AsiaLIFE

The Funky Munky
A great bar in a new location, just at the end of Pub Street. This is a good place to start an evening, as they have a large and varied menu and are open seven days from around noon. Fans of English pub grub will be happy here, and their new menu also has some nice higher end options. A nice mix of tourists and residents can be found here. They play some great music tending toward classic rock and punk depending on which owner is on shift. With fantastic roast dinners on Sunday nights, and an ultra-competitive quiz night on Thursday, come and watch German Max challenge all the answers!

Miss Wong
A new bar, tucked away on the alley past pub street going away from the river. The owner, a Kiwi named Dean, has done a nice job with the Chinese motif. Hearing rumours of excellent cocktails, we found them to be true. The cocktails here tend to be different than the ones on offer in other bars in town, so it really is a unique experience.

Linga Bar
Along with Miss Wong and The Warehouse - the other strong cocktail bar in town - the emphasis here is on strong. Their cocktails pack a punch. The bar is Gay-friendly, but straight friendly as well, and a favourite of many expats. The atmosphere can be anything from laid back to utterly outlandish depending on the evening. The décor is chic by Siem Reap standards, and if you’ve come here to be seen this is one place to do so.

Temple Club
The beer is cheap and plentiful and it has become by some accounts the most popular backpacker bar in town. Not as strong on ambience as some of the other options, but unquestionably popular with the budget crowd. Friendly hostesses will share a game of pool with you and perhaps more?

The Angkor What? Bar
The Angkor What? has veered away from the expat business it once monopolised, but is still going strong when it comes to pulling in the tourist crowds. The history of tourism in Siem Reap is literally written on their walls, and it remains a classic bar on the Southeast Asian circuit. Loud, brash, and full of flavour, buckets of booze remain popular with all comers.

The Laundry Bar
If we could own a bar, it’d be this one. A favourite haunt for expats of all stripes, the Laundry somehow always remains mellow even when it is packed with people. Sylvain, the owner, remains the gold standard for Siem Reap suave, and while it has a definite francophone feel to it, all are welcomed to its warm embrace. Nieng, fluent in French, English, and Khmer, is one of the outstanding bartenders in town not so much for mixology as for his social aptitude.

The Warehouse
The other rock star Khmer bar tender in town works at The Warehouse, just next door to the Laundry Bar. Trained in mixology by a professional from outside the country and trained in empathy by the owner of Brodie’s Bar, we’d match Sony against any bartender, anywhere. He’ll mix you a drink, tell you a story, or show you a magic trick all with equal aplomb. Good budget fusion food by chefs from the United States. Some of the best cocktails in town, Nintendo Wii, Pool, and table football vie with three big screen TVs for your attention. The musical range deserves an accolade, as you can encounter any genre on any given evening.

The X Bar
Unquestionably the bar to end up at for a late night session. Guaranteed mayhem, an excellent menu for anyone homesick for American-style cuisine, cheap drinks and a devil-may-care attitude. Open from 6pm until first or second light, X Bar has a commitment to providing cutting edge entertainment for Siem Reap unlike any bar in town. They are building a half-pipe on their roof. They have a massive movie screen, pool, table football, Nintendo, etc. Not a quiet, talk to your friends sort of bar, but a great place to see the mayhem ensue.

Abacus
No mention of the Siem Reap drinking or restaurant scene would be complete without a mention of Abacus. Moved to a new location a bit outside of town on a lane off the road to the airport – turn right at Acleda Bank – Abacus was due to re-open at time of going to press. In Renaud we trust. The best western bar man in town, and he has been for years. This is also one of the best and most consistent places for a higher-end meal outside of the hotels. An innovative and ever changing menu should carry over from the prior location. Perhaps the only place in town where the French and Anglo communities can both be found in droves.