Best local hang out in Siem Reap? Head to Star Bar.
Coronavirus is obviously affecting the world a lot, but to be fair different places suffer in very different ways. Siem Reap as a tourist town is probably suffering more than Rochdale for example.
Things are largely open here, but you really don’t have to walk far to see boarded up bars, or hotels. Yet it is during times like this that places truly try to innovate, and this is how we discovered Star Bar, Siem Reap.
Actually we discovered it because it is literally next to the hotel of the legendary Food Explorers and because they had a meat raffle!
From a meat raffle to the beyond!
I’m not a huge fan of meat raffles, but I do like drinking, so when I was invited to a new bar I went. We actually won the meat raffle, which would lead to a later party (more on that later) and found out they had a karaoke that Friday! We were instantly falling in love.
In fact it is much more than just meat raffles and karaoke, with the hotel having events every single night, such as quizzes and the like.
The pool party
The owner of Star Bar is a lot smarter than a lot of the owners I have met in Siem Reap, believe it, or not it is almost like capitalism doesn’t really exist here….But when we suggested that we use the meat won at her meat raffle for a BBQ, she jumped at the idea, simply on the proviso that we purchased drinks there, you really cannot say fairer than that can you!
Pub Street is Pub Street and Sok San Road indeed is its thing entirely, but if you want a pub filled with nice people then you really cannot do much better than going over the river to Star Bar.
Best Karaoke in Siem Reap = Star Bar!
Star Bar is also opposite the BEST Num Pang/Banh Mi restaurant in all of Siem Reap.