12 Best Bars in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Tricky to find the first time but well worth the effort, this micro-distillery transforms into one of the buzziest bars in Phnom Penh on Thursday nights. Their excellent Samai rum is distilled on-site in 200-year-old copper stills, the process of which you can learn more about on a short tour with a drink in hand. The rums make a great base for their original inventive cocktails.

Once a sleepy residential lane, this road was transformed a decade ago by two expat entrepreneurs who opened a handful of small bars next to each other. It's still a popular expat drinking destination, for its many tiny bars with their own unique styles. From Spanish tapas bar Casa Diego, to the quirky cocktail bar White Rabbit, to Canopy, which has a DJ, there's a bit of everything. When you need to soak up the liquor, head to nearby Street 308, where there are dozens of international eateries.

Located behind the National Museum, Blue Chilli is one of the most popular and longest-running gay bars in the city for locals and expats. They host entertaining drag shows and other performances throughout the week, as well as DJ sets that will keep you dancing until the early hours.

Located in a beautiful colonial villa with a breezy terrace and black-and-white checkerboard floor tiles, Bouchon is as popular with older French-speaking Cambodians as it is with young expats. There's an impressive selection of French wines, many available by the glass, and a menu of French bistro classics, small sharing plates, and finger food. The garden seating is lovely on a cool evening, especially when there's a jazz band performing.

As the name implies, this place is for big nights out—it's a high-tech dance club at Eden Garden Mall that caters to the young highfliers of the capital, including jet-setters, A-list celebrities, and serious ravers. The party usually goes until 5 am. Check the website for details of upcoming events.

Though not a bar, this food cart has to have a mention as a popular feature of Phnom Penh nightlife. It's a movable pizza oven attached to a moped, but mostly stations at popular nightlife hub Street 51, serving hot pizzas and Peri Peri chicken to all sorts of patrons.

Arrive at this breezy rooftop bar of the Amanjaya Pancam Hotel well before the sun goes down so you can nab a table overlooking Wat Ounalom—the view is magical at sunset. The bar has birds-eye views of the palm-lined waterside promenade, as well as the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers, making it a wonderful place to spend an evening sipping wine or cocktails.

This cool, dimly-lit cocktail and whisky bar is one of the places to head when everywhere else is closing down, but you don't have to be a late-night owl to enjoy a drink at this convivial sipping spot. The atmospheric lighting and speakeasy vibe are complemented by a surprisingly comprehensive menu.

One of Phnom Penh's oldest clubs bring top DJs from around the world for happening live sets, drawing an accidental as well as a dedicated, young, music-loving crowd. Visit the website for an up-to-date list of events.

This is the place to head if you don't want to miss a major game while you're traveling. Open until 2 am on weekends, Phnom Penh's largest sports bar is a favorite of expats, locals, and tourists alike, who all want to catch a sports game live on one of many TV screens while enjoying a tipple among the enthusiastic crowd. There's pub grub and a British-style weekend roast.

Very near Tuol Sleng, but quite a distance from the main "happening" spots in town, Show Box has a clever strategy to draw in customers—it gives out free beer every day from 6:30 to 7 pm. Once there, many end up staying all night for the laid-back vibe, live music, fun pub quiz Thursday nights, and the company of a youthful, artsy crowd.

It may not have a riverside vista of the Mekong, but this cocktail bar somehow manages to top that with a view of the kaleidoscopic-colored tin roofs of its noisy neighbor, Russian Market. The cool factor continues with the tiki theme, cocktails made with local spirits, craft beer, and a menu of tapas-style Asian fusion. Arrive an hour before sunset to nab a stool overlooking the market. There are few better spots for watching the sun go down in the city.