Hello - I'm looking for some interesting/authentic restaurant choices for our time in Luang Prabang at the end of the month. Also - is the trip to Pak Ou Caves worth it if we only have a couple of days? Is there anything that's a "must-see" while we are there? Our idea was to simply take it all in while wandering the streets but we'd like a few places on the list to see so we don't miss anything!

Thanks!

I would skip the Pak Ou caves. The best part of LP is wandering the streets and popping in to the shops and restaurants. If you want, you can rent a boat for 1/2 day and go up the river to the papre village and weaving village.

The Tamarind Cafe is really good. It was just open for lunch, but may now be open for dinner. Make sure you get at least one Laotian massage.

L'Elephant is a fantastic upscale place to eat...its on a side road....there is one with a similar name on the main drag, but that is not it...

the restaurant at the Phao vou hotel is fantastic...on the edge of town...

there is a small lao restaurant just on the rotary as you enter town....i forget its name but its quite cheap and delicious...

For a Western palette the Tamarind is good but we, being Thais, found it tasteless and spiceless. I think it's a good introduction to Laotian or Northern Thai food and you don't have to worry about it being too hot and the menu is in English. We did enjoy the various Laotian style Som Tum off the street and in little shops but the thing that I like the most was the "Khoa Soy" Laos style. There were a couple of good restaurant on the road to Le Residence Ph0u Vao that had good Khoa Soy and you can tell by the crowds or people waiting for tables.

Pak Ou was boring IMO but for the out of town excursion we did like the waterfalls. For LP itself Wat Xieng Thong temple is a must see place.

The 3 Nagas restarant was good, particularly the tasting menu. I would agree with Hanuman re Tamarind being a bit bland but they will arrange a special Lao jungle food menu given some prior notice (if you are into the exotic!). Go to the morning market for Som Tum and Pho. Lots to see in and around LP before venturing to Pak Ou which really is not worth the trip.

thanks for all of your comments!

Okay, so perhaps we will skip the caves afterall - but maybe the waterfalls.

We are staying at the 3 Nagas so if that's a good place for a meal that would be very convenient. I think maybe Tamarind for a lunch and 3 Nagas for dinner and then we'll just need another dinner option!

We ate dinner (not the Friday barbeque) at the Tamarind and really enjoyed it. Tell them, and the other restaurants, that you like spicy food and you will get it. The point of LP is that there are no must sees; wandering the residential areas enjoying the vegetation, the architecture, and the way people live is what it's all about. And the wonderful shops, of course...

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who thought the Pak Ou caves were a let down. The ride down the river was long and not as interesting as I thought it would be and the cave was not quite as grand as I had imagined in my head.

We loved Tamarind, and definitely did not find it bland.

We had our spiciest meal at Tamnak Lao, located very close to 3 Nagas. I've found even when you tell servers at some restaurants you like spicy, sometimes they don't believe you. So we had our guide tell them that we were serious about spicy, and we got what we wanted! The upstairs balcony has a great view of the street activity.

Morning Glory (also very close to 3 Nagas) is great for breakfast or lunch.

Here is another point of view: I loved the Pak Ou caves. They have been a Buddhist pilgrimage site for hundreds of years. I enjoyed the boat ride as much as the caves, seeing life along the river. The villages people stop at along the river are so tourist-oriented that I found nothing of interest there. The waterfalls? Maybe it's because I live in an area that has so many waterfalls that I was not excited about the falls. Yes, they are nice, but would I go halfway around the world to see them? No way. Would I take a half a day away from strolling LP to see them? No.

Stroll the streets, visit the wats, chat with the novices and monks, soak up the atmosphere. Do what strikes your fancy.

I suspect that the Pak Ou Caves visit has been substantially degraded by the uptick in tourism since Kathie was there. Kathie's timing was much better than ours (August 2008).

That said, we found the boat ride to the caves to be absolutely lovely. While the caves were somewhat crowded, boat traffic on the river was somehow very light. The scenery was tranquil and beautiful. I recommend the trip if not the caves themselves. We didn't plan ahead -- the three of us just went to the river, joined forces with a few young people from Taiwan who spoke English (and didn't mind the company of older folks), and hired a boat.

As far as restaurants go, you have gotten great advice above but I would also enthusiastically add Tum Tum Cheng. They also run a cooking school.

no one has mentioned the royal palace...i found it and its grounds a good 1 hour stop...

the night market was fun as was the visit to the silk co-op outside of town...

i hope the world bank has stopped financing the paving of some of the side streets....while i love cobblestones, i felt they looked more like greenwich CT than like LP...

The Pak Ou caves were a highlight of a visit to Luang Prabang in February 2009. Be sure to see both the upper ("where we lived when Nixon was bombing us") and lower cave (1000s of Buddha images). The view from the opening of the lower cave is breathtaking. (Don't be misled by negative reviews!) Lunch on the verandah of the restaurant across the river was good). Morning market is grubby and chaotic.
Climbing Phousay Hill, the night market, L'Elephant (excellent colonial French cuisine but not authentic Laos), the royal palace, and the weaving village across the bamboo footbridge were all memorable. We liked the Tum Tum Bamboo restaurant on the main drag for a Laos dinner. We had dinner at the Apsara, reputedly among LP's top five spots, but believe it has slipped a bit, and is unjustifiably as expensive as L'Elephant. And, yes, wandering the streets, and visiting wats in town, and watching the monks accept alms in the morning--cultivate your own Buddhist detachment to overcome disgust at tourists' boorish behaviour--are all terrific experiences.

I would not skip the Pak Ou caves. While the caves themselves may be a disappointment for some, the journey is very pleasant. You see interesting landscape and can stop at a Whisky viallage if you choose. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In terms of food, the best restaurant by far is L'Elephant. This is expensive in Laos terms, but not in western terms and has excellent food. It also has a fusion Lao tasing menu, which is worth it.
Tamnak Lao is probably the best authentic Lao restaurant in towm. The place is always full of Thai, looking for an "Isaan food fix". Tamnal Lao will also allow you to bring your own wine for a modest corkage. This is a wise move as the wine list is not great and expensive. Or you could drink Beer Lao, which is excellent and far better than any beer produced in Thailand. Of course you must try Tamakhung - spicy pappaya salad.

Don't bother with the Tamarind. This serves westernised Lao food and is not at all authentic. We did not enjoy our meal there.

Many of the wats are worth seeing, but Wat Xieng Tong stands out. The palace is also a "must". Forget the night market; the goods are tacky and mainly Chinese in origin.