Blue Chilli

About this place Blue Chilli

Blue Chilli occupies a prime spot on Street 178 in BKK1 — Boeung Keng Kang 1, the most upscale of Phnom Penh's expat districts and the neighbourhood with the highest concentration of international residents, embassy staff, and development sector workers. The bar is explicitly gay-identified and makes no apology for it: regular drag shows, themed nights, and a community noticeboard connect it clearly to the city's LGBTQ+ social calendar. The crowd is the most diverse mix of any gay venue in Phnom Penh: Cambodian gay men, Western and Asian expats, volunteers, tourists, and a regular contingent of RoCK community members. This diversity makes it one of the most useful venues for visitors trying to understand Phnom Penh's LGBTQ+ landscape — the conversations here cover both the expat experience and the local Cambodian reality. Drag nights on weekends are the venue's signature programming; performers are drawn from the city's small but growing drag community. Cocktails are good; the terrace seating on Street 178 is pleasant in the cooler season months.