15 Best Restaurants in Luang Prabang, Laos

One of Luang Prabang's finest restaurants offers traditional French food, with a dash of Lao influence, such as the chevreuil au poivre vert (local venison in a pepper sauce) and several daily specials usually include fish fresh from the Mekong. Seating is available in the bright airy dining room or on the sidewalk, behind a barrier of plants. You can order à la carte or opt for a three-course prix-fixe menu. If you need relief from the heat, head to the air-conditioned section. 

Founded by two French designers who have designed numerous restaurants and shops in Luang Prabang, this Asian fusion gastropub offers unique cocktails, a groovy playlist, and a variety of fusion cuisine you will never see anywhere else, such as fried tofu and Mekong fish balls or Angus beef with tamarind chili sauce.

With an unbeatable location over a UNESCO-classified lotus pond, this impressive wooden restaurant only serves traditional Lao food, all based on the owner's family recipes. The dishes, such as fish hor mok steamed in banana leaves or delicious jungle honey-glazed spareribs, are presented with a panache that helps emphasize the venue's authenticity. Signature cocktails feature Lao ingredients combined with modern mixologies. Best visited at dinner when the flicker of light from dozens of lanterns makes it look extremely romantic.

This hip restaurant in the heritage home of a former French official serves refreshing Mediterranean fare such as huge salads, excellent wood-fired pizzas, and platters of beef carpaccio. Many dishes also feature savory local buffalo burrata cheese. There's also a full list of French wines and exclusive cocktail creations.

Contrary to popular belief, fine Lao coffee doesn't only come from southern Laos, it's also grown here in the northern part of the country. This charming café, started over a decade ago, has helped change the lives of highland farmers in the surrounding rural areas. There are great sandwiches and pastries, but the absolute highlight is the artisanal coffee and the amazing views of the Mekong from their riverside terrace. Many an afternoon has been lost to gazing at boat traffic plying these waters. Cherry to Cup tours are also available for true coffee lovers. The upstairs is air-conditioned if you need a break from the tropical heat.

This riverside restaurant is the place to experience and understand Lao cuisine in Luang Prabang. The various tasting menus feature five traditional types of jeow, or dips, to be eaten with vegetables or sticky rice; there's also a "five-bites" selection that includes dried buffalo, sai oua (flavored local sausage), and other delicacies. The restaurant also runs a popular cooking school worth checking out.

Crispy riverweed with spicy buffalo jam and steamed mushrooms in an herbal mousse are just two of the local specialties served at this atmospheric restaurant on the front terrace of 3 Nagas Luang Prabang hotel. Set menus are available from 300,000 kip, though you can also order à la carte. Across the street, the hotel's trendy cocktail bar Nagini is great for a nightcap.

Canadians founded this inexpensive self-service restaurant, where the in-house bakery turns out delicious pastries, bagels, sandwiches, and salads. The homemade soups are excellent, as are the breakfast burritos and wraps, and there are all the typical coffee and espresso drinks. A second Joma branch is available on Sisavangvong Road, about halfway down the peninsula.

A training restaurant for marginalized youths, Khaiphaen's menu might include anything from tofu with Khaiphaen crispy river weed and green mango dip to fusion Lao staples such as grilled buffalo steak with pickled daikon. The food is great and you'll also be helping young Lao people build their hospitality skills.

Sidewalk seating and the retractable brown-striped awning contribute to the atmosphere of a traditional French café at this café on the northern end of town. Freshly made quiche, baguettes, and grandes tartines (large slices of homemade bread with various toppings) are menu highlights for lunch and dinner.

With a central location and the most enticing atmosphere of several outdoor-seating restaurants in its part of town, the bakery is an ideal stop for people-watching and a cool drink or coffee and pastries. You can also sample some of the nearly two dozen Laotian dishes, such as jo mart len pak lae kout noi (steamed fresh vegetables with a spicy grilled-tomato sauce) served here, or satisfy a craving for Western food with a hamburger, a pizza, some pasta, or even a steak.

The set menu is the way to sample a wide cross-selection of Lao dishes at this noted restaurant, cooking school, and (just for good measure) book exchange. Alternatively, you can order à la carte from a lengthy menu that includes kaipan, a crispy dried Mekong River plant covered with sesame seeds (it's the local equivalent of chips and salsa), and a local favorite, orlam, an eggplant "casserole" that can be compared to an exotic gaeng kiew waan (Thai green curry). Lao and Western options are available for breakfast.

With Parisian-style street-facing seating perfect for people-watching, Tangor flips the expectations with a menu full of Western twists on pan-Asian favorites. Enjoy exclusive dishes like black charcoal dumplings, Japanese-style salmon topped with flakes of Mekong riverweed, and ceviche that might be the best in this hemisphere.