Laos Restaurants
Where and What to Eat in Laos
Vientiane and Luang Prabang are not without good French restaurants, a remnant of the country's colonial era, as are the widely available baguettes and pastries. Major cities in Laos offer dishes that will satisfy the vast majority of palettes; the selection dwindles quickly as you embark on roads less travelled.
When traveling foreign lands and encountering alien cultures an open mind will undoubtedly serve you well, apply this to your food encounters and you might just discover a passion for the great unknown – frog baguette anyone?
Decent restaurants serving standard local food and simple western dishes can easily be found along the Mekong River. Several of them offer outdoor seating with big patios overlooking the river. A culinary highlight is the Lao-style barbecue - a tasty do-it-yourself menu in which meats and veggies are grilled and stewed by customers themselves, combination like Japanese Shabu-Shabu and Korean BBQ. Read More...
Apart from local stalls on main streets selling foods like noodle soup and standard Lao dishes such as laab with sticky rice, other eating options are restaurants attached to guesthouses and hotels within the towns. Like most of Laos provinces, baguette stalls dominate the main streets in Champasak. However, there are a few restaurants serving Western food. Read More...
The eclectic range of menus in this small town fuse traditional European fare (including hot crusty baguettes, hearty stews and succulent steaks) with the spicy and exotic dishes of the Orient. Other than the distinct architectural feel the town has due to the French-connection, the food choices truly serve to demonstrate the positive influences of colonisation. Read More...
Savannakhet is like most tranquil cities in Laos and small restaurants run by locals are easy to find. Street food can meet the needs of those who wish to try the original taste of traditional Laos dishes. French cuisine can be easily found, and the most obvious French influence - baguette sandwiches are sold on most streets while Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese dishes are easy enough to find. Read More...
Down by the river is pretty much as lively as it gets in Vientiane. Various chilled out river side joints serve traditional Thai and Southeast Asian dishes to be enjoyed while overlooking the Mekong. Some restaurants reside on stilts others are sidewalk based, each offering a different experience of the surrounding area. Read More...
Eating options are not particularly varied in Xieng Khouang; the vast majority of restaurants serve traditional Asian fare. The usual French influences can be found in the coffee, baguettes and pastries but the chic fusion menus of Luang Prabang and European cuisine found so readily in Vientiane are less likely to be savored here. All the same, the food in hotels such as the Malay is more than adequate and probably the best in town. Read More...
Lao cuisine is very similar to that of its Thai and Vietnamese neighbours, and meals of spicy soup, sticky rice and chicken or laab are favorites with the locals. Vientiane is serviced by several good French restaurants, a remnant of the country's colonial era, and baguettes and croissants are also widely available. Read More...
