Shanghai Bar
Shanghai Bar on Street 136 is part of the riverfront nightlife strip where the hostess bar culture meets a broader bar-restaurant scene. It delivers cold beer, Chinese-inflected comfort food, and a lively crowd throughout the evening. Street 136 is one of Phnom Penh's most active 24-hour nightlife zones; Shanghai Bar occupies a comfortable middle ground between the dedicated hostess bars and the traveler-facing restaurant bars that coexist on the same street.
What to Expect
A bar-restaurant with Chinese food alongside standard bar snacks, cold beer, cocktails, and the buzzing Street 136 pedestrian scene directly outside.
Lively and casual. The street scene outside is as much a part of the experience as the bar itself.
Background pop and Chinese pop; occasional live music.
Casual.
A cold beer and a plate of food in a convenient Phnom Penh nightlife location.
Cash (USD and KHR).
Price Range
Beer $1.50-$3 USD; food dishes $3-$8 USD
Hours
Daily from around noon through late night. Street 136 rarely sleeps.
Insider Tip
Street 136 is central and easy to reach from most of Phnom Penh. The bar works well as a stopping point during a broader evening on the street rather than a destination in itself.
Full Review
Shanghai Bar occupies a spot on Street 136's riverfront nightlife strip, serving cold beer and Chinese-inflected comfort food to a casual evening crowd. The bar sits in the zone where hostess bar culture overlaps with traveler-facing restaurants, and it stakes out a comfortable middle ground between the two. The street scene outside is as much part of the experience as the bar itself.
The food menu covers Chinese dishes alongside standard bar snacks, with prices pitched at the budget end of the spectrum. Beer runs $1.50-3, which keeps the crowd relaxed and the turnover steady. The atmosphere is lively without being intense. Service is casual. The crowd mixes travelers, expats, and Chinese visitors.
Shanghai Bar isn't a destination in itself. It works as a stopping point during a broader evening on Street 136, a place to eat, drink cheaply, and watch the pedestrian traffic before moving on. The Chinese food gives it a point of difference from the Western-menu bars on the same strip, but the real draw is convenience and price.
Street 136 rarely sleeps, so the bar benefits from the constant foot traffic. Use it as a base for exploring the rest of the strip rather than committing an entire evening. The food is honest and filling without being remarkable. The street-side seating offers the best people-watching.
The Neighborhood
Shanghai Bar is one of many venues lining Street 136's busy pedestrian strip near the Riverside. The Chinese food focus distinguishes it from the Western-menu bars that dominate the same block.
Getting There
On Street 136 near the Riverside, walkable from Sisowath Quay in five minutes. Tuk-tuk from anywhere in central Phnom Penh costs $1-2.
Where to stay in Phnom Penh
Compare hotels near the nightlife districts. Free cancellation on most properties.
Other Venues in Street 136
Zeppelin Bar
Rock-themed backpacker bar covered in classic rock memorabilia and band posters. Cheap draught beer and a reliably rowdy crowd after 10 PM.
Mad Monkey Bar
Hostel bar that doubles as the social hub of the backpacker strip. Beer pong, drink specials, and organized pub crawls make it the default starting point for budget travelers.
Eighty8 Backpackers
Open-front bar serving dollar beers and cheap cocktails to a rotating cast of backpackers. Music is whatever the bartender feels like playing.
Birdcage Bar
Compact drinking spot with a laid-back reggae-to-pop soundtrack. One of the quieter options on the strip, good for conversation before the late-night chaos.