Restaurants in Northern Laos
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Lao Lao Garden
Superlative Thai, Lao and Western fare graces the long menu at this hip, alfresco restaurant, where tables tumble into a hilly, candlelit garden. The Lao barbecue here is a must – diners are served a basket of raw meat and vegetables, which they cook at their own leisure on a round hotplate in the centre of the table. It’s about as much fun as dinner gets.
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JoMa Bakery Café
Arguably the best bakery in town, JoMa has alfresco tables along the street or in a spacious air-con dining room. A great menu of sandwiches, soups and salads joins the large bread and pastry selection, and the coffee is excellent.
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Somchanh Restaurant
This simple but pleasant outdoor place near the cluster of guesthouses in Ban Wat That serves a large selection of Lao and Luang Prabang dishes, including the best choice of vegetarian Lao food in town. Dining areas are divided between tables on a slight bluff near the kitchen and seating across the road on the riverbank.
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Craters Bar & Restaurant
This very cosmopolitan eatery has a mostly falang menu of club sandwiches, pizzas and even an Australian T-bone. There are also Thai and Lao dishes tamed to Western palates. Two shell cartridges mark the entrance so you can’t miss it. You can also exchange money here and book bus and air tickets.
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Lala Café
A refreshing variation from the ubiquitous burger-and-pizza selection greets diners at this trendy little spot. Gracing the menu are Greek dishes, massaman curries and a kicking spicy catfish and mango salad. Dine in the intimate café or at the tables on the riverbank across the road.
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Kangaroo Sunset Bar
This Australian-run place is a decent sunset and evening drinking hole (it does have the coldest Beerlao in town), and the Lao, Thai and fusion-ish food is very edible indeed. The garlic bread and prawn rolls are delicious.
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Nisha Restaurant
Tuck into delicious aloo ghobi, dosas, tikka masalas and rogan josh at this spacious Indian diner. The list of vegetarian options is long and you can down a whole tandoori chicken for US$4.
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Nisha Restaurant
This place serves Indian specialities, Western breakfasts and Lao dishes, both veg and nonveg.
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Night Stalls
Some of the cheapest and tastiest dishes in town can be found at the night stalls that emerge at dusk on streets running off Th Sisavangvong where the night market takes place. The main congregation is one street north of Th Kitsarat, where you can dine on a whole barbequed pig's head, superb vegetarian dishes and noodles, and just about everything in between. There's even a 'vegan' stall.
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Tamarind
Chic little Tamarind injects a great deal of style into the Luang Prabang dining scene, inventing its very own make of ‘Mod-Lao’ cuisine. The à la carte menu boasts delicious sampling platters with bamboo dip, stuffed lemongrass and meuyang – DIY parcels of noodles, herbs, fish and chilli pastes, and vegetables. With a day’s notice they also serve banquets (per person US$6 to US$8) with variations like a Lao Celebration Feast (Pun Pa), and the degustation-style Adventurous Lao Gourmet. Dishes include whole fish, marinated in local herbs, stuffed with lemongrass and barbecued in banana leaves, traditional eggplant and meat stew, or Lao-style barbequed pork. Meals are …
reviewed
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Nokeo
Nokeo is one of the last remnants of the old Vang Vieng. There are no bells or whistles, but it’s been around for years because it serves consistently good Lao food at prices low enough that locals can afford to eat here. The succulent ping paa is excellent, as are the various làap and curries. It’s the most Lao place to eat in Vang Vieng.
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Riverside Houay Restaurant
The only thing broader than the Mekong view at this restaurant is the menu. A huge array of Thai and Lao is on offer with some good seafood dishes including fried prawn cakes. The tôm yám and curries come in all manner of meats, or you can just tuck into an omelette. It has a particularly ambient setting, although the cheesy Thai pop music detracts a little from it.
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Xayoh Restaurant
The typically international menu has a heavy Italian influence; pizzas (US$2.50) and pastas (US$1.20) mix with burgers (US$1.80) and a pretty good caramel flan (US$0.80). The riverside patio is quite romantic by night and also has several sun loungers. The same menu is available at Xayoh Café, located on Th Luang Prabang.
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Maly Lao Food
Great, authentic Lao food is served at this casual eatery. House specialities include a range of exotic meat dishes made with buffalo, deer, turkey or fish, green papaya salad, and sáa (minced fish or chicken salad with lemon grass and ginger). Lao beer, rice whisky and local rice wine are also available.
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Chittavanh Restaurant
Extremely popular with local diners, Chittavanh serves fabulous fǒe as well as good tôm yám, Cantonese stir-fries, and the usual roster of noodle and rice dishes. The décor is dominated by demure calendar girls, the smells are great and the table condiments will knock your socks off.
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Manychan Guest House
The most popular falang venue in town has an extensive menu boasting Lao, Thai and tame Chinese dishes. The chef’s spell in Vientiane and Luang Prabang restaurants has served the kitchen well and the buzzing tourists manage to wolf down their meals while swapping trekking tales and glasses of Beerlao.
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Muang Neur
There’s plenty of fragrant Lao cuisine to be had at this humble little restaurant, like whole crisp fried fish stuffed with ginger and garlic, spicy seafood soup with lemongrass, and delicious fǒe. It also advertises itself as the Gecko Bar for those in need of lào-láo.
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Sanga Restaurant
The clean and well-run Sanga, near the market and post office, offers an extensive menu of Chinese, Thai and Lao food, including good yám (a tart, spicy Thai-style salad), tôm yám (spicy lemon grass–based soup), khào khùa (fried rice) and fǒe, plus a few Western food items.
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Banana Restaurant
Underneath a shady thatched roof, this entrepreneurial little restaurant captivates the falang market with Western breakfasts (even cornflakes) plus a long menu of fried chicken, pork and vegetarian dishes (spicy and mild), plus curries, Thai dishes and salads. It’s cheap and tasty food.
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Morning Glory Café
This smart and cosy café dishes up some of the tastiest breakfasts in town: smoked ham omelettes, fresh muesli, rice soup, and fabulous coffee. For lunch tuck into esto chicken pasta or a fragrant Thai curry. Comfy chairs sit on the pavement and jazz bubbles in the background.
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Vieng Phone Restaurant
This cavernous indoor restaurant could do with a splash of sunshine on the menu, but it’s a decent spot to fill up on pad thai, fried rice, láap and roasts (including fish). Western breakfasts cater to those who aren’t up for hot noodles first thing in the am.
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CT Bakery Restaurant
Although it lacks a decadent array of chocolate treats and pastries, this bakery serves outstanding ‘breakfast baguettes’ stuffed with delicious meats and cheeses. It also has an extensive Thai, Lao and European menu at reasonable prices and a secondhand bookshop.
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Scandinavian Bakery
A falang -fave, this branch of the Vientiane bakery serves delicious cakes, pastries and cookies, as well as large breakfasts and fabulous baguettes. It’s small and pricey but you can enjoy air-con and yesterday’s Bangkok Times with your meal.
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Phousi Cafe & Gallery
In a leafy bamboo courtyard, this quiet café serves set Western breakfasts, salads, sandwiches and a host of quasi-Lao and Thai stir-fries. It’s deliberately tranquil with bubbling water features, stylish timber slab tables, and local art on the walls.
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Le Café Ban Vat Sene
In a restored colonial building decorated with antiques, this fine café serves tapenades and tapas, smoked chicken and feta salads, and roast pork and tarragon-filled baguettes. The tarts and cakes are delicious. It’s quietly chic, and the service is excellent.
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