41 Best Restaurants in Laos

Local families mix with tourists under the night-market sky to eat grilled meats and fish served alongside papaya salad, noodle dishes, and other local specialties. For about 40,000 kip you can score an entire chicken, dip it in hot sauce along with a handful of sticky rice, and accompany it with a cold beer.

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.

Here's a double surprise: some of the best food in Laos can be found in remote Phonsavan, and it's Indian to boot. Hole-in-the-wall Nisha, presided over by its amiable owners from Tamil Nadu, serves fantastic Indian cuisine, including delicious chicken tikka or tandoori. The owners' family operates branches in Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng.

The family that runs this cute little café prepares various breakfasts and gourmet sandwiches that include imported feta, Camembert, or goat cheese melted onto fresh baguettes. 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. 

Vang Vieng's haute cuisine restaurant offers an eclectic choice of Lao, traditional Asian, and French dishes—the Laotian sampling menu is the top draw. The indoor and outdoor dining areas command majestic views of the river and towering limestone cliffs. In addition to lunch and dinner, there's also a good buffet breakfast.

This humble restaurant under a tent awning overlooking the Nam Khan River doesn't really churn out fusion food so much as superb Lao and Western dishes without overlapping influences. Chef Dith also makes frozen margaritas and mojitos that rival any in town, as well as iced tea with rosella, the restaurant's namesake and an edible species of the hibiscus plant.

This rickety restaurant on wooden planks just above the Mekong may not look like much, but its cooks consistently deliver tasty and authentic Lao food. The setting is intimate and romantic, though the place can get busy with tour groups staying at the family's decent guesthouse.

Despite its humble appearance, this small thatched-roof eatery serves the best food in Oudomxay, and is itself a reason to slip into this otherwise colorless town. The owner, Mrs. Souphailin, specializes in northern Lao cuisine. It's well worth the effort to come in early and preorder any of the first 15 dishes on the menu, all authentic local specialties that require several hours of prep time.

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 and meat and fish curries, and other northern Indian favorites are among the many menu choices.

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.

Next to the stairs of Wat Chom Kao Manilat, this no-frills bamboo-and-thatch restaurant is a good choice for French and Lao food that's cooked with market-fresh ingredients. The hammocks and beautiful views over the Mekong help stretch meals into lazy spells—a perfect pastime in this sleepy town.