When I first started covering the adult industry in Phnom Penh five years ago there were less than three dozen bars in the entire city. Today there are at least twice as many with new bars opening faster than I can even hope to track. Plan B is one of the few bars that has lasted the test of time and even carried out some updates to stay current in the process.
Not to be confused with the elaborate and popular Plan B go go bar on P Burgos Street in Manila, or the digital marketing company in Phnom Penh, the Plan B bar is located on Street 51 (Pasteur) across the street from the main entrance to the infamous Golden Sorya Mall.
Sorya Mall bars
Sorya Mall was for years known as a freelancer haunt and source of naughty nightlife on the lower end that looked a lot like a more run down version of the bar center near the 2 Golden Lions in Sihanoukville. It was commonly a scene for brawls and other anti-social activities though things started to die down when the plaza started emptying out with time.
Upon last check Golden Sorya Mall was undergoing an overhaul apparently meant to return the place to its glory days assuming such a thing ever existed. A plan was in place to bring the area up to date and banners to rent out spots were flying. If the very impressive total rehab of the nearby but unrelated Sorya Shopping Center is any indication there are some real possibilities.
Plan B didn’t wait for the Golden Sorya rehab to beef up its own surroundings. What was once a somewhat worn out bar was recently redone from the floor up when a former employee took control of the place. The entire interior was redone and a much better pool table was installed up front.
Inside the bar
Music is played at a reasonable level by bar staff who run their own playlist but are happy to take requests. There are seats along the bar, tables along the opposite wall, and the type of booth in the back towards the bathroom that wouldn’t look out of place at My Friend You in Pattaya.
That’s somewhat fitting as some of the gals at Plan B have a reputation for going above and beyond the norm in the in bar service department. I don’t think this is any kind of official policy at all but it is common enough to deserve a mention especially when it sets this hostess bar apart from a lot of others.
There are seven or eight women working at Plan B. Some change with the times but a few are more or less fixtures at the bar who show up every day rain or shine. The place does seem to get a lot of employees who are working in their first bar too. At times they can even be educated “mainstream” ladies who happen into the bar game for whatever reason.
Plan B is the kind of bar that is empty a lot of times but totally packed out at others. It really seems to turn on and off with no rhyme or reason. At this point is one of the most prominent bars on Street 51 since the Walkabout closed though of course the Pontoon club around the corner continues to be a popular place for all sorts of people.
Plan B charges ten dollars for a bar fine which is more or less standard for Phnom Penh hostess bars today. Not all women will leave the bar with all man of course and that has long been a normal part of the local bar scene even if some people wish it was not. Two-and-a-half stars. 
Plan B. Street 51, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Click here for a map. Open every day from 7:00 PM until 1:00 AM.
