Pub Street (officially Street 8) in the Old Market quarter is Siem Reap's most concentrated nightlife strip — a few hundred metres of bars, restaurants, and clubs that runs parallel to the Siem Reap River. It started as a handful of backpacker bars in the early 2000s and has expanded into something considerably more varied, with everything from cheap beer-bucket places and open-air cocktail bars to craft beer pubs and live-music venues. The strip is busy from around 6pm and goes until well after midnight.
The Angkor What? bar at the western end claims to have been the first bar in Siem Reap and has operated since 1994; it remains a first-stop institution. The neighbouring Temple Bar has a rooftop and a club below. Miss Wong in the nearby The Lane serves excellent cocktails in a 1930s Shanghai-styled space that is considerably quieter than the strip itself. Food options include excellent fish amok, beef lok lak, and various Khmer and Western dishes from numerous restaurants on and around the street. On Friday and Saturday nights the central stretch gets dense enough that traffic is blocked off.