Angkor Wat part 4 - Pub Street

Pub Street at night

One of the things to do after a long day of touring is to hang out in the Pub Street area.  The sign above is located on the corner of Street 11 and Street 8 and the Pub Street area extends about 3 blocks in every direction.  Here you will find many restaurants and cafes as well as food carts and bars which come out at night.   It gets pretty crazy here once the sun sets in Siem Reap!

One of my favourite restaurants in the Pub Street area is Khmer Kitchen Restaurant which has 2 locations that are quite close to each other.  I ate at the newer location which is right on the corner of Street 9 and Hospital Street and is 2 levels.  The menu is extensive with Khmer and Western dishes costing anywhere between US$3 to US$7.  I loved this place so much that I came here 3 times during my 5 day stay in Siem Reap!  The two dishes I would recommend are the pumpkin curry and the eggplant with minced meat.

Tucked inside on Alley West, is a cute café called Gelato and Coffee Lab.  You know you are close when you see the canopy made out of umbrellas.  They make their gelatos and sorbets (vegan and dairy free option) daily using local organic ingredients.  I love coffee and caramel so when I saw the Caffe Caramellato gelato, I couldn’t pass it up, it went great with my cappuccino.

Umbrella Canopy near Gelato and Coffee Lab

Walking on Pub Street after dark, you will find a lot of street vendors peddling various food items from fresh jackfruit to fried bugs.  And when you get even later into the night, the bar carts come out with music and drink specials.

There are 3 markets all within a 10 minute walk of Pub Street.  The Siem Reap Night Market and Kru Khmer Old Market Shop mainly sell souvenir items like paintings, silk, clothes, carvings, keychains, etc.  The Psar Chas market, which is also known as the Old Market has the same items as the other markets but in the morning hours until around 1pm or so, they also sell produce, fish, and meats. Bargaining is expected at these markets but unlike the markets in Hong Kong or Turkey, the prices they gave weren’t that inflated to begin with (maybe about 20-25% higher).

I am so happy to have had the opportunity to cross Angkor Wat off my bucket list.  The feeling you get when you walk the halls of the centuries old temples and being able to marvel at the magnificent structures built by the Khmer empire first hand is truly an awe-inspiring and humbling feeling.  If you ever have an opportunity to visit Angkor Wat, do so. 

- Mahalo Nui Loa.