Siem Reap Nightlife

Just a little over a decade ago, Siem Reap was a sleepy dusty town with little to offer its weary travelers who might be yearning for a bit of relaxation in the evenings after temple excursions. Today, the Old Market area, especially those around Street 8 (Pub Street) pulsates with life well into the night and possibly until 4AM. Other spots worth crashing into are the pubs and clubs on Sivutha Boulevard, Wat Bo and by the river banks.

There is a blurred distinction among the restaurants and bars in Siem Reap since even the most spartan restaurant can display a considerable lineup of drinks. Angkor What? Pub pioneered this concept in 1998, and is one of the reasons why Street 8 was dubbed as Pub Street. Open almost round the clock from 5AM to 330AM, it is still the most popular bar in the city, owing perhaps to its catchy name.

FCC Angkor, or the Foreign Correspondents Club, is set in the charming Old French quarter of town overlooking the Siem Reap river. This sister restaurant to the one in the capital Phnom Penh offers a wide array of local, international and fusion cuisine. Frequented mainly by expatriates, FCC has a broad wine selection, cocktail menu and full bar. Displaying a tranquil air with its white table cloth and wine glass ambience is Abacus, a French restaurant and bar just off Route 6 by the Airport Road.  Upscale Western fare such as grilled lamb with rosemary, duck in mango sauce, t-bone beefsteak and more pork, beef and lamb steaks are offered together with a wide selection of side dishes and desserts.

Red Piano is one of the most well-known restaurant-bars in town. Situated along a corner of Pub Street, this bar offers indoor and al fresco dining with a range of steaks and pastas and other Western and Asian dishes. Linga Bar is Siem Reap’s first gay-owned bar that attracts a mixed crowd who patronize its varied cocktail and wine selection.

For popular Khmer fare, Temple Club is the right spot along with Western and Thai food. With pool tables and live DJ music, the club is one of the most frequented in Siem Reap where dancing and live sports on huge LCD screens last until past midnight, sometimes until 4AM.  Another sports bar is The Warehouse, right across the Old Market. Open almost 24 hours from 1030AM to 3AM,  the club has three levels of  varied offerings, with the ground floor complete with gaming consoles, football table, and LCD TVs, while the top floors give a relaxing atmosphere while taking a gulp of draft beer.

Khmer cuisine is not actually famous all over the world and unlike Thai food, you will be hard pressed to locate a restaurant in your home city. To savor what Cambodia has to offer in terms of gustatory delights, head to Aha, an uber chic restaurant in Hotel de la Paix located at The Alley on Pub Street.  The incorporated art galleries right next to the restaurant becomes an inviting gesture to relish Khmer food while taking a sip of fine wine. For the budget conscious, troop to Father’s Restaurant at Central Market with intriguing authentic Khmer dishes as well as Chinese and Western fare.

More interesting are the pizzas on offer at Ecstatic Pizza adjacent to the Provincial Hospital. Open from 7AM well until midnight, this pizzeria not only pans out Italian-style pizzas but Khmer-inspired as well. A few pizzas around town are actually dubbed as happy pizzas, meaning they are laced with marijuana, enough to send a dreary backpacker to be happy indeed. Just be careful about ordering such pizzas because these are not entirely legal in Cambodia. After all, your city back home most probably prohibits such herb.

For a more relaxing–or fleeting–ambience, make your way to Butterfly Garden Bar just south of Bopha Angkor Hotel. This butterfly sanctuary open from 9AM to 5PM is a tranquil spot to have a daytime drink or a hearty meal of international variety.

What is a trip to Siem Reap without even having a bottle or two of Angkor Beer, considered by many travelers as one of the world’s best beers. Ubiquitously available, of course, all over town, it will be quite a treat to drink this beer while you hang loose after a full day jaunt of the Angkor park of Siem Reap.