Vientiane Restaurants

This is cheap and popular, family owned noodle shop next to Wat Chan by Mekong promenade. I've been eating here many times: they cook simple, yet excellent 'pho' (pronounced like 'fur') with lots of fresh vegetables (lettuce, mint, basil, green bean, bean sprouts, lime and small chilli peppers) along with each bowl of soup and have delicious peanut sauce. If you want to try Lao noodle soup at its best then this is the right place to try. It's open from morning till 2 or 3 pm. Also try their tasty Lao coffee with condensed milk.

Since it's popular with locals it gets sometimes a bit crowded and has lively atmosphere. The noodle shop is basically in the 'living' room of the family in the ground floor where the front wall-doors are open during their opening time - and food is cooked in the large pot in front so you can see how it's done. No need to worry, it's clean. They didn't put the name of place in front but locals call it Wat Chan noodle soup shop.

Favorite Dish: Noodle soups - they can use different kind of meat or meat balls or just vegetable. I always have it with Lao coffee...

This is friendly Lao restaurant in Dongpalane area, at Dongpaina street. It has become one of my favourite places to eat local food and it seems that also many Lao like to dine out there and some foreigners. Comparing to other restaurant it is a bit cheaper place but their food is delicious and fresh. On the menu there are lots of items from noodle soups (kopiak or pho) to fish, laaps, other kinds of meats and intestines, barbecued meats, fired vegetables and some seafood. That said it won't be just the place to order snack food like fried rice but also essential Lao dishes... and on the other hand, you won't find Western dishes there. They have limited variety for vegetarians, mostly fried vegetables or fried morning glory kind of thing (and of course fried rice with vegetables).

No English is spoken - however, their menu is both in Lao and English so just point to the dish in menu.

Favorite Dish: Fried fish with garlic comes for 30 000 KIP. Some filled guts were about the same price. That dish popular with many Lao.

This is a small place with a few Malay and Singaporean style dishes, won tons and a nice wooden terrace to drink your tiger beer and watch the people pass by. The owner said they import noodles directly from Singapore. I tried seafood mix with yellow noodle - not bad, but not enough spicy for my buds. Tiger beer cost 15 000 KIP, noodles with seafood were 25 000 KIP.

Favorite Dish: tiger beer

A cafe one can crash into after a tiring day of sight-seeing. It has air-conditioning. Menu has a good selection of local dishes as well as some western selections. Beverages and desserts are also appetizing. Didn't get to eat here much but I would still recommend it. A guest commented on it's bulletin board that the mango sticky rice was great. Sob,i had ordered by then and didn't get another chance to try that. Prices are also good for the quality,ambience and variety.Good value for money. I would go there again. Opens at 6am-9 or 10pm so you have somewhere to go and get a grub in the wee hours of the morning or late in the night before heading to the Wattay International airport.

Think it has wifi as some guests were using laptops etc. Has flatscreen television. The back portion of the cafe also has some comfy seats!

Favorite Dish: Mango sticky rice which is someone's recommendation but would loved to have tried it myself!

Food was so-so.Nothing special. The quality was below what I had expected and what we paid for. Quantity was suffice.

We didn't make much comparison but on another day whilst walking along the deck,browsing a bit more out of curiousity, menus were similar in variety and price. Maybe price is negotiable.This is really tourist price:

Laap Beef 20kk
Veggie Rice Ball 50kk
Lao Soup Fish (similar to tom yum) but with their local whole fishes (nothing note-worthy) 30kk

This is serving for 3 which works out to usd4. Ouch! Not impressed as there was nothing fancy about the restaurant or its service either.

Recommend:
-Walk around and compare and notice where people are eating...we ate an odd time so hard to tell which eatery was good
-If you are headed towards Luang Prabang, better to save your stomach and pocket for the food there.

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A little road side stall along Th Setthathirat, opposite Wat Mixai. Vendor sells foods and drinks and other tidbits. Small stools and low tables provided if you decide to sit and have your food. Plain water will be served free of charge if you require, otherwise you can order the mineral water at 3,000kips - 500ml bottle

Favorite Dish: 1) Naem Lao Tham Kok Poon - Vermicelli mixed with pounded papaya salad. Very tasty and appetising. Ingredients : stripes raw papaya, tomatoes, onions, garlic, shrimps, tiny crabs, lime, small chillies pounded together with vermicelli and topped with roasted groundnuts. Cost : 5,000kips per plate

2) Sok Mu - chopped pig stick mixed with minced pork, wrapped with banana leaves and steamed till cooked. Tasty : well, interesting
Cost : 3,000kips a piece

3) Ni Keap Mu - Fried pig skin. Taste : Crunchy and hard. Cost : 1,000kips per packet

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If you can't without pizzas and other European kind of foods, this is good place to try in Vientiane - by Swedish bakery. It has been opened couple of years ago and seems to attract many foreigners to hang out and eat (don't wonder if you find many Sweds there, it's in the name!). Given the location in main tourist area in Namphu, it's easy to find. They have large menu: about 60 kinds of pizza, some sandwiches, salads, sweets and breads and 'fast' drinks like shakes and coffee. Prices are OK; you'll pay 15 000 KIP for cup of chocolate shake, cheapest pizzas are from 38 000 KIP, most expensive around 60 000.
It's open from 7 am to 9 pm, can take away if you like.

Favorite Dish: I like pizzas but here I found them too greasy and without enough oregano and most importantly without good tomato sauce or passata. Better buy was large cup of delicous chocolate shake and some sweets.

This restaurant on Anou Rd. is very close to the main touristy streets, just behind the corner and has been one my favourite place for Chinese dumplings since my first visit to Vientiane. They still make delicious foods, have great service and it seems they still get quite a lot of guests as it is within convenient walking distance to Mekong. They have quite large menu in English, Chinese and Russian. It's not very big restaurant and sometimes they get full in evenings but it's worth to wait a lil to get your table. There's bird who knows to speak by the door.

Favorite Dish: Must try are their delicious dumplings - vegetarian are great but they have few other kinds with meat. I think they even became better than few years ago. Other dishes would be with various meats and vegetables, if you can speak Lao or Chinese they can make you pure vegetarian foods.