Pub Street Siem Reap: The Cleanest Drinking Street in Southeast Asia

If you come to Siem Reap, chances are you're here for Angkor Wat. That's the draw. The ancient temples, the sunrise photos, the bucket list experience that puts this Cambodian city on the map. During the day, you've got plenty to do—temple circuits, floating villages, local markets. But when the sun goes down and you've had your fill of ancient history, what then?

This is where Pub Street enters the picture.

I've walked down my share of drinking streets across Southeast Asia. Bui Vien in Ho Chi Minh City. Riverside in Phnom Penh. The infamous strips in Pattaya. After experiencing Pub Street Siem Reap, I can say with confidence: this one hits different. And mostly in good ways.

First Impressions: Wait, Is This Actually Clean?

The first thing that struck me walking down Pub Street wasn't the neon lights or the music or the crowds of tourists. It was the cleanliness.

Seriously. The street itself felt genuinely clean.

I'm not sure how often they wash it, but compared to other drinking streets I've experienced in this part of the world, Pub Street stood out immediately. No sticky residue underfoot. No mystery puddles to navigate. No overwhelming smell of last night's party still lingering into the evening. Just a well-maintained stretch of pedestrian-only road lined with bars, restaurants, and shops.

That might seem like a small detail, but when you're deciding where to spend your evening, environment matters. The cleanliness sets a tone for the whole experience. It signals that someone cares about this place, that it's not just a tourist trap left to deteriorate as long as the money keeps flowing.

The Volume Situation: Actually Bearable

Here's another pleasant surprise: the music isn't deafening.

Walk down Bui Vien in Saigon and your ears will ring for hours afterward. Competing sound systems blast at volumes designed to literally overwhelm the bars next door. Conversations become impossible. The sensory assault becomes the experience rather than the drinking or the socializing. I've left Bui Vien with genuine headaches, my entire body vibrating from the bass exposure.

Pub Street Siem Reap manages the noise differently. Yes, there's music. Yes, the clubs pump bass through their speakers. But it's contained somehow. You can walk the street without needing to shout. You can have conversations at outdoor tables without reading lips. The party atmosphere exists without the auditory violence.

And compared to places like Pattaya? No comparison. Walking down Pattaya's main drinking street means running a gauntlet of aggressive promoters, hostesses on dance poles, and an energy that feels more predatory than celebratory. The whole vibe screams that you're being sold something, that every interaction has an angle. Pub Street has none of that. It feels like a street designed for drinking and socializing—nothing more, nothing less.

Even compared to Riverside in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap's nightlife district feels more manageable. Phnom Penh has its own energy—rawer, more intense, with a mix of expat bars and local joints that can feel overwhelming for newcomers. Pub Street caters to tourists without making you feel like you're being hustled at every turn.

The Origin Story: Two Brothers and a Vision

The history of how Pub Street became what it is today deserves telling.

Back in the late 1990s, this stretch of road—officially called Street 8—was basically nothing. A humble dirt road in the center of town with a few small establishments and, according to long-time expats, more rats than tourists. The Angkor What? Bar opened in 1998 as the first real nightlife venue, followed by Red Piano in 2000.

But the transformation really kicked off when two local brothers, Lee Korngvong and Lee Kongsren, saw an opportunity. They created a simple flyer to help tourists locate the pubs clustered around the old market area. That flyer coined the term "Pub Street"—a name that stuck and eventually became official.

In 2002, the Lee brothers opened Temple Bar, which later became Temple Club. That venue changed Pub Street's destiny. Under their leadership, what started as a single bar grew into the Temple Group—now one of Siem Reap's biggest employers with over 1,200 staff. They've expanded into coffee shops, sky bars, massage parlors, and restaurants throughout the city. Their newest venture, Kitchen 2002, pays homage to the year it all started.

The street itself got paved in 2005. The name "Pub Street" became formally recognized around 2008. And when Angelina Jolie filmed Tomb Raider at the nearby temples, her reported fondness for Red Piano helped put the whole area on the international backpacker map. The street got another upgrade during COVID, with new sewerage systems and improved walkways.

Two brothers with local knowledge and entrepreneurial vision, building something from essentially nothing. That's a story worth knowing when you're sitting at one of their venues with a cold beer in hand.

My Drinking Spot: The $3 Negroni

I've found my place on Pub Street. Won't name it specifically because half the fun is discovering your own, but here's what I can tell you: the Negroni costs $3.

Three dollars for God's gift to alcoholic beverages.

Back home, you're looking at $12-15 for a properly made Negroni at any decent bar. In other Southeast Asian cities, I've seen them priced anywhere from $4-8, with $8 being common at rooftop bars that think they're fancier than they are.

But $3 for a well-made Negroni, sitting at a spot with perfect people-watching position on Pub Street Siem Reap? That's the kind of value proposition that makes expat life work. I can spend an evening nursing a few cocktails, watching the parade of humanity pass by, and walk home having spent less than a single drink would cost in Connecticut.

The people-watching alone justifies the time investment. Pub Street draws everyone: backpackers on gap years, older tourists checking temples off their list, expats like me who've found their way here longer-term, young Cambodians out for a night with friends, the occasional celebrity trying to stay inconspicuous. It's a genuine cross-section of who visits and lives in Siem Reap.

The Reality Check: What You'll Encounter

This wouldn't be an honest review if I didn't mention certain realities of Pub Street. The street has working girls. You'll notice them—short cut-off shorts, particular positioning along the street, a certain confidence in their approach. If you're a single male walking down the street, there's a reasonable chance one will walk over, grab your arm, and make a proposition.

A polite "no thank you" handles it. They're not aggressive about it. They move on. No drama, no persistence, just business being conducted and declined.

Same goes for the tuk-tuk drivers positioned at the ends of each street. Some offer rides. Some offer other things—substances that remain illegal but readily available throughout Cambodia. The hustle exists. They've got to make a living too.

I'm not saying any of this to be negative. I'm saying it because pretending it doesn't exist would be dishonest. This is Southeast Asia. This is a tourist street. These dynamics come with the territory. What I will say is that compared to similar streets elsewhere, Pub Street handles it with relatively minimal pressure. The solicitation exists but doesn't dominate the experience.

You'll still see families walking around enjoying the evening. You'll see couples on dates. You'll see groups of friends who clearly aren't interested in any of the seedier offerings. Even at 2 AM, the street feels safe to walk. Now, I should note that I'm a white male who works out regularly—others' experiences may legitimately vary. But in my month here, I've never felt unsafe on Pub Street at any hour.

Beyond the Bars: Shopping After Dark

One thing I didn't expect from a drinking street: the shopping.

Shops line Pub Street with their lights blazing well into the night, selling every kind of tourist merchandise you could want. Linen clothing. Religious icons. Beaded necklaces. Cambodian handicrafts. T-shirts with temple prints. Elephant pants. Buddha statues. Anything a visitor might want to bring home as evidence of their travels.

The prices run higher than you'd find at local markets—that's the tourist street premium. But if it's late at night and you want to grab a clean shirt or pick up some last-minute souvenirs before your flight tomorrow, Pub Street delivers. And of course, haggling remains expected. Never accept the first price. Start at about half what they're asking and meet somewhere in the middle. That's the game.

The Temple Club Experience

If you're going to do one venue on Pub Street, Temple Club remains the flagship. The Lee brothers' original vision, now expanded into a multi-level entertainment complex.

The ground floor operates as a nightclub—strobe lights, fog machines, stages for dancing when you've had enough liquid courage to show your moves. This is where things get loud, where the bass hits hardest, where Siem Reap's party scene concentrates after midnight.

Upstairs offers a different vibe. Pool tables. Beer pong. Rooftop views of the street below. Earlier in the evening, they run traditional Apsara dance performances before the space transforms into its nightclub configuration.

The venue peaks between 11 PM and 2 AM and stays open until around 5 AM for the truly committed. What surprises many visitors is how many young Cambodians you'll see inside. This isn't exclusively tourist territory—locals genuinely use Pub Street for their own nights out.

The Adjacent Streets Worth Knowing

Pub Street itself runs about 100 meters, from Red Piano at one end to Banana Leaf Restaurant at the other. But the nightlife extends beyond that single stretch.

The Lane runs parallel to the north. The Passage runs parallel to the south. Both have their own collection of bars and venues, often a bit quieter than the main drag. And a few blocks over, Sok San Street and the Night Market area have developed their own scene—more backpacker bars, unique little pubs, places like Onederz Hostel that cater to the younger budget travel crowd.

If Pub Street Siem Reap proves too intense or too crowded on a particular night, these adjacent areas offer alternatives without straying far from the action.

Pro Tips for Your Pub Street Experience

After several nights exploring this area, here's what I've learned:

Bring earplugs. I personally never leave home without them. Even though Pub Street's volume stays manageable by Southeast Asian standards, the clubs themselves still pump music at levels that can damage hearing over time. Pop your plugs in, have your drinks, dance if that's your thing, and protect your ears for future conversations.

Start earlier if you want dinner. The restaurants along Pub Street serve perfectly acceptable food, both Khmer and Western options. But as the night progresses and the drinking crowd takes over, dining becomes less pleasant. Eat first, drink after.

The fish massage places along the street offer an experience if you're curious. Sit down, put your feet in a tank, let small fish nibble the dead skin off. Bizarre? Yes. Strangely relaxing? Also yes. Worth trying once for the story.

Watch for scams, particularly the "milk scam" where someone approaches with a baby asking you to buy overpriced formula instead of giving cash. The formula gets returned after you leave, the store and the person split the refund. It's a common tactic in tourist areas throughout Cambodia.

The Bottom Line

After walking drinking streets across multiple Southeast Asian cities, Pub Street Siem Reap ranks among the most pleasant. The cleanliness matters. The manageable volume matters. The absence of aggressive promotion and predatory atmosphere matters.

It's not perfect. The working girls and substance offers exist. The prices run tourist-level. The crowds on busy nights can make navigation challenging. But as far as tourist drinking streets go, this one gets more right than most.

The Lee brothers built something worth visiting when they coined that name and opened Temple Bar over two decades ago. What started as a dirt road with more rodents than customers became a genuine nightlife destination. That transformation reflects something broader about Siem Reap itself—a city that keeps evolving, keeps improving, keeps finding ways to serve both visitors and locals.

Come for Angkor Wat. Stay for the temples and the culture and the food. But when night falls and you want to unwind with a cold drink and some people-watching, Pub Street delivers. Find a spot with good sight lines, order something cold, and watch the world walk by.

That's my kind of evening.

---

Have you experienced Pub Street? How does it compare to other drinking streets you've visited in Southeast Asia? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I'm curious whether others found the same surprisingly civilized atmosphere.