#12: The No Name Bar

The No Name Bar isn't really named "The No Name Bar", we just call it that because there's no name on the place. It's a classic way-out-in-the-boonies bar, miles and miles from anywhere. There are many, many small, "no name" bars like this in the rural areas outside the main cities in Phnom Penh.

Basically you erect a small hut, find some chairs, haul in some beer, and voila!, a new bar is born. No need for any pesky paperwork or liquor licenses, building inspections or occupancy limits. Occupancy is limited to however many people will fit. The beer is often kept in a big cooler with a giant block of ice and it's usually nice and cold.

These "no name" bars are almost always run by a single family with mom and/or dad tending bar and the kids doing cleanup, running drinks to tables (if there are tables) and so on. To say that things are done informally would be an understatement, but the atmosphere is typically very relaxed and friendly. I highly recommend stopping in at any of these little places if you have the opportunity.


Another "no name" bar in a small village about 75 miles (120 km) west of Phnom Penh.


This one is somewhere on the way to Kompong Som, and also serves as a kind of General Store and beauty shop.


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