Luang Prabang, a World Heritage Site tourist city and former French colony, offers a wide variety of international dining options, from sophisticated French cuisine to local Laotian specialties, authentic Indian cuisine and a wide range of baked goods, so it's easy for any tourist wandering around the city to find something good to eat.

What to Eat in Laos

Minced Meat Salad/Laap

It is an ethnic Lao dish with minced meat, such as fish, pork, chicken and beef, and is eaten raw, cooked and half-cooked. Fresh meat is finely chopped and mixed with various ingredients such as chili, cilantro, tomato, lemon, onion, garlic, salt and fish sauce to make a unique taste.

Sticky Rice/Khao Niao

Cooked sticky rice is a national staple in Laos and is served in a small bamboo rice basket called "dipkhao". When you eat it, you open the lid of the basket, grab a small ball of sticky rice, clench and squeeze it with your hands, and then dip it into the seasoning. The glutinous rice here is sticky, soft, and sweet.

Lao Rice Noodles/Khao Piak Sen

Like Vietnam, Laotians are particularly fond of rice noodles. Laotian rice noodles are made from high quality rice, with beef or chicken and a variety of cilantro and seasonings. Along with the rice noodles, locals also serve a platter of various fresh vegetables, which is healthy and delicious.

Vegetarian Buffet

There is a nightly food market on Th Chao Phanya Kang Street between Th Kitsalat Street and Riverside, where the famous vegetarian buffet is located. The stall owner gives you a plate and you fill it with as many vegetables and staples as you want. The price of the vegetarian meal is 10,000 kip per person, which can only be served once, while the meat on the grill needs to be paid separately.

Baguette Sandwich/Khao Jee

Like the former French colonies of Cambodia and Vietnam, baguettes are a popular breakfast in Laos. The locals cut open the whole baguette and unabashedly add jam, peanut butter, cheese, eggs, vegetables, bacon, chicken, and other fillings for an affordable breakfast choice.

Mekong Weed Crackers/Khai Paen

Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, and seafood is much less abundant than in neighboring countries, but the Mekong River that flows through Laos is rich in river moss, which is a famous dish for drinking. The Laotian name for this dish is Khai Paen. Slices of river moss are fried in a frying pan until crispy and then sprinkled with sesame seeds and eaten with lemon grass, peanuts, and dipping sauce for an extremely delicious taste.

Lao Hotpot/Sin Dad

Locally known as Sin Dad, Lao-style hot pot is a very special way to eat, where grilling and boiling can be done at the same time. The middle of the pot is raised and used for grilling. First, a piece of fatty meat is grilled on it to produce oil, and then the favorite meat is put on it, so that it will not stick to the pot easily, and when the meat is grilled and the fragrance of the meat is overflowing, the soup around it for boiling is also boiling. Then Add a variety of vegetables or meat, it is better when dipped in Lao chutney.

Beer Lao

The mellow taste and the strong maltiness of the beer have contributed to the reputation of Lao beer. Lao beer has won several awards in various international competitions. Widely reported by the New York Times in 2009, Lao beer is one of the top ten beers in the world; the Bangkok Post even compared Lao beer to the luxury of beer, the forgotten gem of Southeast Asia.

Where to eat in Laos

After nightfall, along Th Khem Khong Street on the bank of the Mekong River, you can find restaurants with elegant surroundings and a night view of the river, but the prices are a bit higher. Th Sisavangvong/Foreigners’ Street is lined with mid-range restaurants. For the most affordable food with local flavor, you have to go to Th Chao Phanya Kang night market between Th Kitsalat Street and the Mekong river.

Recommended Dining Areas

Th Sisavangvong/Foreigners’ Street and its surrounding area

The main street and the surrounding alleys of Foreigners’ Street are home to the largest number of restaurants, where you can get almost anything from sophisticated French cuisine, rich Indian cuisine, or authentic Lao cuisine. The famous Hmong night market is located here, with a wide variety of food and snacks at low prices. There are also many hotels in this area, and most of them offer simple and delicious staple food. For those who like nightlife, there are several bars with a good atmosphere that are worth visiting.

Mekong Riverside and its surrounding area

The Mekong Riverside is dotted with restaurants and coffee bars of all sizes, where you can enjoy not only a wide variety of dishes with unique flavors, but also a great view of the Mekong River at daytime and at night. Restaurants or bars usually have seats with comfy couches or soft hammocks, by which you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mekong River well.

Nam Khan Riverside and its surrounding area

There are many good Lao-style restaurants and Southeast Asian fusion restaurants on the banks of the Nam Khan River, with authentic flavors and stunning views of the river, which not only foreign tourists but also local Laotians enjoy. A little further away from downtown Luang Prabang, the riverfront restaurants there have a better and more peaceful environment, where you can feel the simple and natural village life while dining.

South of Mount Phousi

The area south of Mount Phousi also has a number of restaurants, most of which also have a nice view, either set amidst a patch of palm trees or with a view of the mountains in the distance. There are many French, Japanese, and Vietnamese restaurants, and it is also a stronghold for those who like to drink, with several bars open late into the night to drink cocktails and listen to the sounds of nature.

Recommended Restaurants

• Khaiphaen Restaurant Address:100 Sisvang Vatana Road, Ban Wat Nong, Luang Prabang, Laos Tel: +856-305155221
• Tamarind Address: Ban Wat Sene, Old Town, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-71213128
• Yongkhoune Restaurant Address:Th Sisavangvong, Luang Prabang, Laos
• Tangor Address: House No.63/6, Ban Xiengmouane, Rue Sisavangvong, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-2095607262
• Scandinavian Bakery Address: Sakkaline Road, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-71252223
• Blue Lagoon Restaurant Address: Ban Choumkong, just the end of the night market or beside the former Royal Palace, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-2059252525
• Joy Restaurant Address: Turn Right at Nam Pho Fountain, Walk toward the Mekong River Tel: +856-255166575
• Dyen Sabai Restaurant Address: Ban Phan Louang, PO Box 805, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-2055104817
• Le Bistro Ban Vat Sene Address: Sakarine Road, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-2059306001
• Secret Pizza Address: Ban Nasaphanh Street, Dead End of Soi 3 off Highway 13 Nasamphanh Village, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-2056528881
• L’Elephant Resturant Address: Ban Vat Nong, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-71252482
• Coconut Garden Address: Sisavangvong Road, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-71254504
• Restaurant Luang Prabang Bakery Address: Sisavangvong Road, Choumkong Village, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-71254844
• 525 Cocktail & Tapas Address: 100 Kingkitsarath Road, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-2056665046
• Manda De Laos Address: 10 Norrassan Road Unit 1 Ban Thatluang, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-71253823
• New Oriental Restaurant Address: Phu Vao Road, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-256336868
• Chengdu Restaurant Address: Near Dara Phousi Market, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-02056445488

Bars

Today there are many bars in downtown Luang Prabang, concentrated in and around the Foreigners’ Street, with both quiet and noisy bars, and many bars open until after 23:00. You can come in for a cocktail made by the Laotians themselves, or enjoy a performance by a band. In addition to alcohol, there is usually a variety of snacks and Lao food on offer, so you can eat and drink at the same time.

Recommended cafes and bars

• Joma Bakery Café Address: Th. Chao Fa Ngum, on the main road, near post office, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-71252292
• Saffron Coffee Address: Khem Khong Road, Ban Wat Nong, Luang Prabang 0600, Laos Tel: +856-71212915
• Lao Lao Garden Address: Phousi Road, Ban Aphay, Luang Prabang, Laos Tel: +856-2077774414
• Utopia Restaurant and Bar Address:Ban Aphay, follow the signs on the UNESCO brick paths to the river, Luang Prabang, Laos Tel:+856-2023881771