Region: Vientiane And Surrounds> Province: Vientiane> Location: Vientiane

Vientiane

The restaurant and bar scene in Vientiane has positively blossomed in the last couple of years. Whilst the traditional tourist places continue to do good business, smart western bars and cafes are cropping up all over town and attract a regular local crowd. Most are open all day, have a good selection of food and make for a great place to meet people and relax. For traditional French cuisine, Vientiane has so many to choose from that it's almost impossible to decide, but there are a number of good options set around the Namphu fountain.

Cafes and bakeries
The Scandinavian Bakery is almost an institution in Vientiane and is particularly busy at breakfast and lunch. The small terrace outside is a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by and the notice boards here are full of useful information. The prices are reasonable and there are newspapers to read, and the upstairs area has cable TV and a less crowded dining area. Joma Bakery and Cafe is another incredibly popular place to eat and has a large downstairs seating area as well as a room upstairs. They offer a great selection of fresh cakes, salads, pizza slices and build-your-own sandwiches. Newspapers and magazines are available to read and for the technology minded, there is Wi-Fi internet access at 25,000 kip/hour. Lastly Le Croissant d'Or is a lovely little cafe just across the road from the side entrance to Wat Mixay. It has a decent choice of set breakfasts and some delicious cakes and pastries. There is also a conservatory room at the back and a small open courtyard. The cafe also sells a range of local Lao products such as coffee, preserves and honey.

The Scandinavian Bakery - 74/1 Pangkham Rd T: (021) 215 231 Open daily 07:00 - 21:00.
Joma Bakery and Cafe - Setthatilath Rd (opposite Khop Chai Deu). T: (021) 215 265. Open daily 07:00 - 21:00.
Le Croissant d'Or - Nokeo Koummane Rd. T: (021) 223 741. Open daily 07:00 - 20:00.

Western and International Restaurants

Restaurant Le Provencal is an excellent restaurant offering some fine cuisine in the mid-price range. The steak is superior and the pizza superb. They also serve bruschetta and some typical pasta dishes. If you want to splurge on a non-Lao meal this is a good choice. Le Cote d'Azur is a smart, slightly upmarket, French restaurant right on the river front serving a large range of authentic French cuisine as well as pizzas and pasta. Specialities include rabbit stew, duck and Provencal style seafood. Good service and a lovely setting. Dao Fa Bistro is a large cafe/bistro serving much more complete meals than its neighbour. The roomy interior opens onto a small terrace on the main road and the decor is smart and modern. The menu is fairly standard but they do serve up some wonderful healthy and hearty breakfasts. Happy hour every evening sees cocktails at half price. Xayoh is a trendy pizzeria and bistro that also serves a handful of Lao and Thai dishes. This is a popular place for an afternoon jug of beer or two and a fairly good hangout come the evening. Directly opposite sits the Lotus Restaurant -- a stylish international restaurant with a lovely atmosphere and dining available over 2 floors. Unlike many others, they do make an effort to offer some good Lao specialities. One of the newer places in town is the Dok Champa which has some lovely intimate private dining rooms as well as some seating in the small garden and while most of the menu comprises a good selection of Lao food, they also serve up some Russian, Korean and Western dishes. The upstairs area has a beer terrace and a pool room as well as some more private dining areas.

Restaurant Le Provencal - by the Namphu fountain. T: (021) 219 685. Open daily 11:30 - 22:00.
Le Cote d'Azur - 62/63 Fa Ngum Rd. T: (021) 217 252. Open: Mon - Sat 11:00 - 14:00 and 17:30 - 23:00. Sun 17:30 - 23:00.
Dao Fa Bistro - Setthatilath Rd. Open: Mon - Sat 08:00 - 23:00. Sun 17:00 - 23:00.
Xayoh - Corner of Nokeo Koummane and Samsenthai Rds. Open daily 08:00 - 23:00.
Lotus Restaurant - Corner of Nokeo Koummane and Hengboun Rds. Open daily: 08:00 - 23:00.
Dok Champa - Chao Anou Rd (opposite the Lao Orchid Hotel). Open daily: 11:00 - 23:00.

Lao Food Restaurants

Kua Lao is one of the few places to occupy a lovely restored colonial house, the Kua Lao may be a bit on the pricey side but you do get music and dance performances as part of the deal. Most of the diners tend to come in large groups for the entertainment and the kitchen offers quite a decent range of Thai food as well. While not exclusively Lao, Saovaly is a lovely quaint little restaurant just up from the riverfront. Their interesting selection of dishes includes crocodile and ostrich steaks from Thai farms. Vilaylac set in a charming traditional Lao house serves Lao and Thai dishes. Watch out for their daily specials of fresh fish from the river or the sea. There are also quite a few Lao/Thai restaurants on Fa Ngum Road such as Addy's, Nok Noi and The Shade, which attract a constant stream of travellers looking for some inexpensive but reasonable food. There's not really much to choose between them -- the food is decent enough and they're all open early for breakfast baguettes and coffee from around 07:00 right through the day till around 22:00 or 23:00.

Kua Lao - 111 Samsenthai Rd. T: (021) 215 777 Open daily: 11:00 - 14:00 and 19:00 - 22:30.
Saovaly - Manthatulath Rd. T: (021) 214 940. Open daily: 11:00 - 14:00 and 17:00 - 22:00.
Vilaylac - On the road behind Wat Ong Teu. T: (021) 222 049. Open daily 08:00 - 22:30.

Vietnamese and Indian Food Restaurants

Cheap and cheerful Indian restaurant Nazim is one more in this chain of restaurants in Laos. The menu offers fairly standard inexpensive Indian fare, has quite a good range of food to choose from, especially for vegetarians, and the staff are generally attentive. This is a popular choice and the tables outside are probably best as the inside dining area can lack a bit of atmosphere at times. The ever popular PVO has moved from its city centre location to occupy the only permanent structure on this part of the embankment. It often gets quite full, especially at lunchtimes, when students come to enjoy the good, cheap Vietnamese food. The office next door rents out motorbikes, including some off-road models. Cafe Indochine is probably one of the smartest Vietnamese restaurants in Vientiane, set in an old building on this busy road but beautifully decorated and oozing style. There are daily specials marked up on the board outside and, though it might be a bit pricier than most, is definitely worth considering.

Nazim - Fa Ngum Rd (next to Orchid Guesthouse). Open daily: 10:30 - 22:30.
PVO - Riverfront promenade (opposite BCEL exchange booth). Open: Mon to Sat 06:00 - 20:00. Sun 06:00 - 15:00.
Cafe Indochine - 199 Setthatilath Rd. T: (021) 216 758. Open daily 10:30 - 22:30.

Noodles, baguettes, shakes and Vietnamese
On the small road leading out the back of Namphu lie a handful of local eateries specialising in noodle soup, with their kitchen out front and seating inside. They have menus in English also listing dishes such as hot basil with pork and a variety of rice and noodle dishes. The food is fine and well-priced at around 10,000 kip a dish. Just a few years ago, this was the only kind of restaurant available in most Lao towns. Around the corner to the right on Samsenthai Road, a tiny row of shops whip up a range of huge delicious baguettes for 8-14,000 kip. Choose your baguette size and fillings and eat there or take away. You'll also find a couple of brilliant shops selling fruit shakes, including the excellent Great Fruit Shake Shop.

The Banks of the Mekong
Frequent visitors to Laos are often surprised to find that their favourite, hastily cobbled together bamboo and plastic sheeting bar on the riverside has disappeared. Spates of temporary bar building are not uncommon but these unattractive, and usually unsafe, places don't really add to the views and every so often the government insists that they are removed. However, given that the banks of the mighty Mekong River make for a great place to sit and have a beer and a snack, you will find plenty of tables, chairs, barbecues and umbrellas hastily assembled just before sundown and then all neatly stacked away at around 22:00, stretching from the PVO building right up to the end of Fa Ngum Road. They are a brilliant place to spend an hour or two and nearly all serve tasty barbecued fish, chicken, spicy papaya salad and sticky rice. This is a must-do Lao experience and you won't be surprised to find just how busy they all get.

Bars

Owned by two Australian women, Sticky Fingers is a groovy little bar/restaurant on a side street off the Mekong. The menu is varied, featuring mostly gourmet western dishes with an array of ingredients not commonly found in the region. The food is expensive by local standards, but it's worth it. Try the antipasto, delicious dips, salmon steak or one of their yummy pastas. They also have weekly specials, and a hangover breakfast with or without a Bloody Mary. This is a very cool and relaxed place and the happy hour cocktails on Wednesday and Friday evenings are not to be missed. Your afternoon is at risk in the almost legendary bar of Khop Chai Deu next to the fountain. Happy Hour every day till 20:00 means very cheap pitchers of beer and it's hard to drag yourself away. The restaurant, set in a lovely French colonial building, boasts an extensive menu divided into Lao Traditional Cuisine -- Luang Prabang sausage, roasted chicken and Sindad -- Backpacker's Experience -- fried rice and stir-fries -- and Expatriate's Relief -- spaghetti, burgers and steak. They also serve Chinese, Italian and Indian food, all ferried in discreetly from other restaurants. The terrace outside is a wonderful place to while away a few hours and they often show sport on the TVs above the outside bar. Opposite Khop Chai Deu is also the pick up point for the Sabaidee Bus, which travels between Vientiane and Bangkok. Full Moon Cafe is a great place to relax and attracts a regular crowd. The contemporary design, soft seating and good music add to the chilled ambience and the staff are really excellent. Happy hours every day offer two for the price of one on standard cocktails and pitchers of beer, and the restaurant serves some splendid Asian and Western food at very reasonable prices. Spirit House is one of the newest cocktail bars in Vientiane and without a doubt, one of the most sophisticated places yet. The interior is beautifully designed in rich, warm hardwoods to set a very peaceful and relaxed scene. They pride themselves on their cocktails which include some wonderful Scandinavian vodka concoctions as well as more familiar mixes. They also offer a range of tapas and sandwiches as well as some larger meals such as streaks and burgers which can be eaten inside or on the small, rather hastily put together, terrace right on the river's edge. Sala Sunset Khouta remains one of the most popular of the scores of ramshackle riverside bars that run along the Mekong from the start of the dirt road. The rickety wooden platforms are set over the edge of the embankment and afford some lovely views of the river, especially as the sun is setting. This is a great place to wind down after a hard day's sightseeing.

Sticky Fingers - 10/3 Francois Nginn Rd. T: (021) 215 972. Open: Tue to Sun 10:00 - 23:00. Closed Mon.
Khop Chai Deu - Setthatilath Rd (next to Namphu fountain). Open daily 10:00 - 23:30.
Full Moon Cafe - Francois Nginn Rd (next to Sticky Fingers). T: (021) 243 373. Open: Mon to Sat 09:00 - 23:00. Closed Sun.
Spirit House - Fa Ngum Rd (continue on the embankment along the dirt road). Open daily: 07:00 - 00:00. http://www.thespirithouselaos.com
Sala Sunset Khouta - Fa Ngum Rd (right at the end of the dirt road after The Spirit House). Open daily: 11:00 - 22:00.