13 Best Nightlife in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Difficult to find but well worth the effort, this microdistillery-bar, near the Aeon Mall, is one of the trendiest joints in Phnom Penh. Their excellent Samai rum is distilled on-site in 200-year-old copper stills and makes a great base for the Moorish-Asian-inspired cocktails. The downside: it's only open on Thursday nights.

Once a sleepy residential lane, this road has been transformed in recent years into a highly celebrated local drinking destination, with many tiny boutique bars next to each other, each with its own peculiar style. From the biker Americana of Hangar 44, to the stylish vibes of Cay Bar, or the post-drink beef noodles and handmade dumplings at Mama Wong's, there's a bit of everything.

Blue Chilli, behind the National Museum, is one of the most popular and oldest gay-friendly 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.

Bouchon serves a dapper selection of more than 40 French wines and accompanying light meals (well, light by French standards) and finger food, in a buzzy, nouveau-pub atmosphere that attracts an eclectic international crowd. You can sample different varieties by bottle or by the glass.

As the name implies, this place is for big nights out—it's a high-tech dance club near the Russian embassy that caters to the young highfliers of the capital, including jet-setters, A-list celebrities, and serious ravers. The nightly 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.

Opened back in 2010, this rooftop bar is an ideal spot for a night of cocktails accompanied by sparkling views of both the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, as well as Wat Ounalom. It's on the roof of the Amanjaya Pancam Hotel, and also serves finger food.

The name somewhat gives it away, but this cool cocktail and whisky bar is one of the places to head when everywhere else is closing down but that said, you don't have to be a late-night owl to enjoy a drink here. The atmospheric lighting and speakeasy vibe are complemented by a surprisingly comprehensive menu.

Every night, this cosmopolitan dance club packs in guest DJs and a motley crew of expats and locals.

This older club brings top DJs from around the world for happening live sets, drawing an accidental as well as a dedicated music-loving crowd. Visit the website for an up-to-date list of events.

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.