Best Restaurants in Luang Prabang

Before we visited Luang Prabang, Lao cuisine was completely unknown to me and I was excited to explore all the new dishes as we ate our way through all the Luang Prabang restaurants.

Lao cuisine focuses on fresh ingredients and includes lots of herbs and fresh vegetables, with plenty of galangal and lemongrass thrown into dishes.

Luang Prabang best restaurants

The staple of the Lao diet is Khao Niew – sticky rice. My two-year old son became addicted to sticky rice while we were in Luang Prabang. And as a bonus, it’s meant to be eaten with your fingers!

Laap is Laos’ most famous dish, consisting of chopped meat, fish or chicken, flavoured with mint leaves, chilli, fish sauce and lime juice. It is quite dry and is served with raw vegetables and sticky rice.

Other Luang Prabang food to look out for includes Or Lam – a vegetable stew, Sai Oua – Lao sausage, Sin Savanh – a kind of Lao beef jerky, Tam Mak Houng – spicy green papaya salad, Khao Poon – noodle soup, and the famous Luang Prabang Salad.

If you are trying to choose where to eat in Luang Prabang, here are what we found to be the best restaurants in Luang Prabang Laos:

Tamarind Luang Prabang

Tamarind restaurant Luang Prabang is a great place to start your adventure with Lao cuisine. Run by Lao national Joy, and his Australian wife Caroline, Tamarind aims to introduce Lao specialties to visitors in a welcoming homely environment.

We enjoyed our first try of Laap at Tamarind, and also loved their house specialty – Lemongrass stuffed with Chicken and Herbs. Don’t forget to order yourself a Lao Lao cocktail – made with potent rice whisky, this is sure to get your meal off to a good start!

Tamarind-Luang-Prabang

Also on offer at Tamarind is a range of set menus featuring several dishes to introduce you to the variety of Lao cuisine, and every Friday they hold a Barbecue Fish Feast – a convivial hands-on shared meal, where they demonstrate eating etiquette and explain the significance of the event.


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Tamarind also runs a cooking school. Although we decided not to burden the chefs with our 2-year old and 4-year old, it comes highly recommended by many people.

Visit the Tamarind website here

L’elephant Luang Prabang

L’elephant is one of the most famous places to eat in Luang Prabang, and you will need to book ahead to get a table. Set in an open-air 1960s colonial building, thanks to its popularity, L’elephant has a happy and bustling vibe about it.

The menu serves up both French and Lao cuisine, with fresh and seasonal ingredients coming from the restaurant’s own organic garden.

As can be expected, there is a crossover between cuisines, especially on the French menu, where traditional French dishes are presented using local ingredients – such as the Slow-cooked Mekong Fish with Old-fashioned Mustard, and the Three Medallions of Buffalo with Fresh Thyme. Although you can also expect plenty of duck, frogs legs and potato dauphinoise.

Luang prabang cafe

On the Lao menu at L’elephant restaurant Luang Prabang, you will find all the traditional favourites, and if you’re feeling hungry you can opt for the multi-course tasting menu.

The best thing for us was the wine list – after surviving on Beer Lao for much of our visit to Luang Prabang, their extensive wine list with good options by the glass was a welcome attraction.

Visit the L’elephant Restaurant website here


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3 Nagas Luang Prabang

Located in a restored historical building on the main street of Luang Prabang, 3 Nagas restaurant Luang Prabang is one of Luang Prabang’s best-known and most upmarket restaurants. Our meal here was one of our most memorable as we enjoyed some of the best food in Luang Prabang.

We took a table under the mango trees in the leafy courtyard area, overlooking the main street and sipped on Lemongrass Mojitos as we perused their menu of traditional Lao cuisine.

3 Nagas restaurant Luang Prabang

We dined on beautifully presented Mekong River Fish Steamed in Banana Leaf, Pork sautéed with Garlic and Ginger and some excellent Spring Rolls.

The star of the night for me though was their curry of shredded chicken with coconut milk – sensational with the purple sticky rice, and I continued to crave it for the rest of our visit.

We didn’t try the Buffalo in Coffee Sauce, but I have heard that it is excellent.

Oh, and don’t miss the homemade coconut ice cream!

Visit the 3 Nagas website here

Coconut Garden Luang Prabang

We really enjoyed our leisurely lunch at Coconut Garden, choosing to feast on a selection of nibbly dishes and starters. First up was Sin Savanh – Lao beef jerky, served with Jaew Maak Len, a tomato-based chilli dip. The perfect accompaniment to a cold Beer Lao.

We also chose some excellent spring rolls, tried out the Kai Paen (crispy river weed with sesame seeds), some satisfyingly spicy Lao Sausage, and the famous Luang Prabang salad – a beautiful salad with egg, tomato, watercress and crispy shallots served with a delicious creamy egg-based dressing.

Coconut Garden Luang Prabang

There was also pizza on the menu, which kept the kids happy, although the most exciting thing for them was the soft-serve ice cream machine.

Coconut Garden has two gorgeous courtyards to choose from – one facing the street and the other tucked away at the back, in addition to indoor upstairs seating with views over the street. We chose to sit out front, but in an evening the back courtyard with its swinging coloured lanterns would be a stunning setting for a meal.

Visit the Coconut Garden website here

Blue Lagoon Restaurant

I was very skeptical about Blue Lagoon Luang Prabang, but we had made no plans and had already ticked off all our top restaurants in Luang Prabang list, and Blue Lagoon was at the right end of town for our hotel, and seemed to get good reviews.

You can probably understand my sense of doubt, when I explain the menu to you: a blend of Laotian and Swiss classics. Say what? Not exactly what you would expect in deepest darkest Southeast Asia.

So I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived and found a beautiful courtyard oasis, with outdoor tables placed under swaying lanterns, ambient jazz music and a peaceful sense of calm (until we arrived with our two children that is!)

Blue Lagoon Restaurant Luang Prabang

By the looks of the clientele and the way they were dressed, this restaurant is obviously one that is recommended by concierges at the high-end hotels around Luang Prabang. No backpacker chic in here.

Service was attentive, the wine list was good (and wine served in Riedel glasses no less), and the chef himself put in an appearance later in the evening, wandering around the tables to ensure everyone had enjoyed their meal.

While the food here was good, the overall ambience of Blue Lagoon restaurant Luang Prabang made it one of our favourite meals out.

Tamnak Lao Restaurant Luang Prabang

We managed to squeeze in a final traditional Lao lunch at Tamnak Lao on our last day in Luang Prabang. It was a good choice for a final farewell to Laos cuisine. We took a seat on the street side terrace of the colonial-style building, where could watch Luang Prabang life slowly unfold.

Tamnak Lao Luang Prabang

The food was excellent – crispy spring rolls, chicken casserole, Lao sausage, fried eggplant… and of course Sticky Rice and Beer Lao!

Tamnak Lao also runs a cooking school, both during the day and evening.

Riverside Luang Prabang Bars and Restaurants

Although not a specific restaurant, an experience not to be missed is sunset drinks along the river. The riverbank between the two boat piers is lined with bars and restaurants, so take a wander down there before sunset and choose a spot to enjoy a cold Beer Lao as the sun sinks behind the mountains on the other side the Mekong. Magical.

Luang Prabang with kids

Luang Prabang Night Market

Some of the best Laos food can be found in the Luang Prabang night market. Renowned for being one of the biggest and best night markets in the world, the Luang Prabang night market runs from around 5pm to 11pm every evening.

Luang Prabang Night Market

There are hundreds of stalls here to explore, selling all manner of homemade handicrafts, but food lovers will be attracted to the Luang Prabang night market food, which has a whole section dedicated to it. If you love Asian street food, you are in for a treat here. Keep an eye out for the famous Lao sausage and coconut rice pancakes. 

Other Luang Prabang Restaurants to Try

Although we didn’t have time to check these out, I have heard good things about the following restaurants in Luang Prabang too:

Manda de Laos

Manda de Laos restaurant dishes up traditional Laotian family cuisine and boasts one of the most stunning settings of any Luang Prabang restaurant. Dine beside a UNESCO classified lily pond and enjoy the tropical ambience. I think this restaurant looks like it’s worth a trip back to Luang Prabang!

Visit the Manda de Laos website here

Apsara Luang Prabang restaurant

Set within the boutique hotel of the same name, the Apsara restaurant Luang Prabang serves traditional Lao and other Asian cuisine, including Thai inspired dishes. Choose from the stylish interior or the breezy terrace overlooking the river.

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We also enjoyed meals in the restaurants at both of the hotels we stayed in in Luang Prabang. Read more and check out our hotel reviews of the Angsana Maison Souvannaphoum and the Luang Say Residence here.

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Luang Prabang best restaurants

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17 thoughts on “Best Restaurants in Luang Prabang”

  1. What a great restaurant list. The food looks amazing and the atmosphere’s top notch. We mix the occasional high-end restaurant into our travels, but focus mostly on small local diners. We love that the kids are able to get involved in all the aspects!

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    • Thanks Kevin! Yes we like to mix it up when we travel too – I love trying out all the local food when we travel.

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  2. I don’t know Lao cuisine, but it sounds like something I’d truly enjoy! I think my kids would be the same as yours and demand pizza occasionally, but how great is it to grow up with so many options and flavours around?

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    • Yes unfortunately my kids are really fussy, despite being born and brought up in Asia and traveling extensively! They are usually delighted with a bowl of plain rice or noodles though, so that at least is easy!!
      Marianne Rogerson recently posted…A Sunset Cruise in Kota KinabaluMy Profile

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  3. My sister in law is thai and she makes sticky rice all the time. my two girls are addicted to it. Every time we see here they ask can you make sticky rice, please.

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    • Interesting you know a good Lao restaurant in Paris, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a Lao restaurant anywhere else in the world!

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  4. Thanks Ryan – yes we wandered along the night market street stalls, the food all looked and smelled wonderful. I read a blog post right before we went about someone getting terrible food poisoning there though so I didn’t want to risk it with the little ones! But it definitely looked good 🙂
    Marianne Rogerson recently posted…Tips for Visiting Hong Kong DisneylandMy Profile

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  5. Oh, I shouldn’t have read this post and looked at all these stunning shots. I am soooo hungry now. I don’t know why I have not been to Luang Prabang. I really have to fix this.

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  6. AE enjoyed the Blue Lagoon it came highly recommended. We went to the Tamarind cooking school it was very good. The market tour was also very interesting. The setting for the cooking school is beautiful.

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  7. I can also only say good things about the Tamaring cooking school. As Elizabeth says, the setting is stunning, a garden by a small stream, with vegetables and herbs growing right there. And we learned to make those filled lemongrass stalks that are on your photo!

    Also, we went to Blue Lagoon (on the recommendation of the Belmond Le Résidence Phou Vao, so you’re right about those hotels recommending them!) and here’s a little secret: The chef loves cooking with insect ingredients, so if you’re in the mood for adventurous food you should ask him about it.

    We didn’t make it to L’Elephant or 3 Nagas so will have to try them next time!

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  8. I was surprised by how much I loved the food in Laos! My fave in Luang Prabang seems not to have made your list… did you go to Dyen Sabai? It was recommended by our hotel, so I’m not sure how far off the beaten track it is. The restaurant is just platforms and pillows set amongst bamboo trees, and the speciality is BBQ. They bring you strips of buffalo and vegetables and noodles and an upside down metal sieve type implement to rest over a bucket of coals. The implement has a sort of moat where you put broth, and the cooking juices run into the broth. It was extraordinary!

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    • Thanks for the recommendation Michelle! It sounds amazing – If I’m ever back in Luang Prabang I will be sure to check it out!

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