Hat Bar is one of the few hostess bars in Siem Reap. There was never a ton of adult entertainment venues oriented http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection®ion=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/free chat to foreigners in Siem Reap. There are actually many shops in and around town and all are open to foreigners. But only a few are actually run by and for people from other countries. Hat Bar would fall into that narrow category.
Located on a street that once bustled with visitors from all over the world the bar continues to operate normally. A number of people continue to filter into the bar helping to give the little bar a lot of character. It is a memorable place partly for that reason.
Hat Bar in Siem Reap
The Hat Bar is a small bar on the popular Sok San Road in Siem Reap. It has such a small front that the place is actually easy to miss even in the days of toned down activity. The bar was just a few door down from the much largr hostess bar called Don’t Tell Mama before that place shuttered under the way of the pandemic and associated tourism stoppage.
The Hat Bar in Siem Reap menuThe Hat Bar in Siem Reap menu
As you might discern from the name of the place The Hat Bar actually has a theme. That theme is hats. There are several hats of many styles affixed to the wall. I don’t know how many people notice that or even care though it is worth noting as one of the many things that sets this place apart.
Another thing that sets the bar apart is the blonde Russian woman who tends bar. She is often found inside of the round concrete bar serving drinks. When she is not there one of the handful of Cambodian women on hand takes over the job. The Cambodian women are obviously the main attraction and draw for most who visit. Though others seem to stop in simply for drinks and pay no attention to the women at all.
Staff and summary
I am tempted to say that the reason for that is that the two or three women who can be found in the bar most nights are decidedly average in looks. They also tend to be on the older side. On the other hand most of the men who visit the bar are on the older side. And nearby bars with staff of a similar level of attractiveness tend to attract plenty of turned on punters.
The Hat Bar seems to attract a wider variety of characters. It is like a much less busy version of the Mos Eisley Cantina in that regard. This is the kind of place where you might run into an expat with a wispy white beard that is older than you. He might be with a friend wearing a pair of neon green pair of short shorts and a barely there top that reveals his saggy man boobs. You might call that a typical Wednesday night.
Then again the ladies who do work the bar are a friendly bunch. They are always smiling as is to be expected in Cambodia. Even moreso than the neighboring country that is commonly called the Land of Smiles. So as far as hostesses go they are warm and welcoming. Drink prices are reasonable for the area. And everything is kept cold. Music plays but doesn’t blare. It’s a bar where people can have conversations either with each other or the women who are paid to entertain.
Mainly the women seem to make money through lady drinks. There is no overt offer of more going on here. Nor is there any streaming in and out of the place of women accompanying men. It’s just a place to drink with ladies available to share a bit of the wet stuff and a bit of chit chat. So it’s something like a local version of the Juicy Bar with much lower prices. I give the place a star-and-a-half. The extra half star is for the uniqueness of the place.