Our Favorite Eateries in Laos

Vientianne is full of little cafes and coffee shops, but this one was our favorite!

Bitter Sweet: This cute little place had a great menu! It had a nice mix of Laos food and semi-western food, which was nice for me. I prefer to eat rice every other day, not every day, so ordered a delicious pasta dish with chicken. ;) It was nice to order some comfort food, sit down in some air conditioning and simply spend time together. 

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng has been one of our favorite stops during this trip! The beauty of the mountains, caves and lagoons is breathtaking. Besides all of the wonderful activities we were able to do, we also were able to enjoy some AMAZING food.

Il Tavolo: You wouldn’t expect it, but in the middle of Vang Vienng there is an Italian restaurant. Apparently an Italian man and his son decided to move to Laos and open a restaurant named Il Tavolo. We never found out why they decided to do this, but I’m certainly glad they did. We tried two wood-fired pizzas, one with a white sauce base and another with goat cheese, walnuts and raw ham. It was the best pizza we have ever had. There is literally nothing I can compare it to. Although pricey compared to other places, this restaurant is worth the splurge, and by splurge, I mean we spent 20USD! In the states our meal would have easily cost approximately 50USD. 

Cafe Eh Eh: This little coffee shop is located next to the Elephant Crossing Hotel. We tried the fresh kombucha, and although I’m usually not a kombucha fan, I must say this was quite good! It is also slightly pricey, so if you’re looking for cheap this isn’t the best choice. They have air-con and free wifi, however, so we enjoyed just relaxing there.

Sababa Organic Restaurant: This cute little place is located close to the river by Cafe Eh Eh. It is locally owned, and Mama, as she calls herself, created all the recipes, took our orders, made our food, served it and chatted with us. Everything is extremely fresh and, oh, so good. We actually went back for two dinners we liked it so much! Try the chicken kebab-you will not regret it. Mama is very sweet and loves to chat with travelers. 

There are many sandwich/pancake/fruit shake stands, but we found the best just to the right of Cafe Eh Eh. This Laotian woman works around 12 hours a day making food at her stand, and she is quite popular. We went there four times! By the second time she knew our order and would wave when we drove by. :) She made the meanest sandwich, and I am positive the sandwiches I make Nicholas will forever be compared to hers. She loaded them with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cheese, mayo, ketchup, chili sauce, bacon, meat, egg, chicken…it sounds strange, but it was delicious. She also introduced us to lychee pancakes, which is more like a fried crepe. The one we ordered (four times) had cooked bananas, Nutella, sweetened confessed milk and some kind of sweet white sugar. Hello, carbs and chocolate, I’ve missed you in the sea of rice dishes. ;) 

We ate a LOT of good food in Vang Vieng, so if you ever decide to visit, definitely stop in these favorites!