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Lao cuisine is very similar to the food eaten in the north-eastern Isaan region of Thailand: being very spicy, more often bitter than sweet, and using lots of fresh herbs and vegetables served raw. Some of the raw vegetables can be used to cool your mouth when the chilis are overwhelming.
Rice
Rice is the staple carbohydrate. The standard kind is sticky rice (khao niaow), eaten by hand from small baskets called tip khao. Using your right hand, pinch off a bit, roll into a ball, dip and munch away.
Laap
The national dish is laap (also larb), a "salad" of minced meat mixed with herbs, spices, lime juice and, more often than not, blistering amounts of chili. Unlike Thai larb, the Lao version can use raw meat (dip) instead of cooked meat (suk), and if prepared with seafood makes a tasty if spicy carpaccio.
Tam Maak Hung
Another favourite is tam maak hung, the spicy green papaya salad known as som tam in Thailand, but which the Lao like to dress with fermented crab (pudem) and a chunky, intense fish sauce called pa daek, resulting in a stronger flavor than the milder, sweeter Thai style. Other popular dishes include ping kai, spicy grilled chicken, and mok pa, fish steamed in a banana leaf.
Khao Jil Pat-Te and Pho
In addition to purely Lao food, culinary imports from other countries are common. Khao jii pat-te, French baguettes stuffed with pate;, and foe (pho) noodles from China are both ubiquitous snacks particularly popular at breakfast. Note that foe can refer both to thin rice noodles (Vietnamese pho) as well as the wide flat noodles that would be called kuay tiow in Thailand.
Coffee
Lao coffee (kaafeh) is widely reckoned to be amongst the best in the world. It's grown on the Bolaven Plateau in the south; the best brand is Lao Mountain Coffee. Unlike Thai coffees, Lao coffee is not adulterated with ground tamarind seed. To make sure you aren't fed overpriced Nescafé instead, be sure to ask for kaafeh thung. By default in lower end establishments, kaafeh lao comes with sugar and condensed milk; black coffee is kaafeh dam, coffee with milk (often, however, you'll get non-dairy creamer) is kaafeh nom.
Tap water
Tap water is not drinkable, but bottled water is cheap and widely available. There is not much nightlife outside of Vientiane and Vang Vieng. To have a beer in some places, simply visit a restaurant.
Describe the main aspects of Laos Restaurants & Eating in general. Write in the 2nd person ('go there/when we went' instead of 'I went/this writer went/one can go'). Tell it as it is, but stick to the facts. Do not enter listings here; create a
new listing instead.
One of the few options that stands out in any way, this little joint is run by a husband and wife from the Black Tai (Tai Dam) tribe and specializes in tribal cuisine, with Tai Dam, Akha and Lisu dishes on offer. It's fairly simple stuff, but still a nice c... more
(Formerly Yamuna Restaurant)Offers good northern and southern India food as well delicious Indian breakfasts. A good alternative if you want to get a respite from Lao food. Owner is an Indian from Tamil Nadu who married a local Lao. 20 000-40 000 kips per person.
Just a 2 minute walk away from the main area of town, with a nice second floor patio with views over rice paddies. It has a friendly owner and good food that's not overpriced. Make sure to try their fruit shakes as they are the biggest in town.
Hungry Burger's claim is true — The burger you're about to unwrap is the best in town — Hungry Burgers is definitely a solid competitor for its price range. Whether you want pork, beef or chicken, all the burgers from this sidewalk stand ar... more
can be found all over the town. They typically serve Vietnamese-type noodle soups (pho), often also fried rice and other rice or noodle-based dishes. Prices are very moderate: around 1 USD for a large bowl or plate. There really is no need to go hungry in this t... more
is only about 1 block long and starts setting up at sundown, but it has some of the best cheap eats in town. There's a wide range of street snacks available, including pho made with handpulled noodles, little lettuce wrapped snacks with peanut filling (miang... more
dozens of unpretentious restaurants and beer gardens, from opposite the BCEL bank strung along the Mekong for approximately 2km upriver (those upstream from the main beach promenade are generally cheaper). All are pleasant places for a beer and a snack or a comp... more
on the Mekong river road: decent Indian food. Their washroom is not the cleanest in the country, perhaps because the patrons of some of the eateries on the river bank are directed here for certain needs (when they are not simply sent down to the reeds at the wat... more
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