When I did my research for visiting Luang Prabang, I had quite a long list of places I wanted to check out and eat at that got good reviews. We ticked off most of them and even found some new ones that weren’t on my list. These are my recommended places to eat in Luang Prabang.
We found quite a few that were amazing and we’d go back to instantly but there was one that I was majorly disappointed with. I wanted to share with you, my recommendations of places to eat at.
6 PLACES TO EAT IN LUANG PRABANG // AND 1 TO DEFINITELY MISS
Ella Rose Cocktail, Patatas Bravas and Trio of Choc Pots
525 Tapas Restaurant & Bar
I had read so many good reviews on 525 from TripAdvisor that I just had to add them to my list. I loved the idea of mixing Spanish tapas with Laotian cuisine and flavours. The restaurant has a very chilled outside eating area and inside is the bar which can get very busy at times, but perfect if you love that vibe and fancy a cocktail and a dance.
We visited 525 on our first night as we didn’t realise how close it was to our hotel (Maison Dalabua) and decided to have dinner there as we were so tired from travelling. I have to say we wasn’t disappointed. We had lovely chats with James, the general manager (originally from Newcastle) and is now living in Luang Prabang. He gave us so many tips for LP and always came to have a chat and get to know us. The tapas was so yummy, we could have definitely ordered a lot more.
We ordered their Patatas Bravas, which came served on little spoons so you get all the flavours in one mouthful. Aubergine Bites, handmade rice cakes with blended aubergine on top. Quesadillas, which we ordered the larger portion which came with 2 dips and several slices of quesadillas to share and dip in the sauces. My parents ordered Chicken Laap to share and then I ordered the Dark Choc Pots for dessert which each had a mixture of Strawberry, Caramel and Chocolate in the bottom.
Location: Kingkitsarath Road, Luang Prabang
READ MORE: Our Lovely Hotel In Luang Prabang | Maison Dalabua Review
Chicken Satay & Vegetable Tempura, Veggie Burger and Massaman Curry and a Lemon Tart
Tangor
Tangor is a lovely French/Asian mixed restaurant down the main street not far from the National Museum of Luang Prabang. The decor is very mixed between French posters and wall art and some Asian influences with a wall painting of the Mekong Delta map. We had dinner in Tangor once and had drinks there several times too as they had a good selection of drinks.
For our dinner we ordered a mixture of dishes from a veggie burger to a Massaman curry. The vibe is very relaxed and perfect for an afternoon drink or night cap. They have a small selection of tables and chairs outside and further seating in the open area inside. The service is very efficient and quick.
Location: 63/6 Sisavangvong Road, Luang Prabang
Fresh Spring Rolls, Tofu & Egg Vermicelli and Pizza & House Salad
Main Street Bar & Grill
We gave Main Street Bar & Grill a try on our second day as we wanted to try their Asian food. I ordered their Vermicelli noodles with tofu and vegetables and that was really nice. We wanted to sit outside, so they offered us a table upstairs on the balcony overlooking the main road, which was really nice with a good view.
After our trip to Kuang Si Waterfall and the Buffalo Farm, we headed back to Main Street for a late lunch which ordered two pizzas and a salad to share as we was so hungry.
Main Street Bar and Grill is twinned with Avani Hotels & Resorts, so behind the restaurant and connected to the outside eating area there is the hotels swimming pool and gardens.
Location: Setthathirath Road, Luang Prabang
The Belle Rive Terrace
We stopped by the Belle Rive Terrace one afternoon for a quick drink before we booked a meal to watch the sunset. The setting was beautiful right by the Mekong Delta and amongst their beautiful gardens and on comfy seats.
There was quite a lot on the menu to choose from whether you are veggie, vegan or a meat lover. I struggled to choose what to have for dinner so I chose their fish and chips and there was so much I struggled to eat it all, but I did. It was yummy. I also had their banana smoothie at lunch to cool down.
Location: Baan Phonehueang Road, Luang Prabang
La Speciale Salad and the Ariane 5 Pizza
Popolo Cantina
If you are looking for delicious Mexican food with a Laos twist, I highly recommend Popolo. We came across Popolo whilst walking around down by the delta and went up one of the boulevards. It had a very chilled vibe with dinning tables both inside and out to suit your taste.
The dinner was delicious and we had such a huge choice of pizzas and salads to have, we decided to order two pizzas and a salad and shared it around between the 3 of us. I ordered chose their Ariane 5 pizza which had prosciutto on top but I gave that to my parents, they also had a pizza which had meat on and then we shared the La Speciale salad with our pizzas.
Location: Kounxoau Road, Luang Prabang
READ MORE: A 5 Day Guide To Luang Prabang
Phou Sao Red Lady Cocktail
Nagini @ 3 Nagas
Unfortunately we didn’t eat here, but we did have a few drinks in the bar. The menu does look and sound amazing so I would definitely recommend adding this one to your list. The decor in the bar was totally my kind of vibe: comfy velvet sofas, mustard and palm print walls and rattan furniture to decorate. Outside of the bar they had a personalised number plate on the most gorgeous retro car and opposite on the other side of the road was the main restaurant.
Location: Sakkaline Road, Luang Prabang
Other Places To Check Out:
Carpe Diem – Perfect if you are hungry when visiting Kuang Si Falls. It’s literally a 5 minute walk from the falls main entrance. French and Asian fusion cuisine.
Pizza Phan Luang – They do the best pizzas and Italian food.
La Benneton Cafe – Ideal if you are looking for a good sandwich for lunch.
Novelty Cafe – Not far from Tangor. The perfect place for a coffee and to read a good book.
1 Restaurant To Definitely Miss…
Manda De Laos
I had very high hopes for Manda De Laos after reading so much about it and when I found out it was connected to our hotel I was so excited. That was until our final night in Luang Prabang and we had booked a table, we was hugely disappointed. We had booked a table for 8pm and arrived 5 minutes before the booking, found out someone was still sitting at our reserved table. It took the waiters a while to acknowledge we were waiting to then seat us down on the waiting table with a drinks menu, 10 minutes past 8. They didn’t take any drink orders from us until we sat down at the table (finally).
They were seating people down who had just come in off of the street before us, who had a booking. Several waiters asked us if we had a booking before our table was finally ready. It was near were we have breakfast everyday at the hotel, so it wasn’t anything special. Another 10 minutes and our orders were finally taken for drinks and food, to which the food came in about 15 minutes, way before our drinks which they said the bar was under pressure to get drinks out. The food was ok, nothing special or to rave about and we definitely didn’t want to stay any longer.
I was very upset about our experience as we really wanted to support the hotel restaurant and it definitely didn’t live up to our expectations or the reviews we had read on TripAdvisor. Least to say we left our thoughts in the reviews to Manda De Laos.
BOOK YOUR ACTIVITIES IN LUANG PRABANG…
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What restaurants would you like to visit? Let me know which ones in the comments below.
Happy travels,
Thanks for sharing your recommendations, I had lots of recommendations in my guide book, which I used on our final night as I tried to eat local food which is fun as most of the places I wanted to visit were booked up.
I had a good grilled fish with lemongrass and a Phad Lao whilst there 🙂
There was so many awesome restaurants around, it was hard to try them all out. Hoping I can go back to LP and try the rest 🙂
Thank you for the recommendations! These places sound fab! Shame about the last place you visited! x
Linda
You’re welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed it! You should definitely add Laos to your list x
I know, I was so gutted when I heard such good things about it 🙁
So many great places to eat here! It all looks amazing, hope you had a great time there!
Sophie
Insophiesmind.com
Thank you lovely! Yes there was so many yummy places to eat, I could have stayed there a lot longer than 5 days x