AsiaLIFE

“This is a family bar,” explains Howie, owner of his namesake establishment on Street 51. By that he doesn’t mean you should bring your kids along, but is instead referring to the atmosphere at this small bar next to the Heart of Darkness. Here most customers are regulars and greeted by name as they walk in. For those playing pool, staff ensure their names are entered onto the players’ list as they order their first drink.

On a strip famed for its girlie bars, Howie’s promises hassle-free drinks served by friendly staff. Established in 1999, a few years after Howie returned to his native Cambodia following almost two decades in the US, the bar was not an immediate success. “I was looking for a job, you know, and I saw this bar for sale.” he explains. “But the first two years were horrible.” However as the bar scene in Phnom Penh changed, more people started making their way to Howie’s. Now this well-known watering hole draws a regular crowd almost every night for mellow drinking into the wee hours. It’s a place you can count upon when all else fails.

“When I first started, I didn’t know anything about music,” Howie says. So he built his collection by asking customers for recommendations. “That’s why everyone likes the music here,” he asserts. For the past three years, it’s been mainly rock coming out of the speakers and by now regulars are likely to know most tunes by heart. Few prices have changed since the bar first opened. Cans of beer start from US$1.50, while ever-popular gin and vodka tonics are yours for US$2. Similarly, the artwork has remained the same. The three paintings Howie bought when the bar first opened still hang on the walls, while he himself has added colour and illustrations. The ceiling covered in plastic vines and hanging fruit completes the look. Previously a fixture at the bar, Howie explains that he now has a family and new priorities. “I would like a regular day job,” he says. There has been talk of selling, but for the moment the bar remains Howie’s. Open daily from 6pm until around 5am.

Howie’s Bar, 32 Street 51.