Kampot pepper brought a local ingredient into a familiar cocktail.
Elephant Bar Siem Reap sits inside Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, a heritage hotel that opened in 1932. We came for cocktails and found an easygoing room of dark wood, comfortable lounge chairs and elephant ornaments, with pleasant service to match. Our two drinks took quite different directions: the tropical Airavata arrived in a handmade elephant mug, while the Raffles Signature Bloody Mary used fresh Kampot pepper to give a familiar cocktail a Cambodian touch. Both gave us a good reason to spend some time at the bar, even without staying at the hotel.
Is Elephant Bar Siem Reap worth visiting?
Best for: Travelers who enjoy heritage hotel bars, carefully presented cocktails and an unhurried drink in Siem Reap.
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Elephant Bar was a snug, comfortable place to settle in for a drink. Dark wooden furnishings stood against bright walls, and the lounge chairs made the room inviting without much ceremony. We had already enjoyed the hotel over afternoon tea at The Conservatory, so returning for cocktails gave us another way to spend time in a building we liked.
An overnight stay had escaped us again. In Singapore, renovation work had prevented us from staying at Raffles; in Siem Reap, another renovation was approaching when we visited. We had begun to think of it as our Raffles curse. That work is now part of the hotel’s history: its official account of the property records the renovation in 2019, so the original reference to an upcoming closure no longer applies.
Elephants appeared throughout the room, from small figures to lamps and a decorative head. The name left the decorators little room for subtlety, and we enjoyed spotting the different versions. The overall impression was of a well-kept bar where the details rewarded a closer look.
Large tusks also arched above the palms. We hoped they were artificial, and their presence raised a question we could not answer about the material. That uncertainty remains part of our original impression, without establishing that the display contained real ivory.
The menu we browsed covered signature cocktails, all-day drinks, sours and fizzes, along with wine and a substantial selection of spirits. We were drawn to the cocktails, though anyone interested in single malts, rum, bourbon or rye had plenty to consider. The “sipping cabinet” seemed to have more room than the “grape juice cellar,” which suited the character of the place.
Interesting Fact
Raffles 1915 Gin was made by Sipsmith to mark the Singapore Sling’s centenary. The distiller explains the collaboration on its Raffles 1915 Gin page. It is part of the wider Raffles cocktail story; ask the bar about availability if you would like to try it.
We chose the Airavata and the Raffles Signature Bloody Mary, a useful pairing for seeing two sides of the bar. One leaned toward tropical fruit and playful presentation; the other brought a local ingredient to a savory classic. These are the drinks we tried, and the descriptions below follow the recipes served to us.
Airavata was the drink we would recommend first to someone looking for the bar’s signature cocktail. Our version combined rum, Malibu, crème de banane, lime and fresh coconut juice, served in a handmade elephant mug. Its name refers to the mythical white elephant associated with Indra, which explains the choice of drinking vessel.
The pineapple garnish was juicy and sweet, and taking a bite alongside the drink brought a piña colada to mind. We liked the tropical combination and the care given to its presentation. The disposable plastic straw was our objection: it seemed an unnecessary addition to a drink served in a reusable handmade vessel. This describes the straw we received, not a verified current practice.
For anyone comparing our account with today’s version, Raffles’ published Airavata recipe lists Samai rum, crème de banane, Coconut Passion, pineapple, lime and coconut juices, plus sugar syrup. The signature cocktail remains part of the bar’s identity, while its published recipe differs from the one described in our original review.
The Bloody Mary’s fresh green Kampot pepper was the detail that caught our attention. We had taken every opportunity to try this Cambodian ingredient, and seeing it on a deep red cocktail made the choice easy. Our guide to Kampot pepper and its different forms explains why it had become such an interest on our travels.
Broken Shed Vodka and tomato juice, seasoned with the Raffles Signature mix, gave the drink the savory character we wanted. The green pepper added a delicate aroma, and tasting the garnish brought another dimension to it. There was still plenty to enjoy in the cocktail if you preferred to leave the pepper alone; for us, that small local touch was a large part of its appeal.
Our original menu put all-day cocktails at about USD 9.40, with drinks in the Raffles Fame section around USD 14 or more. Those figures help explain the value score we gave the bar and are historical prices, not an October 2026 quotation. A reliable current price list could not be confirmed from the official pages checked for this update, so contact the hotel for the latest menu and applicable charges.
The official Elephant Bar page currently lists happy hour daily from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Our old account described a weekday offer with selected drinks at half price; the current page does not confirm that discount. Check which drinks and prices apply before ordering, and ask about full opening hours if you are planning a late visit.
Plan on smart casual clothing and proper footwear. Raffles’ published guidance excludes slip-ons and flip-flops. The bar is inside the main hotel building at 1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle; the original map link is useful for finding the address. We visited for drinks without staying overnight, so it also made a worthwhile stop in its own right.
Elephant Bar gave us the combination we look for in a good hotel bar: a room worth spending time in, drinks made with care and pleasant service. The Airavata’s elephant mug was the most playful detail, while the fresh pepper on the Bloody Mary connected our evening to a Cambodian ingredient we had come to appreciate. We would recommend it to travelers who enjoy the character of an older hotel and want to take their time over a cocktail. Our concerns about the straw and the tusk display belonged to the same visit and deserve to stay in the account alongside the praise.
| Detail | Information checked in October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Bar | Elephant Bar, Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor |
| Address | 1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Khum Svay Dangkum, 17252 Siem Reap, Cambodia; inside the main hotel building |
| Category | Heritage hotel cocktail bar |
| Price guide (USD) | Current prices: expect to pay around US$14–US$18 per cocktail once local taxes (8.5%) and the standard 10% service charge are included. In 2021, all-day cocktails about USD 9.40; Raffles Fame drinks about USD 14 or more. |
| Opening hours | Open daily; confirm exact opening and closing times with the hotel. |
| Happy hour | Daily, 4:00–6:00 PM; confirm eligible drinks and the current offer. |
| Dress code | Smart casual; appropriate footwear. Slip-ons and flip-flops are not permitted under the published guidance. |
| Phone | +855 63 963 888 |
| Reservations | bookus.siemreap@raffles.com |
| Website | Official Elephant Bar page |
Elephant Bar is inside the main building of Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor at 1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Siem Reap, Cambodia. This review covers the Siem Reap bar, separate from the Elephant Bar at Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh.
Airavata is the signature cocktail. Raffles’ published recipe combines rum, crème de banane, Coconut Passion, pineapple juice, lime juice, coconut juice and sugar syrup. We enjoyed its tropical character and handmade elephant mug on our visit.
Yes. Raffles lists happy hour daily from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Ask the bar which drinks and discounts are included.
In 2021, menu listed all-day cocktails at about USD 9.40 and drinks in the Raffles Fame section at around USD 14 or more. In 2026, expect to pay around US$14–US$18 per cocktail once local taxes (8.5%) and the standard 10% service charge are included.
Smart casual, with appropriate footwear. Raffles’ published guidance excludes slip-ons and flip-flops; a collared shirt and trousers are recommended for men.
We visited for cocktails without staying at the hotel. Reservations can be arranged through Raffles by phone at +855 63 963 888 or by emailing bookus.siemreap@raffles.com.
The bar is listed as open daily. Confirm its full hours directly with Raffles; the published happy hour is 4:00–6:00 PM.
For another experience at the same hotel, read our Raffles Siem Reap afternoon tea review. If the Bloody Mary’s garnish has caught your interest, our guide to Kampot pepper looks more closely at one of Cambodia’s best-known ingredients.
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