Luang Prabang Restaurants, Food and Drinks
LAO RESTAURANTS
Tamarind
Add: Th Kingkitsarat, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +856 71 213128
Web: www.tamarindlaos.com
Price: mains 40,000K, set dinners 100,000-150,000K
Opening hours: 11am-10pm
On the banks of the Nam Khan, mint-green Tamarind has created its very own strain 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). There's also buffalo lahp and Luang Prabang sausage.
Dyen Sabai
Add: Ban Phan Luang, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +856 5510 4817
Price: mains 20,000-35,000K
Opening hours: 8am-11pm
One of Luang Prabang's top destinations for fabulous Lao food. The eggplant dip and the fried Mekong riverweed here are as good as anywhere. Most seating is on recliner cushions in rustic open-sided pavilions. It's a short stroll across the Nam Khan bamboo bridge in the dry season or a free boat ride at other times. Two-for-one cocktails between noon and 7pm.
Coconut Garden
Add: Th Sisavangvong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +856 71 254 504
Price: meals 35,000-150,000K
Opening hours: 8am-11pm
An excellent 100,000K vegetarian set meal provides five top-quality Lao dishes, which allows a single diner to create the subtle palate of flavours that you'd normally only get from a multiperson feast. Coconut Garden has front and rear yards, and is a great spot for lunch or dinner. International favourites are also available...
Le Patio
Add: Ban Khamyong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Price: sandwiches 30,000K
Opening hours: 9am-5.45pm Tue-Sun
Sip Phongsali smoked teas or Lao Arabica espressos and nibble delicious feta-olive baguette sandwiches on a shaded terrace with attractive mountain views. Ethnic minority dishes, such as Akha meatballs and Hmong pork belly, are also available.
Night Food stalls
Add: Luang Prabang, Laos
Opening hour: 6pm-10pm
Food stalls emerge at dusk on a narrow street behind the tourist office with illuminated communal tables so you don't have to eat on the hoof. There's no better place to taste a wide variety of cheap yet well-cooked local food. There are plenty of vegetarian stalls offering a range of dishes for just 10,000K. Whole roast fish stuffed with lemongrass is a bargain at around 20,000K.
Apsara
Add: Baan Wat Sene, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +856 7125 4670
Web: www.theapsara.com
Price: mains 60,000-110,000K
Opening hours:7am-10pm
This chic eatery fronting the Nam Khan offers fusion cuisine blending east and west. Choose from buffalo steak, stuffed panin fish to share or braised pork belly for a main. Save some space for the divine desserts such as poached nashi pear in lime and ginger syrup served with coconut ice cream and a Lao poppadom.
Roots & Leaves
Add: Setthathilah Road, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +856 7125 4870
Web: www.rootsinlaos.com
Price: mains 30,000-60,000K, set dinner US$25
Opening hours: 7.30am-10pm
The outdoor setting sees tables ranged beneath palms around a lotus pond, where an artificial 'island' forms a stage for performances by local musicians. Differing dinner shows are performed here, generally 7pm to 9pm Monday to Saturday, but there are seasonal variations. Bring some mosquito repellent.
Tamnak Lao
Add: Th Sakkarin, Luang Prabang, Laos
TeL: +856 71 252 525
Web: www.tamnaklao.net
Price: mains 35,000-75,000K
Opening hours: 9am-4pm & 6-10pm
Plenty of Lao and Luang Prabang options served in an archetypal half-timbered house with sturdy arched balconies overlooking the street. Service is obliging but it often fills out with international tour groups. Cooking classes (US$30) available by day.
Khemkhong View
Add: Th Khem Khong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Price: meals 15,000-35,000K
Opening hours: 7am-9pm
One of the many riverside restaurants lining the Mekong, the split-level Khemkhong View has an extensive menu with choices such as spicy prawn and coconut soup, squid láhp (or intestine láhp for the more adventurous) and steamed, fermented fish.
INDIAN RESTAURANTS
Nazim's Indian
Add: Th Ssavangvong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Price: mains 15,000-40,000K
Opening hours: 11am-11pm
The biriyanis might be as flaky as the decor but the crispy dosai are tasty and the kitchen keeps cooking until nearly 11pm, unusually late for Luang Prabang.
KOREAN RESTAURANTS
Big Tree Cafe
Add: Th Khem Khong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Web: www.bigtreecafe.com
Price: mains 35,000-50,000K
Opening hours: 9am-9pm
Located in a quirky wooden house, the Korean food is the best in the city and is always packed with, not surprisingly, Koreans. You can also buy celebrated photographer Adri Berger's work here in the upstairs gallery. Eat inside or out on the terrace in the leafy garden. There's also a choice of Western and Japanese dishes. Restful.
VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS
Somchanh
Add: Th Suvannabanlang, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +85511454282
Price: mains 15,000-30,000K
Opening hours: 7am-7pm
This simple outdoor eatery 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. Opt for seating across the road on the riverbank.
FRENCH RESTAURANTS
Chez Marius
Add: Th Khem Khong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +856 71 212380
Web: www.enprovencelaos.com
Email: enprovence.laos@gmail.com
Price: 3-course lunch 70,000K
Opening hours: noon-3pm
French people in-the-know gather here for the fabulous southern French menu that changes daily. Expect regular appearances from cucumber salad with Greek sauce, roast pork and potato gratin, and chicken breast and pepper sauce, with flavoursome crème caramel. On Fridays the friendly chef dishes up Marseillian specialities.
Le Bistrot Ban Vat Sene
Add: Th Sakkarin, Luang Prabang, Laos
Price: 30,000K
Opening hours: 7:30am – 10pm
Retro fans whir over an Indochinese scene of flower-shaded lights and stylish refinement. This is the place to work, sip an afternoon pastis and read a paper. French wine, salads, quiche, pasta and pizza…parfait!
L’Elephant
Add: Ban Wat Nong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Web: www.elephant-restau.com
Price: mains 80,000-250,000K
Opening hours: 11.30am-10pm
L'Elephant serves arguably the most sophisticated cuisine in the city in a renovated villa with wooden floors, stucco pillars, stencilled ochre walls and bags of atmosphere. The Menu du Chasseur (240,000K) includes terrines, soups, duck breast and other Gallic specialities. The buffalo steak tartare is amazing.
ITALIAN RESTAURANTS
Luang Prabang Secret Pizza
Add: Luang Prabang, Laos
Price: mains 50,000-60,000K
Opening hours: from 6.30pm Tue & Fri
Alright, so the secret is out, but it's well worth sharing. Long the preserve of Luang Prabang residents, host Andrea prepares wood-fired pizzas, classic lasagne and homemade gnocchi in the garden of his lovely home. Profiteroles round things off nicely, plus a fine bottle of Italian wine. Signposted from the main road.
INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANTS
Dao Fa Bistro
Add: Th Sisavangvong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +855 89 925926
Price: mains 50,000K
Opening hours: 11am-11pm
Dao Fa have long been a stalwart of the gastro scene while so many others have come and gone on Main St. Its well-executed pasta dishes are perfect, with possibly our favourite carbonara in town, while salads are fresh and desserts full of taste.
Delilah’s Place
Add: Th Chao Fa Ngum, Luang Prabang, Laos
Price: mains 20,000-50,000K
Just beyond the main strip, but convenient for the Ban Hoxieng guesthouses, Delilah's serves up healthy breakfasts and a wide range of home comfort food such as sandwiches, wraps and pastas. Tasty Laotian specialities are also available.
Blue Lagoon
Add:Ban Choumkhong, Luang Prabang, Laos
Tel: +856 20 59 25 25 25
Web: www.blue-lagoon-restaurant.com
Price: mains 75,000-140,000K
Opening hours: 10am-10pm
A favourite with expats for its lantern-festooned walls, leafy patio and jazz-infused atmosphere. The menu features Luang Prabang sausage, pasta, salads.