ (more like pinchos) are offered. Note that there’s a dress code of collared shirts and shoes so leave the t-shirts and flip-flops at the hotel.
Raffles Hotel, opposite Royal Gardens, 6pm-midnight www.raffles.com/siem-reap/dining/elephant-bar/

Martini Lounge (CLOSED)

As martini-lovers, a long martini list is very alluring, but so is the romantic dimly lit atmosphere of this sophisticated lounge bar upstairs in the main building of one of Siem Reap’s most beautiful hotels. The traditional Khmer timber architecture is the big appeal of La Residence, but so is the pool and tropical garden, and you get to experience that from this pleasant bar, along with breezes that waft through on a balmy evening. Unfortunately, unlike the Elephant Bar, which can attract expats bringing visiting friends or business associates for a drink during happy hour, the Martini Bar pretty much sees in-house guests sinking into a lounge for a drink. Still, it’s a nice spot for a quiet pre-dinner or pre-show drink – the hotel also hosts one of the city’s best Apsara dance performances – or nightcap. There’s a happy hour from 6-7.30pm.
Belmond La Residence d’Angkor, East River Road, 8am-midnight Martini Lounge Webpage

Dive Bar

Laundry Bar (OPEN)

A night at this laidback, slightly Bohemian, French-owned bar is all about the music, relaxed vibe and conversation. One block from Old Market, Laundry Bar is a favourite expat hang-out, particularly amongst the European community, however, it also attracts arty Cambodians, local guides, multinational archaeological teams, and savvy tourists who love its dirt-cheap drinks, pool tables, dart boards, and the funkiest soundtrack in the city. While it is often low-key early in the early evening and on weeknights, late at night and on weekends it can get boisterous. When there’s a DJ or band on, such as the massively popular Cambodian Space Project, the small dance floor heaves and punters spill out onto the footpath and street. The bartenders and waiters are very sweet and although the drinks are nothing to write home about they’re budget-priced. It’s a good spot for making new friends or catching up with old ones.
Street 26, 5pm-late Laundry Bar on Facebook

Expat Bars

Picasso Bar (OPEN)

Picasso is Siem Reap’s Cheers. A favourite with expats and intrepid travellers, everyone knows someone or if they don’t they’ll get to know them soon. The compact space and U-shaped bar is conducive to communal conversation and owner Phil is happy to keep things lively with rounds of Jagermeister or shots of his latest cocktail experiment. If the bar is empty it may not be all that appealing but pop yourself on a stool because the buzz of your conversation, amplified by the acoustics, will quickly draw others in. Those who don’t take the risk and move on find they’re often disappointed when they return later in the night to a crowded bar and not even any standing space. Drinks are good but better when Phil is there and doing the mixing. Be warned: Picasso is the kind of bar you stagger into in the evening and stumble the next morning. Or fall asleep at the bar as a certain someone we won’t name has done.
Alley West (Sivutha Boulevard end), Old Market quarter, 5pm-late Picasso Bar on Facebook

Gay Bars

Barcode (OPEN)

The best negronis in Siem Reap, nightly drag shows and post-show dancing, and some of the friendliest staff in town are just a few reasons to beat it over to Barcode after dinner. The glamorous drag shows start at 9.30pm nightly, when it can it be difficult to find a seat, so book a lounge if you’re with a group. After the shows finish around midnight, everyone hits the dance floor to bop to an eclectic mix of sounds, from Seventies disco to Eighties Pop. The inclusive vibe and affable customers are as much of a draw as the drinks, staff, shows, and dancing. Barcode attracts one of the most mixed crowds in Siem Reap – gay and straight, locals and tourists, Cambodian and foreign chinwag on the sofas and bump hips on the dance-floor. Like Miss Wong, they look after their customers, too. You need to take care catching tuk tuks back to your home or hotel late at night in Siem Reap. If you don’t arrange a driver through your hotel and have him wait for you, then I highly recommend you head to Barcode or Miss Wong and use their drivers – and have a drink for the road.
Lane opposite Pub St, between U-Care Pharmacy and Siem Reap Provincial Hospital  www.barcodesiemreap.com

Linga Bar ***CLOSED***

A few drinks at Linga Bar watching the drag show was a quintessential Siem Reap experience for many, whether gay or straight. Tucked down the buzzy little lane known as The Passage, which is dotted with shops and eateries, this laidback gay bar was legendary. Located in a colonial building with shuttered windows it was low-key when it opened at 4pm when it wasn’t unusual to see a handful of people, gay and straight, quietly sipping cold beers and cocktails on the sofas outside. Come 10.30pm on a Friday and Saturday night, when the spotlights went on and the sound was turned up, the outrageous drag shows had patrons spilling onto the alleyway and passers-by of all ages stopping to watch the flamboyant acts. Unfortunately after the lease ended, the old Linga Bar shut down and owner Martin Dishman opened a tinier and considerably more sedate Linga in the lobby of his stylish Hotel Be. The landlord reopened a similar looking bar in the old space which seems to attract visitors who haven’t heard the news, but they never stay for more than one drink.
The Passage, Old Market quarter, 4pm-late lingabar.com

Hippy Bars

Soul Train *** CLOSED***

This laidback bar with a hippy vibe would be at home on a Caribbean / Cambodian island beach. Think: Bobby Marley portraits on the walls, comfy seating with plenty of cushions, a grass-hut ceiling, and tables built around bikes. On any given night, there might be a DJ or didgeridoo player inside or a fire-thrower outside to entertain, and it could be virtually empty or so crowded that punters take over the dusty street. Drinks are dirt-cheap (around US$1) and the clientele includes everyone from young NGO volunteers and backpackers to those dreaded Contiki tourists who have been known to have cartwheel competitions in the lane. Next door, Yolo has a similar vibe, and if it’s a weekend in high season when street parties have been known to last late into the night, it can be hard for first-timers to tell which bar is which. Don’t worry, just order a drink and join in on the fun. Lane opposite Pub St, between U-Care Pharmacy and Siem Reap Provincial Hospital

UPDATED: April 2018

If you have any recommendations for our best bars in Siem Reap guide feel free to leave your suggestions in the Comments below.