17 Best Restaurants in 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 the 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, and if you need relief from the heat, head to the air-conditioned section. 

The charming restaurant of the boutique Ansara Hotel serves authentic French cuisine in a romantic garden setting. Appetizers on the varied menu might include anything from fish carpaccio or a warm goat cheese salad to the over-the-top combo of fried duck and duck foie gras. For your entrée you can go haute with a rack of lamb or roast lobster, or casual with pizza or a croque-monsieur.

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 the 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.

As at the original location of Paste, a Michelin-starred restaurant based in Bangkok, the menu here is built on the traditional recipes of the Lao royal family, but with a slight update for modern tastes. The preparation, presentation, and taste are second-to-none in Luang Prabang.

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, and 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.

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.

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.

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.

A husband-and-wife team from New Zealand opened this restaurant that serves outstanding wood-fired pizzas, freshly baked bread, pasta, and other Western dishes you can enjoy with a real espresso or cappuccino. It's affiliated with Forest Retreat Laos, a trekking agency across the street that works with local people to create and promote sustainable tourism in the Nam Ha Protected Area.

The international team in the kitchen of the River Resort's elegant restaurant prepares fine Asian and Western dishes—the best food you will find in all southern Laos—with equal skill and panache. Highly recommended is the local Mekong fish, which can either be grilled and served with tamarind sauce and lime, or steamed in a banana leaf Lao-style.

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.