10(+1) places to eat and drink in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a northern Laotian city consisting of 58 adjacent villages, of which 33 comprise the UNESCO Town of Luang Prabang World Heritage Site. The city centre is located at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers. A former capital, Luang Prabang is nowadays well worth a visit, as it is of remarkable cultural and gastronomic interest.

I visited Luang Prabang a few months ago. I stayed there for three days, which was enough to visit many of the Buddhist temples and other cultural landmarks, and also wander around the city. During my stay in Luang Prabang, I had the opportunity to try the local cuisine. Today, I’m sharing my recommendations about places to eat and drink. Other than those, there is also a night market on Sisavangvong Road, where I had delicious coconut pancakes.

Two Little Birds Café

This was the first café I visited in Luang Prabang, and I liked it so much that I went back again (as I did with most of the other cafes in this list). I had a healthy smoothie bowl for breakfast, but they also served cooked food.

Grasshopper cafe lounge & yoga studio

As the name suggests, this is a café but there is also a yoga studio, which I was planning to visit after seeing hundreds of monks from the various monasteries walking through the streets collecting alms (this takes place between 5 and 7 am). However, I preferred to go back to my room to sleep a bit more (as I’d woken up at 4.30 am). When I visited the café, I had a butterfly pea flower tea, a caffeine-free blue-coloured herbal tea, made from the Clitoria ternatea plant. The drink turns purple when you add lime juice to it. Grasshopper is located very close to the National Museum, housed in the former Royal Palace (Haw Kham). Wat May Souvannapoumaram, the largest temple in Luang Prabang, is also very close.

Saffron Coffee

Saffron Coffee is located on the Mekong riverside. I had breakfast here on my last day in Luang Prabang, after seeing hundreds of monks from the various monasteries walking through the streets collecting alms at 6 am (and before returning to my room).

Le Banneton Café French Bakery

This is a French-style café-bakery, where I had savoury and sweet pastries. It is located on Sakkaline Road, opposite several temples, such as Wat Sibounheuang, Wat SyrimoungkounXaiyaram and Wat Sop Sickharam.

LuLaLao Coffee

This is a minimalist, Japanese-style café, located very close to Wat Xiengthong, a Buddhist temple complex and city landmark. I first went there after visiting the temple complex, but I also went back there again the following day.

Xieng Thong Noodle

This restaurant is located between LuLaLao Coffee and Wat Xiengthong, so I combined my meal there with a visit to the temple complex (and a Beerlao of course). I had a traditional noodle soup, which was absolutely delicious.

Khaiphaen

Named after the river weed that grows wild in the Mekong River, this traditional Laotian restaurant is well worth a visit. Not only the food was delicious, but they also ran a food and hospitality program to train students from the surrounding villages of Luang Prabang, which made the whole dining experience even more worthwhile.

Tamarind

Tamarind is a restaurant located on the Nam Khan riverside. Even though my friends were not as excited with the food, I personally liked it a lot and I would therefore recommend this place.

Gelato del Lao

Luang Prabang ‘s warm climate makes it an ideal place for a gelato. Gelato del Lao is centrally located on Sisavangvong Road, within walking distance from Khaiphaen.

Opera House Café Bar

Very close to Gelato del Lao, also on Sisavangvong Road, there’s the Opera House Café Bar, where I went for a cocktail after I had dinner (and several Beerlao). It is a very beautiful place, where they also serve food and coffee.

Cafe for Knowledge

This beautiful cafe is located on Kounxoau Road, opposite Wat Nong Sikhounmuang. I did not stop there, but I hope I visit it when I go back to Luang Prabang (hopefully soon).

Further reading

To better prepare for my trip to Vietnam and French Indochina, I used the Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Northern Thailand.

If you enjoyed this post, check out ‘9 coffee shops in Ho Chi Minh City‘ and ‘9 places to eat and drink in Siem Reap‘.

Health information

Before my trip, I had the Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines. Whilst in Vietnam, I exercised caution and avoided drinking tap water, eating raw vegetables and buying food from street vendors (especially at the beginning). As a result, I was fortunate enough not to experience any gastrointestinal symptoms.

With regards to the malaria risk, this is rather high in Laos (less so in Luang Prabang, and even less in Vientiane, the capital). However, I opted to have antimalaria tablets, which I started taking a couple of days before my arrival.

 

Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)