Gastronomic Guide To 10 Best Spots Around Luang Prabang, Laos

Gastronomic guide to 10 best spots around Luang Prabang, Laos

By Anna Purpurpurpur

Luang Prabang has so many cool cafés and restaurants, and if you travel around, there are even more of them! We were lucky to have time to experience some of them, so see some of my recommendations below.

1. Phan Boun

Phan Boun, meaning A lot of Merit as well as a reference to the owner’s parents, is located close to the night market and the National Museum. It offers amazing coconut banana desserts, mango sticky rice, and Lao coffee. On the ground floor you can also find a nice shop selling Lao tea.

2. Silk Road Café

The Silk Road Café is one of the reasons to come to the Ock Pop Tok centre and learn more about Lao Textiles: come here for a great location and great views!

The Ock Pop Tok is a living crafts center established in 2000 by a British and a Laotian co-founders (that’s why its name means “East Meets West”), which makes it created by women and for women. You can learn about the process of thread-making and dyeing, and even try your hand during a workshop!

3. Main Road

For more local specialties, visit the Main Road restaurant at the Avani+ hotel (from Anantara), just a few steps away from the night market.

4. Joma

Joma, a Canadian chain of coffee shops along the Mekong River, is a reliable spot you can find in Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and Luang Prabang.

5. Dada

At Dada, try the fruit shakes and local Lao coffee, which is roasted right on-site. The cafe is located just steps away from the Mekong river.

6. Viewpoint Café

For scenic views, head to the Viewpoint Café at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, located at the very end of the peninsula. Sadly, during our visit there was a construction going on, but fingers crossed it’ll be over once you visit.

7. Le Bistro Ban Vat Sene

You can also enjoy lunch at Le Bistro Ban Vat Sene, which serves mouthwatering dishes from both Lao and Western cuisines, and the interior there is very stylish.

8. Governor’s Grill

The Governor’s Grill was a restaurant at our hotel Sofitel, and we spent three of four dinners there.

Try here dishes from Lao cuisine or Western dishes with a Lao twist!

9. Laos Buffalo Diary

Ypi might notice a shortage of dairy products in Laos, but if you come to Laos Buffalo Dairy, this problem would be rectified!

This farm was started by two Australians in 2017, who realised that no one was using buffalo milk in Laos to make yogurts or other dairy products, so they saw this as a business opportunity. Here you can try their cheeses and desserts including ice cream and cheesecakes! If all you’ve tried from Buffalo milk is mozzarella, it’s time to broaden your horizons.

10. Manda de Laos

Finally, have lunch at Manda de Laos — would you guess that this is in Laos? Manda de Laos is one of the best restaurants in Luang Prabang, serving local Lao cuisine. Besides that, it’s incredibly beautiful — probably better than any restaurant I’ve seen in Thailand. Scenic lily ponds here are included in the UNESCO Heritage site list.

The family who owns the restaurant has lived on this property for three generations, which is reflected in the restaurant’s name; ‘Manda’ in the Laotian language means ‘mother.’