Want to know more about the girly bars in Phnom Penh?
The capital of Cambodia is well known for its girly bars and there are several streets that are infamous for these types of adult entertainment venues. Similar to the hostess bars across other Asian cities, they are popular with locals and, both Asian and Western, tourists looking for a mixture of companionship and attention… as well as some more ‘adult’ services. Yes, many of the girly bars allow their customers to bar fine their favorite girls and to take them off premises to get to know them more intimately.
In this guide, we talk you through what to expect in a girly bar including some important tips and what kind of prices you should expect to pay. We also give you a full run down of most of the best girly bars in Cambodia’s capital city.
What are ‘Girly Bars’?
Girly bars are similar to the hostess bars that you might find in Japan, Hong Kong or parts of China. They are the closest that most foreign tourists will get to a strip club although the girls do not actually take off their clothes; in this respect they differ from the go-go bars of Thailand.
What to Expect in a Girly Bar?
In girly bars, customers will be approached by young women (and sometimes ladyboys) who work for the bar to keep them company. Their principle job is to make customers happy and keep them drinking in the bar for longer.
In order to have a bar girl stay with you, you will need to buy her drinks which are often priced at roughly double the cost of a standard drink. Unlike the girly bars in Thailand, most of the girls in Phnom Penh actually do choose alcohol when you buy them a drink so, you can expect them to get quite tipsy if you spend enough time with them. That being said, they are mostly seasoned professionals and can often drink visitors under the table, so don’t say you haven’t been warned!
A lot of the girls who work in the bars are available for extra services and, for the price of a small bar fine (payable to the owners of the bar for loss of earnings) you can take your girl off the premises for sex. The cost of sex is negotiated and paid for directly with the girls and will depend on how long and what you are asking for.
Most bars are fairly small and have around 10-15 girls available. However, there are some exceptions to this and Street 136 has some much larger bars.
The atmosphere in the girly bars are usually like that of a small nightclub and there is often live music or a DJ in the bigger venues . There are some that are themed whilst others are more simply bars but with small stages where the girls can dance. There are no strip shows in the girly bars but more teasing and suggestive kinds of dance.
Tips When Using a Girly Bar
Before you even set foot in a girly bar, it is recommended that you find a local hotel where you can take your pick up as not all of the tourist hotels allow bar girls in a guest’s room. You may have to find a local short time hotel which charges you by the hour. Known as ‘guest friendly’ hotels, you can find most of these on Street 51 or the Riverfront.
Once you get in to the bar, you will usually be approached by available girls and it is all too easy to be stuck with the first girl who sits down next to you. If you like the look of her that’s great but establish from the off whether she is interested in going out with you before you pay a fortune for her lady drinks.
If you don’t like the look of her then don’t be afraid to say so, just do it politely and maybe indicate which of her colleagues has caught your eye.
Lastly, keep a clear head and a close eye on your bar tab. Although cheaper than the cost of drinks in the West, they will soon add up, particularly if you fancy yourself a big spender and start buying rounds for a group of girls. Unfortunately, just like in other big cities across Asia, some of the bars have been known to try and pull scams on customers, especially Western tourists.
Prices in Girly Bars
There are several costs involved when hitting the girly bars, these are:
- Cost of your drinks – approximately $1.50 each
- Cost of ‘lady drinks’ – usually $3.50 but can go up to between $4 to $8 each
- Bar fine – usually around $10
- Cost of short time or long time service – $10-25 for short time and $50+ for all-nighters.
- Short time hotel (if applicable) – $15-$50+
Prices are based on current charges researched on forums (October 2018) and are given as an indicator only. Please check each venue’s drinks menu for up to date price information.
Where are the Best Girly Bars in Phnom Penh?
Most of the girly bars in Phnom Penh are located on the following streets:
- Street 104
- Street 110
- Street 118
- Street 130
- Street 136
- Street 51
Whilst there are also a lot of girly bars on the side streets, the more famous (and better) venues will be located on one of these main thoroughfares. Street 136 is perhaps the busiest and best-known road for girly bars and has some of the best (and biggest) bars.
Street 130
The best bars on Street 130 are Cherries, Honeypot, Angry Birds and the Loco Bar, however there are also a few dozen other bars located on the same street:
- After Dark
- Afterschool Lounge
- Barbados
- Blue Birds Bar
- Dragonfly
- Intoxica bar
- July Bar
- Ladylove
- One Three Six Bar
- Ponytails
- Sensations
- Splash Bar
- Stellar Blue
- The Fire Bar
Street 136
With most of the city’s best girly bars, Street 136 has a huge diversity of venues to choose from with Candy Bar being the most popular and also the largest. Lady drinks are a little more expensive here but well worth the extra $0.25. Also popular are Mr Butterfly and the Sweet Lemon Bar.
Other hostess bars on the same street, include:
- 69 Bar
- 888 Infinity Bar
- Alaska Bar 136
- Best 136 Bar
- Crazy Dog
- Dream Bar II
- Erotic Bar
- Helicopter Bar
- Hello Sweetie Bar
- Madam Butterfly
- Moonrise Bar
- Oasis Bar
- Phnom Penh Hilton
- Pussycat Bar
- Red Fox Bar
- Sizzlers Bar
- Spiderman Bar
- The Corner 136 Bar
- The Route 136 Bar
- Tiger Bar
- Tokyo 136 Bar
- VVIP Bar
- Why Not Bar
- Wild Orchid Bar
- Xanadu Bar
- Yellow Bar
Street 118
Street 118 doesn’t have any gems but there are some solid girly bars, all of which have good reputations:
- @ The Office Bar
- Classy Bar
- Cool N Cozy
- Dream Bar
- Front Cambodia Bar
- Geisha Bar
- Heartbreak
- Island Bar
- Routex Bar
- Smiling Bar
Street 110
Street 110 is also not famous for any particular bars but there are at least half a dozen to choose from, each having a similar feel but with our top pick probably being Pretty Woman. Other bars on Street 110 include:
- Ben’s Bar
- City Bar
- Double D Bar
- Happy Man Bar
- Same Same but Different Bar
- Starlight Lounge
Street 104
Street 104 has a couple of good girly bars including the Air Force Bar, Oscars and the Rose Bar. The latter has a reputation for the girls being pushy whist Oscars has far friendlier and easy-going hostesses. Air Force One on the other hand is known for its size and having a large selection of girls, most of whom will go with customers.
Other bars on Street 104 include:
- Bunny Bar
- Channary Bar
- Matilda Bar
- One Zero Four
- Silver Fern Pub
- Smile Girls
- Starex Bar
- Stilettos
- The Marine Bar
- Top Ten Bar
- Zanzibar
Street 51
The best bar on Street 51 (and the only one of any note really) is the Shanghai bar, the bar is split over three floors with a rooftop terrace and there is often live music on during the week. The place has a laid back feel to it but not all the girls are available to bar fine, in fact many do not go out with customers at all.
The rest of Street 51 is really just tiny hostess bars but you can also find a lot of Phnom Penh’s freelance street hookers available in this area.
Featured image via Pretty Woman Bar (Facebook).