Asana Old Wooden House

Asana Old Wooden House is a small piece of old Siem Reap tucked into the busy streets around the Old Market. The bar occupies a traditional wooden family home from the 1960s, described as the only surviving one of its kind around Pub Street, which the designer Guilhem Maitrepierre repurposed as a bar in 2012. Inside and out it feels very different from the neon of the surrounding lanes: there is seating in the garden, indoors and under the raised house, and rice sacks stand in for cushions.

The drinks are what make Asana worth seeking out. The menu is built around Khmer herbs, roots, spices and sugars, with potent, herbal cocktails, some of them served in a teapot. Favourites include a ginger mojito, a tamarind cocktail, the Asana Sling and the Bloody Pari, named after the owner, Unn Sophary, who is known as Pari. A small menu of bites keeps you going if you are making an evening of it.

Asana is also known for its Khmer cocktail-making class, which runs daily at 6pm in English, with other times available by arrangement. The class lasts about 90 minutes plus drinking time. You learn about the local ingredients, taste infused Cambodian rice liquor from Sombai, make three Khmer cocktails of your choice and then create one of your own. It is an enjoyable activity for couples, friends and solo travellers, and you leave with ideas you can try at home.

The bar is relaxed and friendly rather than loud, though guest DJs and bartenders appear from time to time. Like many Siem Reap businesses, Asana took a break during the Covid-19 pandemic and has since reopened. Opening hours are not published on its website, so check its social media or call ahead, especially if you want to book a class.

You will find it on Street 7, off The Lane, a few steps from Pub Street in the Old Market district. It makes a calmer alternative to Pub Street's bars while being close enough to join the crowds later if you want to, and many central restaurants are within a few minutes' walk.