The talesofasia guide to travel in Siem Reap and Angkor

Updated August 19, 2009

Siem Reap index page
Introduction
Getting there
Staying there
Eating and drinking
Options
Western or Khmer run?
Descriptions and recommendations
Temples
Other things to do and places to go in and around Siem Reap
Additional stories on the Siem Reap area

EATING AND DRINKING

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Options

Siem Reap offers a wide range of eating and drinking options with new businesses at all price ranges opening regularly. The Old Market area is, depending on your perspective, either an exciting and vibrant place offering a vast selection of eating and drinking options that is not to be missed, or a tourist ghetto offering a vast selection of generally non-authentic eating and drinking options that should be avoided at all costs. More likely your reality will lie somewhere in between, closer to which side is entirely up to you. Personally, I would neither over nor under-emphasize the area. Go at least once and draw your own conclusions and don't feel ashamed of your opinion no matter which side of the spectrum it should fall.

The growth of the area started on what is now almost officially (there's a sign up now) known as "Pub Street" or "Bar Street," depending on your choice of terminology, but food and drink options have since spread to a number of surrounding streets as well.

"Pub Street" itself would at this point, probably be more accurately known as "Food Street". With two exceptions, The Angkor What? Bar and the Temple Club, as the emphasis here is now almost entirely on food opposed to drinking. That said, in the alleys and streets running both parallel and perpendicular to "Pub/Bar/Food Street" you can not only find more restaurants but many bars as well. Drinking until the wee hours of the morning remains a very viable activity here. The alleyway to the north of "Pub Street" has recently seen several new bars open, while the alleyway to the south has been filled up with restaurants.

There are also a number of restaurants along Sivatha Street (the main north - south road a block or so west of the market) offering a variety of Western and Asian cuisines.

The listings here are only a sampling of what is out there and the best course of action is simply to wander the neighborhood and try out a few places, whether they are listed here or not.

Western or Khmer-owned/run (and does it even matter)?

A lot of businesses in Siem Reap, especially of the food and drink variety are owned and managed by westerners. Unlike say, Thailand, where labor laws prohibit westerners from working behind a bar, no such law exists in Cambodia and you will certainly see some establishments with a westerner behind the bar who very well may be an owner or at least a manager who may be on some kind of profit sharing arrangement. Some people find this offensive, "oh, I wouldn't go to a bar with a westerner, this is Cambodia, I want to support Cambodia businesses." That's admirable of you and I support your good will, but the reality is that a number of bars in Siem Reap have become very successful by having a strong western presence and as that formula continues to generate good profits for the owners it's going to be a continued reality. And at least one Khmer-owned club stocked their bar with western managers precisely for this reason. If this somehow disturbs you there is one and only one place to voice your concerns, and that's to the multitude of westerners that pack these clubs out each night as it's their presence in these establishments that create the profits. The businesses are simply responding to a need. Complaining to the owners or managers about their western ways will fall on deaf ears and going so far as labeling them neocolonialist will probably find you sitting on the sidewalk with a footprint on your rear end. Take it up with the customers spending their money in these places or better yet, talk with your feet and take your business to a Khmer-owned club.

As with the guesthouses and hotels, I've tried to include in each listing who owns each establishment and who manages and runs it, so if you want to make a decision based on this factor, you can. Western-managed means you will probably see a westerner actively involved in the day to day operation of the business. Western-owned, Khmer-run means you will probably not see a westerner involved in the operation of the business, though said owner may be on the premises. All businesses have Khmer staff. If you want, click here to read a longer editorial I wrote in the defense of western bar management. But to tell you the truth, it's not a subject either Westerners or Khmers in Cambodia really think that often about except when a tourist brings it up with us.

Descriptions and Recommendations

Bars & Restaurants:

Angkor Palm - Good Khmer food in the "Pub Street" area. Khmer-owned.

The Angkor What? Bar - The original "Pub Street" bar, this hangout is quite popular with the backpacker set. Made famous for being an intimate hole-in-the-wall, it's now a bit larger, darker, and louder. Chat at the bar, dance on the floor, chill in the corner. Western-owned and managed with Khmer and western staff.

Banana Leaf - Cozy little bar at the north end of "Pub Street". Popular with the French crowd. French-owned.

Barrio - Food and drink on Sivatha Street. Popular with the French crowd. Western-owned.

Blue Pumpkin - Restaurant/bakery. Good snacks. Relocated next to Kokoon just around the corner from the northern end of "Pub Street". Western-owned.

Cafe Central - Off the Old Market. Western food. Good selection of drinks, smoothies, and of course coffee. Western-owned.

Cafe Indochine - Sivatha Street. Cambodian and western cuisine in a unique traditional setting. Western-owned.

Chilli Si Dang - Thai food along the river, east side. Western/Thai-owned.

Chivit Thai - Wat Bo Village area. Thai cuisine. Taste and presentation is adapted for western tastes, but the quality of the food is generally good. Thai-owned.

Curry Walla - Small but decent Indian restaurant located a couple of blocks up Sivatha Street.

Dead Fish Tower Inn - Located on Sivatha Street within walking distance of "Pub Street". Has one of the most creative, unusual, and eclectic decors. I can only suggest that you see for yourself what this place is about as it's tough to describe. Probably the most unique bar/restaurant in Cambodia. Beers from a buck. Food is predominantly Thai and good Thai at that. Thai-owned, Khmer-run with a large staff.

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East India - Quite possibly the finest Indian restaurant in Siem Reap. Rooftop of Claremont Angkor Hotel. Foreign-owned.

FCC Angkor - The Siem Reap version of the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Cambodia. Same service and food one expects from the FCC brand. Located along the river near the King's Residence. Western-owned, western and Khmer managed, with a large Khmer staff.

Hawaii Pizza - Local family-owned operation in Wat Bo Village. Pizzas, western food, drinks. Cozy outdoor setting on a quiet sidestreet.

Home Cocktail - Popular Khmer restaurant in Wat Bo Village. A second Home Cocktail recently opened near the Old Market. Khmer-owned.

Kama Sutra - Indian restaurant in the center of "Pub Street". Tasteful decoration. Professional preparation. Recently expanded in size. Western-owned.

Khmer Family - Khmer restaurant on "Pub Street". Cheap beer. Happy hour. Food. Khmer-owned. Formerly known as the Temple Bar.

The Laundry Bar - Located one block south of the north end of "Pub Street". Chilled late-night joint, often open until sunrise. Happy hour to 9 pm. Snack menu. Western-owned and managed.

Linga Bar - Siem Reap's original gay-friendly bar and restaurant. In an alley half a block south of "Pub Street". In the words of the owner, "your grandmother would feel comfortable here." Perfectly respectable establishment. Tapas menu. Chilled atmosphere. Western-owned.

Miss Wong's - Quiet shophouse bar in the alley north of "Pub Street". A place for talking not for dancing. Western-owned.

Molly Malone's - Tastefully decorated pub establishes itself as Siem Reap's first authentic Irish Pub (it's Irish-owned), featuring live music, good food, and plenty of drink. Mid-range rooms. Psah Chas area. Western-owned.

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Picasso - New place in the alley south and west of "Pub Street". Small, intimate, popular with expats. A great place for conversation. Western-owned.

Soup Dragon - Three story high restaurant with third-floor bar. Food is predominantly Vietnamese with other Asian cuisines mixed in. Good eats. Not a late night joint. North-end corner of "Pub Street". Foreign-owned, Khmer-run with a large staff.

Sports Bar - Small shophouse bar in the alley south and west of "Pub Street". Western-owned.

Tell Restaurant - Located on Sivatha Street within walking distance of "Pub Street". Excellent western and Asian food at prices much lower than you'd expect from looking at the place. Eat inside in air conditioning or outside on the front porch. Quite possibly the cleanest kitchen in Cambodia. Try the ribs. The little sister to the more upscale Phnom Penh restaurant. We jokingly refer to this place as "Tell Lite". Western-owned, Khmer-run with large staff.

Temple Club / Temple Balcony - "Pub Street". Temple Club downstairs, Temple Balcony upstairs. Special cocktails, 75-cent draft beer all day all night, free nightly Apsara show from 7:30 to 9:30. Khmer, western, Thai food. Large balcony with great views of "Pub Street".

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Le Tigre de Papier - "Pub Street". Cafe. More laid back alternative to their neighbor, The Angkor What? Bar. Open 24 hours. Western-owned and managed with Khmer staff.

Traditional Khmer Food - Alley behind "Pub Street". The newest of three neighboring restaurants serving local cuisine. The other two are Khmer Kitchen and Amok. Locally-owned.

Two Dragons - Guesthouse in the Wat Bo area with a small comfortable restaurant serving Thai and Khmer dishes. Very clean. Open kitchen and food prep area. Entrees start at $3.00, ice cold beer. Fresh fruit shakes and homemade ice cream. Western-owned.

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Viroth's - Wat Bo Area. Quality dining. Khmer cuisine. Good reviews. Not cheap backpacker fare. Khmer-owned.

X Bar - Rooftop bar beyond the southern end of Pub Street. Open late. Western-owned.

The Warehouse - Bar/restaurant on the eastern corner of the Old Market. Grungy but not seedy. Alternative but not pretentious. Insult the bartender, dance on the bar, puke on the floor, pass out in the corner - this will be the place. Art gallery upstairs.

All maps on this page generously provided by Canby Publications, Co., Ltd.

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