Dining & Entertainment in Siem Reap
 Dining
There are many hundreds of restaurants in Siem Reap, and you will have no trouble finding something which suits your tastes and your budget. If you don't want to go out, most guesthouses have a basic restaurant attached, and can quickly whip up a decent fried rice.
For something a bit more special, head into town. There are whole streets catering for the travellers tastes, with pizzas, hamburgers, or tasty westernised offerings such as Amok and 'Khmer curry'. Many of the most authentic Karaoke-style restaurants are hidden in the backstreets, though your moto or tuk-tuk driver will no doubt know where to take you. He will be happy to wait (or join you) if you are really out in the boonies.
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, 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
Bars & Restaurants:
 Abacus
Restaurant/Bar: World Cuisine
Restaurant/bar in a traditional Cambodian house in a garden setting. Comfortable indoor, garden terrace and balcony seating. Private dining rooms. Salads, mains, pick and mix BBQ, ice cream bars, desserts. Nice variety of ingredients. Good wine selection. Several wines available by the glass. Lots of games.
Oum Khun Street
11:00AM - Late
Tel: 012-644286
Alliance Café
Restaurant: French/Euro-Asian
Promising new French restaurant offering a refined ambiance, chic decor and finely prepared home cooking. Traditional French cuisine and Euro-Asian fusion dishes served in a terrace garden. Nice attention to detail including a deep wine cellar and unique selection of fine spirits and champagnes. Surprisingly moderately priced. A good value.
Wat Damnak area
Lunch and Dinner
Tel: 012-1809010
Amazon Angkor
Restaurant: European/Asian/Traditional Performances
Large traditional performance buffet restaurant with covered, open-air and air-conditioned seating. Serving lunch and dinner buffets with a wide range of European and Asian cuisine. A la carte available. Amazon Angkor features nightly Apsara dance performances from 7:30PM - 8:30PM.
#998, Salakansang, Svay Dangkum
Lunch and Dinner
Tel: 012-966988
Angkor Café
Restaurant: Cambodian
Brilliant location opposite Angkor Wat. The restaurant is combined with an upscale souvenir shop, lending a stylish edge to the polished ambiance. Comfortable a/c dining and garden patio seating. Selection of salads, fresh sandwiches, pasta dishes and a good variety of Asian choices including curries and sate. Fresh fruit juices and coffee.
Opposite Angkor Wat.
7:00AM - 7:00PM
Tel: 063-380300
Angkor Palm
Restaurant: Royal Khmer Cuisine
Brilliant addition to the Old Market area. Subtle, temple- inspired design and decor. Authentic Royal Khmer cuisine, delicately prepared using local and organic ingredients and presented with panache, at very reasonable prices. Local beers and a cocktail bar serving original creations. A/c and curbside seating. Modern Khmer music, videos and dancing after 9PM. Great place to try your hand at Khmer-style dancing.
Old Market area
9:00AM-Midnight
Tel: 063-761436
Website: www.angkorpalm.com
Apsara Theatre
Dinner Theatre
Nightly traditional ‘apsara’ dance performances in one of the finest performance venues in town. Set menu of Khmer cuisine. Dinner begins at 7PM and the performance at 8PM. Call for reservations.
Visa/MC/AMEX
Opposite Angkor Village
Dinner
Tel: 063-963563
The Ivy Bar
On the western corner of the Old Market. Excellent western food supplemented with Khmer specialties at reasonable prices with generous portions. Kitchen closes at ten. Bar tends to quiet down around 11 pm or so. Beers from a buck (Beer Lao, Anchor). Cocktails and spirits. Pool table. Doubles as an unofficial art gallery. Western-owned, Khmer-run.
Linga Bar
Siem Reap's first and only 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. Owner estimates 60% of his clientele is straight prompting suggestions that someone ought to open a straight-friendly bar attracting a 60% gay clientele. 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.
Entertainment
Apsara (Traditional) Dance Performance Nightly dinner-theatre performances are held at several locations including Angkor Wat, Apsara Theatre, Grand Hotel D’Angkor Performance Hall, Bayon II Restaurant, Chao Pra Ya Restaurant, Hotel Sofitel Royal Angkor and Koulen II Restaurant among others. Some venues offer ‘performance-only’ seats. Traditional dances such as the apsara dance, the coconut dance, the fishing dance, excerpts from the Ramayana and other selections are performed. The Children's Orphanage in Siem Reap occasionally hold dance performances too. Check at Chao Say GH, or Lotus Temple Business Centre for more details.
Billiards
can be played at a number of hotels as well as numerous pubs in the area. If your hotel doesn't cater for this activity please ask the hotel's concierge for information on the tables nearest your hotel.
Cinema
As well as a good spot to enjoy an alcoholic beverage the Grand Hotel d’Angkor, screens English-language movies for a few dollars, which includes a drink and popcorn on Sunday evenings. If you like your movies in French, try the French Cultural Centre on Sundays.
Disco
The Kulen Hotel Disco, is regarded as the top night spot in town but tends to be pricey. There are a few other spots but venues tend to change and you are advised to ask for more info at your hotel on arrival.
Elephant Trekking
is available near the Phnom Bakheng hill. Climb to the top of the hill and let the elephant do the walking for you.
Evening Entertainment
The Elephant Bar at the Grand Hotel d’Angkor is a nice place to start the evening. Happy hour here gives you 2 drinks for the price of one. Westerners often congregate at the Continental Cafe, a relative of Phnom Penh’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Cambodia. It’s close to the river and draws a good cross-section of the locals from Siem Reap, such as people who teach, de-mine, provide health care, preserve monuments and help develop agricultural projects.
Mountain Biking
can be done in Siem Reap. Some hotels hire out bikes and there are a few rentals outlets in the city. For more details ask at your hotel on arrival.
Tennis
like many other sports in Siem Reap can only be played at your hotel, if it has a court, if not, there are no sports centres or the like offering these facilities.
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