Pub Street: A Walking Guide to Siem Reap's Most Famous Strip

Pub Street is 100 meters of road in central Siem Reap that becomes, every evening at sunset, the loudest stretch of pavement in Cambodia. Locals call it Street 08. The official map says Mondol I, Krong Siem Reap. Everyone else just says "Pub Street." If you walked it during daylight you might wonder what the fuss is about. Show up at 8pm and you will understand.

This guide is a walking-tour orientation rather than a ranking. The 20 best bars are covered in a separate piece. Here we want you to know how the strip works, when to arrive, where to start, and how to find the calmer corners when the noise becomes too much.

The lay of the land

Pub Street runs east to west between Street 09 and Street 11, just north of the Old Market (Phsar Chas). It is closed to motorbikes and tuk-tuks every evening from about 6pm, so the road belongs to walkers. Lights string overhead. Speakers in front of every venue compete for attention. A pizzeria's red neon faces a Cambodian beer hall's blue strip lighting, and somewhere in between, a girl with a Polaroid camera is offering to sell you a photo of yourself for two dollars.

If Pub Street is the spine, three side roads are the limbs:

• Alley West runs north from the middle of Pub Street. Narrower, more intimate, home to several of the city's best cocktail bars including BAR43 and Picasso.
• The Lanes is the cluster of small interconnected alleys west of Alley West, including the road that holds Miss Wong and Asana Old Wooden House. This is where Pub Street's grown-ups go.
• Sok San Road runs parallel to Pub Street, two blocks north. Quieter, with food courts, family-run bars, and a few outliers like Atlantis Metal Bar and The Harbour Tavern.

Outside this rough rectangle, the city becomes residential again very quickly. A five-minute walk south and you are at the riverside. Ten minutes east and you are in the Wat Bo neighborhood. Twenty minutes north and you are at the gate of Angkor.

Timing

The mood of Pub Street changes by the hour. Plan your arrival.

• 5pm to 7pm. Quiet. Vendors set up. Restaurants begin serving early dinner. Crowds are still at the temples or at their hotel pools. This is the easiest time to get a Pub Street photo without forty other tourists in it.
• 7pm to 9pm. Filling up. Live music starts at Banana Leaf. The Phare Circus performance is happening across town at 8pm, so the people you see here either skipped it or already booked tomorrow's ticket. Restaurants are at peak capacity. Bar happy hours are ending or just ended.
• 9pm to midnight. Peak chaos. Speakers turned up. The street is shoulder to shoulder. Angkor What? is loud. Temple Club's rooftop is filling. This is the version of Pub Street you have seen in every travel video.
• Midnight to 3am. Crowd thins. Pub Street's big-name bars stay loud. The cocktail bars in the alleys are still serving but the conversation has gotten more interesting. After 2am, the late-night spots like Karma Bar and Long's Bar inherit whoever is still standing.
• 3am to 4am. Final calls. The longest-running bars on the strip close. Tuk-tuks line up at the Old Market end to take the survivors home.

A simple first-night walking route

For visitors with no agenda, here is a route that takes you across the highlights without overcommitting to any one venue.

1. Start at the Old Market end of Pub Street around 7pm. Walk the length of the street once, west to east. Take in the chaos without committing. This takes about 8 minutes if you do not stop.
2. Detour into Alley West. Picasso Bar is on your left a few steps in. If the horseshoe bar has open stools, that is your first stop. Order a happy-hour cocktail. Spend 30 minutes.
3. Walk one block further into The Lanes. Miss Wong is the red lantern speakeasy you cannot miss. Order the Rose & Lemongrass Martini, or whatever the bartender recommends. About $7 a drink. Spend 45 minutes if it is busy, 90 minutes if it is not.
4. Come back out to Pub Street. Stand near Banana Leaf and listen to the live band for a few songs. Order a cheap draft beer ($0.75 to $1) and watch the crowd.
5. Optional cap. If you want a rooftop view, climb the stairs at X-Bar. Three levels. The top floor is loud and rowdy, the lower levels are easier on the eyes. Stay long enough for one drink and the view of Pub Street below.
6. End the night by walking back to your hotel along the riverside. Quieter. Pleasant after the noise.

That is a manageable Pub Street night for $20 to $40 per person depending on how much you drink.

What things cost on Pub Street

Approximate prices on the strip itself, in U.S. dollars:

Happy hours typically run 5pm to 7pm. Many side-alley bars have buy-one-get-one cocktail deals during those windows.

Practical notes

• Cash is fine. Cards are common at hotel bars and most cocktail bars. ABA mobile payment (QR scan) is universal. Riel and U.S. dollars are accepted interchangeably. You will likely receive change in both.
• Tip in U.S. dollars if you want to tip. Not expected but always appreciated. A dollar per drink at a cocktail bar is generous.
• Dress code. Smart casual at the high-end hotel bars (Elephant Bar at Raffles, The Living Room at Park Hyatt). Anything goes elsewhere.
• Safety. Pub Street is heavily trafficked, well-lit, and feels safe. Keep an eye on your phone and wallet in crowded bars. Most issues are pickpocketing rather than anything dramatic. Free-roaming dogs occasionally appear; they ignore tourists.
• Tuk-tuks home are easy from 7pm to 2am. The PassApp and Grab apps both work. A ride to a hotel within 2 km should be $2 to $4.

What to skip if you are short on time

• The Polaroid people. They will sell you a printed photo of yourself for $2 to $5. Cute novelty, fine if you want one. Walk away politely if you do not.
• The fish massages. Tiny fish nibble dead skin off your feet for $1 to $3. A tourist-trap experience. Hygiene varies. Probably skip.
• Restaurants directly on Pub Street. Food is fine but you are paying a premium for the location. Better Khmer food and better Western food both live one or two streets over. Khmer Grill, The Sugar Palm, and Il Forno are all 5-minute walks.

What to do instead, on the side streets

If Pub Street feels like too much, the city has all of its real character one alley over. The Lanes after 10pm is a different world: candlelight, conversation, real cocktails, and locals you can actually hear yourself talk to. Spend an hour there before returning to the strip and the contrast will help you appreciate both.

Siem Reap's nightlife is bigger than 100 meters of road. Pub Street is the obvious place to start. It does not have to be the only place you go.