Where to Eat the Best Food Luang Prabang has to Offer

The food in Luang Prabang is amazing in its quality and diversity. It’s a little slice of heaven for foodies. As with all heavily touristed cities, you can find almost every type of cuisine you could possibly want from international classics to local delicacies. However, the quality and price are extremely variable.

Having worked in Michelin starred restaurants for over a decade, we know a few things about food and eating out. So in our month in the UNESCO Heritage Town, we hunted down all the best food Luang Prabang offers. From wandering the streets and being tempted in by intoxicating smells to asking for as many local recommendations as we could coax from people. Whilst we generally eat as locally (and budget friendly) as possible, we spent so long here that we branched out too.

This is our ultimate list of recommendations for eating (and drinking) in Luang Prabang from coffee to Laos classics to pizza.

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TL;DR – Map of Luang Prabang’s best restaurants

Breakfast or brunch in Luang Prabang

As this article is just about the best FOOD in Luang Prabang, we’ve only included cafés that serve great meals (snacks or full breakfasts). But there are plenty of options that serve *phenomenal* coffee without a meal. For those, head to our guide on the best coffee shops in Luang Prabang.

Saffron Coffee

On the banks of the Mekong, this social enterprise does some of the best quality coffee in Luang Prabang and has an excellent breakfast selection to boot. The bagels are especially good.

They have seats inside their shop (go upstairs for some aircon) or you can sit at their tables across the road, overlooking the river.

One of our favourite things about Luang Prabang is the number of social enterprises there are, supporting rural communities around Laos. Saffron Coffee does this by promoting sustainable coffee growing practices and ensuring farmers get a fair price for their coffee beans. So you can feel good about your coffee whilst enjoying breakfast by the river.

Joma Bakery

Whether it’s a croissant, a donut, or more substantial offering, Joma Bakery has reasonable prices for good food. Plus they open early enough for you to fill up before heading out to Kuang Si Waterfall, Pak Ou Caves, or wherever else you’re exploring that day.

They have 2 locations in Luang Prabang: 1 about halfway down the main street and the other just on the edge of the Old Quarter, past the night market.

We occasionally walked past a queue forming before they’d even opened which is usually a good sign. Though if you’re in a rush, it’s best to grab some treats to take away as service for their meals can be a little slow.

I’m honestly embarrassed to admit just how many of their glazed donuts that we ate. For something so simple, they’re addictively good! We didn’t rate their coffee particularly, its certainly not as good as some of the other spots in LPB but the breakfast and brunch options are way more varied.

La Banneton Café

If you’re craving the flavours of France, La Banneton café needs to be on your radar. This is the best bread in Laos, something we are confidently declaring without having tried literally *all the bread* in Laos. It’s just that good!

As you’d expect with such a French name, the chilled out café serves up freshly baked baguettes, croissants, various pastries and viennoiserie.

There are more substantial options too – don’t miss out on their enormous crepes both sweet and savoury. Plus there’s a little shop at the back if you want to stock up on French grocery staples.

They have a couple of street side tables but most people opt to sit inside in the air conditioning. Don’t come in a rush as service is a little patchy when they get busy but it’s worth waiting for.

The morning market

Fancy something a little more “Laos” in the morning? Take a wander through the morning market and grab some bamboo sticky rice, bbq pork or chicken, or a bowl of noodles from one of the many vendors lining the street.

There are also a few people selling Laos sandwiches just outside the market. While they don’t have the rich pâté of a Vietnamese banh mi, they’re still crusty and light baguettes filled with crisp salad, spicy sauce and your choice of meat or eggs.

Several of the stalls have menus in English so don’t worry about mis-translations.

Best restaurants for Laos food

Laos is such an underrated food destination with so many incredible flavours to keep foodies happy. As most dishes are cooked to order and with so many tourists in Luang Prabang who aren’t used to Lao flavours, most places tone down the spice and funky fish sauce for foreign palettes. If you want the real deal, you’ll have to ask for it.

1991 Wat Sene Alley

This is our absolute favourite restaurant in Luang Prabang.

1991 Wat Sene Alley offers a variety of dishes “over rice”, fried noodles, noodle soups, and spicy salads. With a wide selection, many of which are very “Western friendly” like sauteed pork with garlic, you’ll definitely find something you like. The portions are big and the prices are superb – even the most budget of budget backpackers will be happy here.

We love the crispy pork with spicy sauce and the beef with bell pepper. If you’re ordering any of the rice dishes, always get a fried egg on top as their egg cooking is top notch. Crispy edges, runny yolk perfection.

It’s hidden down a side street just off of Wat Sensoukharam, one of the more popular temples in Luang Prabang so you could easily miss it. It gets crazy busy with students around noon but from 1pm onwards its fine.

Tamarind

If you want to experience a range of traditional Laos dishes but in an environment that feels more like a Western restaurant then Tamarind is the place for you. They have a pretty cool menu with some Laos dishes that you won’t really see anywhere else on the tourist trail.

There are sharing platters for Laos food newbies and the more adventurous alike, or an a la carte selection to choose from. This is perfect for anyone wanting to experience some more niche Laos cuisine. All the staff speak good English too and are happy to explain the dishes then augment them to suit your palette which is really cool.

It gets insanely busy so you’ll probably need to book, especially in peak season but you can WhatsApp them. They also run excellent cooking classes once you’ve realized you need to know how to make these things at home.

Atsalin

A favourite of the locals, Atsalin has all the wok based Laos favourites with your choice of protein or veg cooked with ginger, garlic, chilli paste, and so on. They also have classics like fried rice, fried noodles, pad Thai, and steamed chicken rice or pork knuckle rice. So there’s something for everyone.

This place is always busy and mostly full of locals. Almost every local we asked for food recommendations pointed us here and we’re so glad we did. It’s a little bit out of the Old Town and you can expect great food, good portions and phenomenal value for money.

Noodle Shop

Don’t need choice? This place is simply called “noodle shop” on Google maps and is just a little away from the night market, on Caofa Ngum road. They do just 1 thing: noodle soup shredded chicken and pigs blood in a simple broth. The pigs blood (often mistranslates as ‘waterfall’) is the Southeast Asian version of black pudding, it’s gelatinous in texture and just tastes a little rich and metallic.

You can add bean sprouts, chilli, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar and sugar to your taste – they’re all on the table for you to play around with. The tables are communal so you can enjoy your hearty bowl of soup whilst sitting shoulder to shoulder with locals. It only opens for dinner and you might have to wait for a spot at one of the tables.

At 25,000 kip per bowl its amazing value. Just be careful with the chilli paste as it is HOT and Katie near died by adding a huge heaped spoon of it to her noodles.

Khaiphaen

This place has a fun concept: it’s a restaurant and training opportunity for young people studying hospitality and hoping to get a job in the industry. Khaiphaen has a short menu mainly made up of Laotian classics with a few curve balls thrown in like fish and chips. Being Scottish, we stuck to the Lao classics as we’re pretty picky about our fish and chips!

It’s very much set up for tourists so if you want Laos spicy then you need to remember to ask for it, we forgot and were pretty sad about it. Regardless, all the dishes are delicious and you’re helping to support a good cause in a nice environment with air conditioning too.

Bamboo Garden

Just off the main road beside Wat Wisunarat, Bamboo Garden has a lovely aesthetic and great Laos food. Being a little out of the old town means its usually a little quieter then some other restaurants and also means you get good value.

Its more “sanitised” Laos food than some of our more “rustic” suggestions on this list. Everything is nicely presented and the spice level is aimed at tourists, again you need to really insist on spicy if you want it.

Everything tastes great, but their vegetable curry and Mekong river fish Tom Yam are particularly good.

Ajam Mora

Just off the main street of the night market, Ajam Mora is amazing value for huge portions for either lunch or dinner. The service can be a little slow (like almost everywhere in Laos), so just sit back and relax. They have an extensive menu, all of which is really good value for money and you can get spicy food by asking too.

As its right next to the night market it can get really busy in the evenings so be prepared to squeeze onto other peoples tables or wait for one to open up in dry season.

“Old” Night Market

Down the alleyway next to Indigo House you’ll find a bunch of stalls selling various Laos food at night. There’s BBQ skewers, spring rolls, curries, salads, bits for hotpot, drinks and so on. You buy things individually from each person and create your own feast. I honestly have no idea how long they remember who owes them what since you pay at the end, but they do and it’s always a great atmosphere to eat here.

This is the older part of the night market and it remains substantially more “Laos”. We got some chicken and pork skewers with a very spicy papaya salad and some sticky rice for around $6. Brilliant value and they really know how to grill. Grab a seat on the tables opposite your stall of choice and a few BeerLao, cos it would be rude not to!

Nang Tao Restaurant

If you’re looking for a good quality Lao lunch, especially a hearty bowl of soup, head to Nang Tao Restaurant. It gets really busy during the day with locals working nearby and its pretty small so you might have to wait a little while for a table.

The menu isn’t the biggest but everything they do have tastes great.

If you go in the late afternoon or early evening, basically any time between lunch and dinner, they usually have even fewer things available. They’ll have sold out at lunch time but not yet gotten round to making more things for dinner so it’s best to stick to traditional meal times.

Ock Pop Tok

What Ock Pop Tok is most known for is incredible crafts celebrating the different ethnic groups of Laos. Katie did a silk weaving course with them and it was, hands down, her favourite thing she did in Luang Prabang.

The unexpected benefit of taking the class was discovering the delicious food they serve up. As they’re located about 30 minute walk or 10 minute tuktuk ride from the old quarter, we’d never had a reason to walk past before. But that’s a mistake: the restaurant here is well worth the trip!

They have a combination of classic Laos food and international favourites, all served simply yet beautifully. Oh, and their restaurant is right on the Mekong so you can watch the world go by.

Dyen Sabai

For happy hour drinks and snacks, you can’t beat Dyen Sabai Restaurant.

It’s across the Nam Khan from the chaos of the Old Quarter, in one of the more peaceful areas of Luang Prabang to stay. To get there, you need to take a boat or walk the long way round to walk across the Old French Bridge. Luckily, the restaurant makes it easy by running a shuttle boat back and forth. It costs 10,000 kip and the driver will give you a slip of paper as a receipt. As long as you go into Dyen Sabai and buy food or drinks, they’ll automatically discount your bill by the cost of the boat.

We love to sit here with a drink at happy hour and nibble on their homemade aubergine dip. It overlooks the river and has really comfy cushions to relax in – it’s the perfect antidote to an otherwise jam-packed Luang Prabang itinerary.

They’re also right next door to Garden of Eden – a popular spot to take a jewellery making class or browse their shop of handmade items.

International food options in Luang Prabang

Whether you’re craving a burger, pizza, or the tastes of other Asian nations, you’ll find some great picks in Luang Prabang.

Taste of Ceylon

We have a soft spot for Sri Lankan food ever since we spent two months there in 2022. While the prices were a little higher than we’d usually spend in Luang Prabang, their curry sets were delicious and very filling.

We wanted more roti in our Kotthu but got a lot more meat than expected so we aren’t going to complain too much.

If you fancy something a little different then this is a nice change of pace spot with good chapatis too. It’s also right by one of our favourite sunset spots in the city.

La Silapa

Near the back entrance to Mount Phousi and close to The Outback bar, you’ll find La Silapa. They have a fairly extensive menu of homemade pasta and woodfired pizza (though I’m pretty sure every pizza in Luang Prabang is woodfired!)

We felt the pasta portion was a little small, a common issue with international food here, but the pizzas are big and very good. If there are 2 of you, we’d recommend having 1 pizza and 1 pasta for a more balanced meal in terms of size.

L’Elephant

Feeling a longing for some of the hearty food of France? L’Elephant gets rave reviews from us and basically everyone else who’s ever visited for its excellent versions of classic French comfort food. The service is efficient and it’s a lovely dining space too.

The portions are a little small but it’s also still relatively good value considering the international ingredients needed. It’s a nice break from the noodles and rice of Laos.

Pizza Phan Luang

There’s no shortage of choice if you’re in the mood for pizza whilst in Luang Prabang and we think this is the best of the bunch.

Just across the Nam Khan river, tucked away basically in someone’s back garden, is this very charming pizza spot. They have maybe 5 tables, 3 staff, and the ubiquitous wood fired oven for great pizza at a great price. Plus there’s usually a few cats running around too.

As you’re sitting in the garden, make sure to slather on the mozzie repellent or you’ll get eaten alive. There’s something kinda romantic about being sat out under the stars rather than in an air-conditioned restaurant too. You may feel differently about that depending on your tolerance to the temperatures, of course.

We thought this was the best pizza in Luang Prabang – they certainly had the most interesting choices including a chicken curry with coconut milk pizza which Katie is obsessed with.

Lung Krapao

Being so close to Thailand, there’s a lot of shared cuisine between the 2 countries. So you’ll recognise this Thai dish instantly if you’ve spent time there too.

Lung Krapao does awesome crispy pork dishes that will transport you straight to the streets of Bangkok. It’s only little inside and fills up fast but waiting for perfect crispy pork is always worth it, in our opinion.

As its on the main strip it’s a little more expensive than other restaurants we’ve recommended, especially considering the very small portions. But we realise we’re far more price sensitive than most and it’s still very cheap by any western standard and the quality is fantastic.

Puck Luck Kitchen

The Puck Luck Kitchen is another Thai restaurant and has a really extensive menu. If (like me) you get decision paralysis, make sure to look up the menu before you go.

It’s a little more upscale than some of the other food spots around the city so the prices are a little higher for slightly smaller portions. However, the quality is great and they don’t mess around when it comes to spice levels either.

They have a good amount of space inside so if there’s a big group of you, they can easily accommodate you as long as you book in advance.

Luang Prabang night market

We can’t not include the night market as a popular spot to eat in the city. But if you’re looking for the best food Luang Prabang has to offer, this really isn’t it.

There’s a wide range of stalls selling everything from questionable looking seafood to chocolate roti to Korean favourites to burgers. Plus some more traditional Laos dishes towards the back of the market.

We’ve never eaten anything we thought was ‘bad’ per se, but we’ve also never had anything that truly blew us away either. With so many other great restaurants in Luang Prabang, we prefer to give it a miss. Except for a freshly made fruit smoothie anyway.

That said, if there’s a big group of you and you’re not sure what you want to eat it, it’s a great compromise. Everyone can have something a little different whilst you sit on communal tables and soak up the buzzing atmosphere.

Read next: Everything you need to know about the Luang Prabang Night Market

Final thoughts

With Laos being so criminally underrated, not enough people (yet) know about just how incredible the food is. So we’d always encourage you to try as much Laos food as you possibly can.. that’s what the elasticated waistbands of elephant pants are for, right? The local restaurants is where you’ll find the best food Luang Prabang has to offer.

No matter what you’re in the mood for, your budget, or your palette, there’s so much variation to keep everyone happy. You don’t need to eat super hot food like the Laotians do if you don’t want to.

There’s are all our favourites for food in Luang Prabang and we’ve eaten in them all, often multiple times. So we feel comfortable recommending each of them, knowing you’ll have a banging time whichever you choose.