Siem Reap has a lively bar and cafe scene concentrated around Pub Street and the Old Market, but increasingly spread through the Kandal Village and Wat Bo neighbourhoods to the east.
Pub Street (Street 8) is the main nightlife strip: bar-heavy, loud, and busy from 6pm until well after midnight. The Angkor What? bar at the western end is the city's oldest and still a first-stop institution. For a quieter cocktail, Miss Wong in The Lane behind Pub Street is the best option in the area — a 1930s Shanghai-styled bar with genuinely well-made drinks.
The Kandal Village area around Hap Guan Street and Street 9 has better options for those who want good coffee or a craft cocktail without crowd noise. Several rooftop bars have opened along the river promenade and are particularly pleasant at sunset.
For coffee, the city has developed a serious cafe culture. Look for Cambodian single-origin coffee — the country's coffee-growing north is producing increasingly distinctive beans.