Restaurants in Vientiane
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JoMa Bakery Café
JoMa is the first-choice lunch stop for many expatriate workers in Vientiane, partly because the large and stylish café is a good place for meetings but mainly because it does a brisk trade in delicious pastries, sandwiches, quiche, muesli, fruit, shakes and coffee. Wi-fi is available for US$2.50 an hour.
reviewed
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Makphet
Run by Friends International (www.friends-international.org), this small restaurant trains homeless youths to cook and wait tables. The modern Lao cuisine is both interesting and tasty.
reviewed
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Fujiwara Restaurant
Just west of Wat In Paeng, Fujiwara has an epic menu including all the Japanese favourites and several set meals. Sushi is the specialty and it’s good, but not cheap.
reviewed
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Croissant d’Or
The coffee, sandwiches and fine pastries make this petit French-run café a long-time favourite.
reviewed
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Douang Deuane Restaurant & Wine Bar
The tasty Lao, Thai and Vietnamese favourites here are complemented by an attractive traditional setting and a welcoming French host. We always have a good time when eating here, it’s that kind of place. The upstairs balcony has a good table for couples.
reviewed
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Scandinavian Bakery
This long-running favourite on Nam Phu sells fresh bread, pies, sandwiches (US$2), real Scandinavian-style pastries, cakes and ice cream. It has indoor and outdoor seating, and the upstairs room has satellite TV tuned to BBC or CNN.
reviewed
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Full Moon Café
The relaxed-but-hip look of the Full Moon might lure you in, and once there the Asian fusion food won’t disappoint. The tapas and ever-changing set menus are worth considering.
reviewed
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Bunmala Restaurant
It’s a little out of town, but this open-sided, timber-floored restaurant is about as archetypal Lao as you can find – and the food is great, too. There are all manner of Lao favourites, including pîng pét (roast duck), pîng pąa (grilled fish), pîng lîn (roast cow tongue) and pîng kai made from particularly plump chickens. For a classic Lao meal, order the (very hot) tąm màa-hung (papaya salad), kąeng naw mâi (soupy bamboo-shoot salad), sticky rice and draught beer. Delicious. It’s best to come in the evening when the full range of pîng is on offer and the draught beer is US$0.50.
reviewed
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Vieng Sawan
In the middle of Chinatown, Vieng Sawan is a bustling open-sided restaurant that is a real Lao eating experience. It specialises in nǎem néuang (barbecued pork meatballs) and many varieties of yáw (spring rolls), usually sold in ‘sets’ (sut) with khào pûn, fresh lettuce leaves, mint, basil, various sauces for dipping, sliced starfruit and green plantain. You can also order sìin ja here, thinly sliced pieces of raw beef which customers boil in small cauldrons of coconut juice and eat with dipping sauces, or some of the many varieties of spring rolls.
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Pyongyang Restaurant
Owned by the same people as the Phnom Penh restaurant of the same name, this Pyongyang is even more surreal. Waitresses direct from North Korea, trained to sing and dance since childhood, will take your order one minute and step up to the microphone the next to perform perfectly choreographed dance routines and/or play electric guitar and drums (it starts about 7.30pm). It’s a complete trip. Don’t, however, let them order for you, as you’ll be served only the most expensive dishes on what is a relatively pricey menu. There is no obvious sign; look for ‘Korean Restaurant’ on the window.
reviewed
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Sticky Fingers Café & Bar
Sticky Fingers Café & Bar has the atmosphere of a Sydney café, but Sticky Fingers is actually one of the best places to eat in Vientiane. The cuisine could be described as ‘modern international’, with delicious dishes cooked up by Mr Cho and his team – Mr Cho’s crispy fish (US$4.90) was subtle and delicious. And the hangover special (US$4, an extra 10c for paracetamol) works wonders.
reviewed
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Le Silapa
Le Silapa has been serving some of the best French cuisine in Vientiane for years, complemented by refined surrounds and discrete service. The menu changes frequently and consists of classic as well as improvised dishes. If you order a bottle of wine, the restaurant contributes to a medical fund for economically disadvantaged children…what better excuse? The lunch set menu is good value.
reviewed
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Phikun
It’s none too inspiring to look at but give it a chance and you’ll find Phikun’s Thai food is both good and very cheap. Dishes vary, but the dozen or so pre-prepared dishes might include the delicious kai phàt bai kàphrao (chicken fried in holy basil). They’re served with rice – about US$1 for two dishes, an extra 20c for each extra. The English sign reads ‘Thai Food’.
reviewed
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Restaurant-Bar Namphu
The French influence is most noticeable around Nam Phu, where you’ll find this small, atmospheric eatery serving Gallic cuisine. Located on the east side is the intimate Restaurant-Bar Namphu, where the menu offers a mix of French and Asian fare combined with sophisticated service and an extensive wine cellar – the lunch time set menus are great value.
reviewed
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Riverfront Food and Drink Vendors
The long stretch of vendors that convenes along the levee beside the Mekong River is a great place to watch the sunset eating pîng ka (grilled chicken), tąm màak-hung or nǎem (minced sausage mixed with rice, herbs and roasted chillies with a plate of greens on the side) and cheap Beerlao.
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Saovaly Restaurant
The French and Lao food here is wonderful, with subtle flavours and artistic presentation complemented by attentive but not harassing service. And all for very reasonable prices. It’s just a pity the atmosphere is so, well, living room –when we ate here it was to the dulcet tones of Martin Tyler on a Man U TV re-run.
reviewed
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Soukvemarn Lao Food
Don’t be put off by the location down a dirt alley from That Dam – the Lao food at Soukvemarn is very good. Specialities include kąeng pąa khai mot (fish soup with ant larvae –in season) and làap pąa (spicy minced fish salad), among many others. The family who manage it make good conversation, too.
reviewed
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Le Belle Epoque
For a taste of colonial-era luxury it’s hard to beat this restaurant in the Settha Palace Hotel. The menu is mainly French but also has a Lao component; dishes include braised lamb shank with organic mash potato (US$13.50) and the delicious flat noodles with grilled eggplant and cream sauce (US$5.50).
reviewed
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Rashmi’s Indian Fusion
It was only a matter of time before fusion cuisine arrived in Vientiane, but a mix of Indian and Chinese isn’t quite what we expected. It’s actually better than it sounds, and if fusion doesn’t appeal there are more traditional Indian offerings too. Letting Rashmi explain the menu is recommended.
reviewed
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Restaurant Le Provençal
The French influence is most noticeable around Nam Phu, where you’ll find this small, atmospheric eatery serving Gallic cuisine. Restaurant Le Provençal serves rustic southern-French-style dishes, though its pastas and oven-baked pizzas are at least as good.
reviewed
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Le Ranch
Oddly, for a place run by a French-Lao couple, this big, breezy restaurant northeast of the centre pays homage to the American southwest. The heavy wooden furniture and buffalo horns set the scene, and the steaks (US$4.50) and woodfired pizzas (US$4.50 to US$6) are worth the trip.
reviewed
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La Cave des Chateaux
The French influence is most noticeable around Nam Phu, where you’ll find this small, atmospheric eatery serving Gallic cuisine. The mercifully not-so-grotto-like La Cave des Chateaux specialises in French cheeses (grilled to perfection) and wines.
reviewed
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Maison du Café
A few metres north of Nam Phu, this welcoming place brews up a dizzying array of coffees (US$1 to US$2) and serves them with fresh sandwiches or baguettes (US$1.50), plus great shakes. There’s plenty of reading matter around and the owner offers a range of tourist services.
reviewed
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Le Côte D’Azur Restaurant
Long-running Le Côte D’Azur is popular with French expats, and when your food arrives you’ll understand why. The delicious Provençal cuisine and understated service make this a top choice. Also on offer are pastas, salads and pizzas (order anything with fresh herbs).
reviewed
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Fathima Restaurant
Indians like this place, and for good reason– the food is cheap and many times better than the décor. Vegetarian dishes (US$1) are a big draw, and the chicken and meat curries (about US$2) are also delicious. Real ice cream is sold outside.
reviewed
