Where to Eat in Luang Prabang

The upside of Luang Prabang being so touristy is that the dining options are endless, top notch and incredibly easy on the wallet. You can eat cheaply at a food market or 'splurge' at some of the town's finest restaurants. Here are some of the places I ate at.

3 Nagas

3 Nagas hotel and its restaurant is housed in two historic buildings on both sides of the main road. The restaurant across the street from the hotel has a lovely setting outdoor area looking out onto the street. The dishes here are prepared by a French chef, but he uses local ingredients and creates superb delightful local dishes like water buffalo curry and chicken wrapped in banana leaf called mok pa. The cocktails are also to die for.

Apsara

This is another hotel with an amazing restaurant. I headed here for lunch and chose a table at the waterside garden overlooking the Nam Ka river. The dishes are slightly less culinary and more traditional, but the chicken with lemongrass, lao basil and garlic really hit the spot.

Mekong Riverview

The Mekong Riverview is another hotel restaurant, but what drew me here was their taster menu offering a range of local Luang Prabang dishes and the view across the Mekong river from the terrace. For around £25 I had pretty much a four course meal and a couple of beers in a very romantic setting.

Luang Prabang Kitchen

This is the first place I had dinner at when I arrived in Luang Prabang. It is housed on the main drag, the Sisavangvong road in building that dates back to the 1700s. There is a small garden out front which is decorated with lovely lampoons and candles. The food options are decent and the flavours of the food delicious.

Banneton

The place might not be so typically Laos, but as I don't like my breakfast with rice, this is a great breakfast option. I loved having my morning coffee and croissants at this French style bakery sitting at one of the tables on the sidewalk cafe. A lovely way to start a day of exploring the historic Luang Prabang.