Angry Birds Bar is a popular bar located in the heart of the Cambodian capital city. I’ve talked about hostess bars in Cambodia nearly two years ago in a post on Phnom Penh. Most of the bars operate on a similar model to the hostess bars of Ho Chi Minh City though in Phnom Penh the prices are generally more reasonable, the staff is usually a lot more laid back and friendly and the local police seem to have no problems.
Angry Birds is easy to find. Located on Street 130 two blocks from the well known riverside the bar is fronted with a large illuminated sign bearing images of its namesakes. From what I gather the bar was started by an Australian guy who previously set up the popular Loco Bar which is located just down the street. While the bundles of bars on streets 104 and 136 seem to get the most attention there are plenty of other bars around town including the aforementioned.
Angry Birds Bar
With so many bars around town it can be hard to gain notoriety. That’s one reason I don’t normally post reviews of individual hostess bars. An even bigger reason is that they seem to come and go from one day to the next. Staff, ownership and even a bar’s name or location can quickly change in this game and I’m not interested in writing about a place as if it was just a figment of my imagination. That doesn’t seem likely with Angry Birds as it has been going strong for a while just like Loco Bar which would make sense if what I’ve heard about the origins of both is true. Hence this review.
Angry Birds bar is one of the cleanest bars around town. I don’t usually have a problem wetting my bill in a dive if the quality is otherwise good but it is of course preferable to mingle with ladies in a well maintained pub than one that smells like a toilet. Speaking of the toilet the management at Angry Birds does a good job there too. I used the facilities once and was surprised that they are superior to what one would find in many regular bars in the US let alone some of the shady local nightlife spots nearby. This general cleanliness also bodes well for the glassware and general hygiene.
Inside the bar
A computer at the end of the bar is hooked up to a professional sound system. A steady stream of rock and easy listening music from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s is played at a very reasonable level throughout the night. This is great on the one hand since it makes it easy to converse without screaming. Even without music that can be tough with people who are native speakers of very different languages. On the other hand the reasonable volume and retro music selection can keep things a bit calm.
While the Rolling Stones might be right up the alley of most of the punters who visit the bar the women working there aren’t as likely to be enthused by music that was released before their parents were born. Some of the other bars around town play more current club style music and that can really get the gals going wild. I’ve never seen anything that compares to go go bars in countries like Thailand but they can definitely get into the groove. Different people would have different opinions on which set up is superior though I have room for both on my card.
Prices and summary
Drinks at Angry Birds are reasonably priced especially when compared to similar bars in some other countries. There are frequent discounts and specials for customers though some drinks may be fifty cents more expensive than they are at other local bars. I don’t imagine this is a problem for most and I believe this may even mean that ladies get a little more money out of every drink a customer buys for them.
Of course all of the above mentioned items are secondary to the real attraction at this bar or any bar like it: the ladies. It’s impossible to talk about the staff of a place like this as if it was set in stone. There is turn over at any girly bar which is attributable to a number of factors. Ladies go back to their provinces, they meet boyfriends, they get married, they follow friends to other bars and they do other things too. Because of that I can only give my general impressions.
There are probably two dozen women working at Angry Birds bars. A few work behind the bar as cashiers or bar tenders though most of them seem to mingle quite a bit with the customers and will even come around the bar to share a drink or play a game. The other women working are all very friendly and pleasant. Most are generally attractive though there are some older and larger ladies around. Since different guys have different tastes there’s probably something for everyone. There are a few pretty gals around and even one or two very pretty women though based on my tastes I’d like to see a few more. I understand that staffing is probably not an easy task and there are definitely places nearby that fare dreadfully worse in this area but based on my experience I think it is possible to step things up a bit even if they are already decent. I’ve wondered into hostess bars on a few lucky nights and encountered a half dozen or more real beauties. It’s not an every day occurrence but it does happen and it proves that it is possible.
All in all Angry Birds is a well run ship. Considering its location and focus it’s only real fair to compare it to other hostess bars in Phnom Penh. Because of that I give the place an above average three stars though on a good night it would probably merit more. If there was an overabundance of attractive ladies on hand at all times I’d probably give it another star since I really have no problems with the place otherwise. Conversely if it were in a city like Bangkok with so much adult entertainment available I’d probably take away a half of a star. It’s all relative. 
Angry Birds Bar. 59 Street 130, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Click here for a map. Open every day from 7:00 PM until 2:00 AM. Website: http://www.angrybirdsbar.com
Thank you for your excellent and fair-minded review. It’s always useful and interesting getting genuine customer feedback.
You’re quite right about the turnover in staff. At the moment we have some real beauties and the rest are all pretty good as well. But a couple leave each month and others arrive, so there are always new girls to look at each month. You’re also right about the range of tastes that customers have, we have some guys coming in who specifically ask to see ladies over 35 – they feel awkward with 20 year old girls.
The only point I take issue with in your review is about our drink prices. We monitor other bar prices and always make sure we are about the same or even slightly cheaper in some cases. And all our mixers are free – no 50 cent charge for that splash of coke in your whisky that some bars charge. Our ladydrinks are $3.50, which is fairly standard in Phnom Penh now.
We look forward to seeing any rockitreports readers at Angry Birds Bar. First drink is free if you mention that you read this bar review on rockitreports.
Hi William. Thanks for commenting. Immediately before visiting Angry Birds I stopped at another bar where lady drinks were a little cheaper. That’s what prompted me to include that info in the report. I agree that the trend does seem to be toward the 3.50 mark especially at the better and more modern bars. Maybe I’m stuck in the past but I remember a more common lower rate being the norm at some point. Cheers.
Yes, but few of the women are barfineable at this bar. The time I was there, early Oct. 2015, only one older women was, and she apologized that she couldn’t due to mens. not that I would have taken her. There were about 6 other women working in the bar, all said they never go out.
One other girl said ‘you can still buy drinks for lady you like,’ I looked a bit bewildered at that blatant drink hustling and chuckled which seemed to annoy them. Paid for my drink and left, not to return in this life.
I don’t doubt what you say at all but this is common of hostess bars in Phnom Penh with few exceptions. Hostess bars are not go go bars. They are places guys go to drink and chat with women. In same cases women will go out with customers. In others they wont. In some cases women move in with customers and become their girlfriends. In other cases the women are already married and have a family at home. Some of the women are virgins. A particular woman might refuse every guy who asks her out for a month only to go out with another guy later. Some women want to get to know a guy over several meetings before she will agree to go out with him. That’s the way these kinds of places work. Some hostess bars like Shanghai and Mao’s Bar don’t even have barfines because the women don’t leave with customers though some will arrange to meet them after work. Cyrcee is probably the only bar where every woman will go out with any guy that asks but they are looking for short time sessions. Most of the women in Island Bar will go out with most of the guys that ask them. City Bar is similar. Guys looking for immediate gratification usually go to these “sure thing” places or for even less hassle one of the many massage centers around the city where the women are interested in earning money in exchange for sexual services rather that chatting or drinking. Cheers.
I been to Shanghai many times. The girls do go out with customers especially Korean and Japanese
customers but they charge 50 usd for a ST and 70 for a LT in general.
Have you seen a bar fine there? The ownership and management has gone through a lot of changes so I guess it’s possible. Historically it closed a little earlier than other bars and guys who liked a woman there had to arrange to meet them after work. Cheers.
As of Feb 1 2017, I asked a couple girls at Angry Birds and none seem to be able to be barfined. And only a handful speaks English. Either way, I had fun with 4 ladies, had 3 mixed drinks and bought two drinks per lady. Still ended up spending less than $50 including tip.
Cambodia isn’t like Thailand or some other places. A lot of women will say they do not do barfines if they are asked directly or asked by someone they don’t know or aren’t interested in. Some women really don’t do barfines especially in certain bars. But a lot of women do in the right scenario. Cheers.
Previous comments are outdated. As of July 2017, I can confirm that several women at Angry Birds are barfineable. Possibly all of them.
They may not go with anyone anytime, but that’s just the way hostess bars work.
Thanks for the comment. At any hostess bar in Phnom Penh things can vary depending on the staff and customers and any other number of circumstances. Cheers.