9 Best Restaurants in Vientiane, Laos

All the usual Italian stalwarts grace the menu at this upbeat spot, along with imported oysters and Wagyu beef. For more casual fare, there is also a wood-fired pizza oven on the verandah. While the flavor is authentically Italian, the contemporary upscale decor reminds you this isn't your grandparents' trattoria. 

An institution on Vientiane's culinary landscape for several decades, this restaurant serves modern Australian and international comfort foods and a revolving weekly menu of specials showcases the dexterity of the Lao chef. The twice-weekly happy hours are great for meeting local expats.

A wonderful place to experience Lao cuisine and culture, the latter in the form of classical dances performed nightly, this restaurant provides a blissful retreat from the downtown tourist frenzy. You can dine either in the teakwood interior space or outside in the garden. The specialty here is the cuisine of Luang Prabang, such as the pla larb (minced fish with herbs). Dinner service doesn't begin until 6.

This longtime Italian restaurant, in a beautiful colonial villa with a garden, is a bit out of the main tourist center but still reigns as one of Vientiane's steady grande dames. Villa Opera serves authentic pasta, baked entrées, and fresh salads along with items like the Pizza de Laos, made with chilies and Lao sausage. You can get a perfect espresso or a cappuccino, too.

Hot with the expat NGO and diplomat lunch crowd, Coco&Co. is Vientiane's premier vegan and vegetarian restaurant. The eclectic menu includes tofu laap, hummus and cashew cheese sandwiches, and coconut fried rice. The coffee is also exceptional and roasted next door at their sister coffeehouse, Le Trio.

A popular downtown restaurant and bar in a French colonial building, this is an excellent stop for happy-hour cocktails or dinner. For a tasty introduction to traditional Lao cuisine, try the Discovery Lao, a set menu including laap (a semi-spicy salad of ground meat), a zesty sour fish soup, khao niaw (Lao sticky rice), and a glass of lao-lao (rice whisky).

The Lao food at this restaurant inside a fading mansion is among Vientiane's best. Favorites include mok pa fork (steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves and cooked with eggs, onions, and coconut milk), and gaeng panaeng (a thick red curry with chicken, pork, or beef). Servings are small, so most people order several entrées à la carte or set menus featuring seven to nine dishes, plus dessert and coffee.

The family that runs this cute little café prepares various breakfasts and gourmet sandwiches with fresh local ingredients. They also whip up just about any tropical fruit smoothie you can imagine. The colorful spot, which also sells local handicrafts, is a good place to watch the world go by and meet other travelers. 

A nondescript eatery tucked behind the Lao National Culture Hall, Taj Mahal serves Indian food at ridiculously cheap prices. Excellent tandoori naan bread, a good selection of dal, meat and fish curries, and other northern Indian favorites are among the many menu choices.