Where to eat in Vientiane

Where to eat in Vientiane

1. Eat

   Ban Lao Beer Garden

   Cheap Thai food (14,000 kip) and cheap beer (9,000 kip, for the cheap one, 10,000 kip for Lao beer) Nice quiet garden, nice people. (Thai Spoken).

2. Eat

   Chokdee Café Restaurant & Belgian Beer Bar

   Tintin Bar

   Restaurant & beer bar, owned by a friendly Belgian citizen who speaks a good English and so does the staff. Their signature meal, which is the Belgium national one, is mussels & fries, with different flavors to choose from, starting at 95,000 kip (US$11). Some finger food such as mini cheese burgers (35,000 kip). Famous for its beers too, including trappist ones, with around 100 different crafted bottled beers to choose from, plus a dozen on tap. As Belgium is also famous for its comic books, the place is decorated accordingly, with statues & paintings of Tintin and alikes... cosy atmosphere.

   Closed · opens 10 am

3. Eat

   Dai Japanese restaurant

   Japanese restaurant with a Japanese owner and chef, Takashi, who is friendly and speaks an excellent English. Very large selection (sushi, sashimi, miso soup, gyoza, tempura, teriyaki, soba, udon, ramen, curry, taiyaki) and drinks (Asashi beers, sake, potato schochu, rice shochu, shochu sour [which can be confused with fruit juice — watch out if you don't drink alcohol]). Japanese TV on to feel even more like home for Japanese people.

   Mon-Sat 11:00-14:00 & 17:00-22:30; Sun 17:00-22:30

4. Eat

   Kong View Bar and Restaurant

   With the ongoing construction of the flood management levee and river park in Vientiane, this restaurant offers the most optimal dining views of the Mekong. Thai-owned, it features an extensive menu of what is best termed Thai-Lao fusion. Not incredibly exciting food, but good, although portions are on the small side. Also, the staff will invariably mess up your order. Keep a close eye on the bill, as well, as items tend to make it on there that you didn't order.

5. Eat

   Kualao

   Upscale restaurant in a historic colonial building serving authentic Lao food with a good selection of vegetarian dishes. Traditional Lao music and dance performances in the evening.

   11:00-14:00 and 18:00-22:00 daily·Expensive by Lao standards with main dishes from US$6-12 and set meals at US$15

6. Eat

   Moon the Night Restaurant

   A very pleasant spot to eat excellent Lao food. A large place, an extensive menu, competent and friendly service. Background music not too loud.

   A meal of 6 to 8 dishes for 4 people costs US$15-20 including drinks

7. Eat

   Osaka

   Japanese restaurant. Well located. Incredibility large offer of Japanese food (sushi, sashimi, miso soup, gyoza, tempura, teriyaki, soba, udon, ramen, oden, curry, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, tempura ice-cream) and drinks (green tea, cream soda, sake, Asashi beers, plum wine, shōchū...) Every item on the menu comes written in English, along with its picture (& price). Many item pictures can as well be seen, with a colored A4 page for each, on the walls. All of this making it so easy to know what's on offer, and order with confidence. Owned & managed by a friendly Japanese citizen and his Lao wife, who live in the premises with their teenage kids. Quiet, clean, air conditioned.

   Closed · opens 8 am

8. Eat

   Papillon

   French restaurant owned and managed by an experienced French cook, who used to be the Western French cook at Novotel. Speaks English, and so does his staff. Features traditional food and chef specials, such as andouillettes, rognons blancs (mutton testicles) and tripes à la mode de Caen. There's a 3-course "Menu of the day" in addition to the main menu, for 45,000-65,000 kip. Drinks include French wine. This is a good value.

   Closed · opens 11:30 am

9. Eat

   Privet

   Classical range of Russian/ex-Soviet dishes, staples and specialties alike, served amid amusingly mixed ambience with various Soviet paraphernalia lining the walls. A rare chance to taste authentic Russian soft drinks like kvass, kefir and mors, or Russian alcohol. Run and staffed by Russian expats.

   11:00-21:00, closed on Mondays

10. Eat

    Taj Mahal Restaurant

    Good Indian food at good prices if you don't mind listening to American pop music.

11. Eat

    Vegetarian in the Golden Age

    A reasonably-priced vegan Vietnamese restaurant with an assortment of delicious vegetable, noodle, and mock meat dishes. Staff nice, place clean, they speak some English.

    07:00-22:00; lunch buffet weekdays 10:30-14:00·20-40,000 kip; 32,000 for the lunch buffet

12. Eat

    Xang Khoo

    Crêperie - Lao French Bistrot. Owned by a friendly French citizen who speaks great English. Staff can as well communicate in English. Mix of Western (mainly French) food with Asian (mainly Lao). Galettes (French buckwheat pancakes) are their signature food and are gluten free (starting at 45,000 kip; they also have pizza, salads, soups. Different desserts such as crepes indeed. Drinks: French wine (for 30,000 kip), beer, tea, coffee. In addition, "Menu of the day" offers everyday a different meal that's not on the main menu, coming along a salad and as well a dessert or coffee; 45,000 kip. Every item on the menu can be ordered any time during the opening hours. 2 rooms including one with terrace. Relax atmosphere with jazz music in the background.

    08:00-23:00 (kitchen closes at 22:00)

13. Eat Not mapped

    Along the river

    Dozens of unpretentious restaurants and beer gardens (those upstream from the main beach promenade are generally cheaper). All are pleasant places for a beer and a snack or a complete meal while the sun goes down over the river. One of these is one-time famous John's Restaurant, but since the owner married an Australian and left town there is nothing to distinguish it from the other places left and right. All serve inexpensive (but not really cheap for Laos) Lao, Thai, and some Western food. Among the best is the grilled fish, served by many of them. Take care when you're in for boiled eggs: what you get here are incubated duck eggs. When you open them you're in for a surprise (but at least the little bird does not chirp). The Lao love them and they are hugely popular. Some of the restaurants along the river has Lao-style reed mats on the ground with low rattan "tables" (kantoke). Diners sit cross-legged on the mat around the table. They are much nicer than the rickety metal tables and plastic chairs that are the standard of all but the better restaurants in Laos. The riverside open-air restaurants have been known to use two menus, a cheaper one for locals and an expensive one for foreigners.

14. Eat Not mapped

    Balkan House

    Traditional Yugoslav and Mediterranean homemade dishes, prepared by Montenegrin chef.

    Tue-Sun 08:00-15:00 & 18:00-23:00·From US$5-15

15. Eat Not mapped

    Ban Anou Night Market

    Has some of the best cheap meals in the city despite being only about a block long. Starts setting up at sundown. There's a wide range of street snacks available, including pho made with hand pulled noodles, little lettuce-wrapped snacks with peanut filling (miang), all types of grilled skewered meats, grilled sticky rice, local beverages made from coconut, chai tea, cornm grass jelly and more. Particularly worth trying are the small rice pancakes, two hemispheres of rice-based batter fried in a tin, filled with minced pork and beansprouts and put together. About the size of a flattened tennis ball, absolutely delicious.

16. Eat Not mapped

    Banneton Café

    Croissants and pastries, simple lunches and excellent baguettes. Tasty, not just something to chew. Their coffee is among the best in Vientiane, on a par with that at JoMa.

17. Eat Not mapped

    Benoni Cafe

    Offers a wide range of reasonably priced Asian and European dishes. The owners are Lao, but speak fluent English, French and German. Daily specials and home roasted coffee beans, the basis for one of the best coffees in town. Busy at lunchtime, discounts after 14:00.

    Closed · opens 10 am

18. Eat Not mapped

    Classic Lao Di Fang

    經典老地方

    Chinese vegetarian. The owner is Taiwanese, so this place seemed promising, as vegetarian cuisine is very popular in Taiwan, and done to an extraordinary standard. Unfortunately, that level of quality did not follow this owner into Laos. The food is lacklustre, and the management of the restaurant appears to suffer from neglect, possibly because the owner is rarely in Laos.

19. Eat Not mapped

    Delicious Noodle - Quan Banh Canh Ngon

    For an authentic Lao dining experience there is this noodle soup shop. This restaurant offers the best Lao white thick slimy rice noodles with some pieces of chicken, fried pork, quail's eggs, etc., and the usual vegetable servings: spring onions, cilantro, mung bean sprouts (unlimited serve-yourself quantities). There is also "kanom ku" (Chinese doughnuts) on the side, served ready for pick on every table. Excellent value as it's all for 10,000 kip plus 1,000 kip per kanom ku consumed, on the honour system. Most importantly, the noodle soup tastes great, the broth is delicious.

20. Eat Not mapped

    Dihao Hunan Restaurant

    帝豪酒店

    Spicy Hunan food from China. Hunanese-owned and operated (the Hunan Chamber of Commerce is on the 4th floor). Staff speak Chinese and Lao, and the menu is same, but every dish has its own photo. Order anything containing chilies, and you can't go wrong.

21. Eat Not mapped

    Dinner Cruises

    Two different companies, on boats moored opposite Wat Chan and one 300 m upriver. Not very impressive, neither the boat trip (1 hour, departure around 19:00, 1 km upstream then 2 downstream and back, only when the water level is high enough) nor the food. Very relaxing. This Lao maritime experience will cost you only slightly more than the same meal in one of the beer gardens on the riverbank.

22. Eat Not mapped

    Fathima

    A Malaysian-Indian restaurant. Numerous vegetarian options for 6,000-50,000 kip. Friendly staff and excellent service. Dish quality is extremely variable even for several exact-same dishes ordered on the same day. A bit of a pot-luck option.

23. Eat Not mapped

    Fu Man Lou

    福滿樓

    This has two locations. The one on the road to the airport is the best by far. It is the most established of the better Chinese restaurants in the city, and the Chinese diplomats posted to Laos often dine here. Food selection is multi-regional, but the Sichuan dishes are well done.

24. Eat Not mapped

    Full Moon Café

    Nice interior with comfortable seating arrangements and relaxed atmosphere. Asian/European fusion cuisine. Friendly but unfocused staff and reasonable prices. Manager named Khamfanh speaks good English and can help with orders or information about Laos. Free book exchange. Free Wi-Fi.

25. Eat Not mapped

    Hong Kong Restaurant

    Lackadaisical Cantonese dishes (US$2-9) and a small selection of dim sum (US$1 per plate). There have been reports of them padding the bill. Check the bill carefully before paying, which is something you should do everywhere: in a country where they use a calculator to subtract 7 from 10 it comes as no surprise that their counting of beers consumed is not always accurate, although to be fair the mistakes are not always to the disadvantage of the customer.

26. Eat Not mapped

    Jiu-Jiu Restaurant

    久玖酒家

    An unheralded gem, this restaurant offers fantastic southwestern Chinese cuisine. The chef hails from Qujing 曲靖 in Yunnan Province. The food is best described as Yunnan-Sichuan fusion. Helps if you know Chinese, but the staff can speak Lao as well. Menu contains plenty of photographs, so if all else fails, just point.

27. Eat Not mapped

    Khao Nieow

    Meat offered at two levels of quality: Lao beef at around US$4-5; New Zealand lamb and beef at about US$8 and above. To be tried on a cool evening, the fondue bourguignon at US$26 for two, a surprise in a place whose name means "sticky rice". Excellent cheese fondue at US$28 for two. Not something for the hottest months of the year, but nice around year's end when temperatures drop.

    Set three-course meals at US$4.50

28. Eat Not mapped

    Kop Kap

    Thai food. A favourite among expats living nearby. Packed at lunch, the restaurant is known for its excellent Penang curry.

    Closed Sun

29. Eat Not mapped

    La Scala Italian Restaurant

    Excellent Italian food. Romantic setting in a beautifully maintained colonial home. Offers a lunchtime buffet Monday-Friday. Tasty Neapolitan-style pizzas. Has an extensive wine list, and pasta mains are priced from US$8.

30. Eat Not mapped

    La Terrasse

    Popular with expats and tourists. It is one of the best French restaurants in Vientiane. Very good pizzas and excellent tender steaks for around US$5).

    Closed Sundays·Set three-course lunch is US$5.50, main dishes up to US$10.

31. Eat Not mapped

    Name Unknown

    A small group of stalls offering local food patronized by office workers. The ambiance is similar to the morning and night street food markets in Luang Prabang and the vendors seemingly have not been adulterated by touristy mindset. At 09:30, flies hover rarely and the food is steaming hot, having just been lifted out of the cooking fire.

32. Eat Not mapped

    Nazim Indian Restaurant

    Decent Indian food. Their toilet is not the cleanest in the country, perhaps because the patrons of some of the restaurants on the river bank are directed here for certain needs when they are not sent down to the reeds at the water's edge. Nazim has opened another branch in Pang Kham Rd, opposite the offices of Lao Airlines. There are at least 4 other Indian restaurants in the city centre, and all quite similar.

33. Eat Not mapped

    Noodle Shops

    They typically serve rice noodle soups ("feu", a close cousin to Vietnamese phở and Chinese 粉 fan2), often also fried rice and other rice or noodle-based dishes.

    Around US$1 for a large bowl or plate.

34. Eat Not mapped

    Phonethip Coca Suki Restaurant

    Part of a chain that also has restaurants in Thailand and Indonesia. Good Lao, Thai, Chinese, and Western food. Reasonable prices and good, attentive service. Very popular at lunchtime with office workers and students.

35. Eat Not mapped

    Ray's Grille Burgers & Mexican (Formerly Ray's Grille)

    Serves delicious Philly cheesesteaks, kebabs and quesadillas. Baguettes are freshly baked each day, and sandwiches are given generous amounts of mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Middle Eastern options are accompanied by homemade tahini or tzatziki sauce. Also possible is a traditional family-style Thai feast. The quality of the food is rivalled only by the friendliness of the chef.

    17,000-30,000 kip

36. Eat Not mapped

    Restaurant Chengdu

    成都食府

    The owner/manager claims the chef is from Chengdu, but the heavily Manchurian-influenced food from the kitchen clearly puts the lie to that claim.

37. Eat Not mapped

    Stay Hungry Burger

    Stay Hungry Burger's claim is true as you really do stay hungry after eating there: their burgers are the smallest in the city.

38. Eat Not mapped

    Sticky Fingers

    High quality Western-style food at reasonable prices. They have won a national award for their grasshopper/cricket tacos. Also offer a wide selection of vegetarian options. There's happy hour on Wednesday and Friday nights, with half price cocktails. Open for breakfast and lunch on weekends only. Free Wi-Fi. Hangout for expats and NGO volunteers.

39. Eat Not mapped

    Swedish Pizza & Baking House

    Huge selection of excellent pizzas for around 45,000 kip. The mocha shakes are particularly tasty. Also has a wide variety of fresh baked breads, pastries and cakes.

    Closed · opens 7 am

40. Eat Not mapped

    Vegan Food Stall at Sao Market Food Court

    Buffet plates, excellent spring rolls and noodle soups available.

    All plates at 10,000 kip each

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Vientiane (CC BY-SA 4.0).