Great Eating Out in Luang Prabang
For travellers and tourists who have spent time in Southeast Asia, the cuisine of Laos more often than not holds some very fond memories. The history of Laos informs many of its culinary delights and thanks to the country's rich tapestry of colonialism, the food wherever you choose to eat in Laos tends to enjoy a few different influences and styles.
Top of the list of influences and directly attributable to the country's previous occupation by the French is a certain Gallic flavour to the food. Tourists who have spent time in the northern Laos destination of Luang Prabang testify that the town's restaurants and cafes offer some of the best food they have ever eaten - and on a budget too!
Many tourists and travellers choose to arrive in Luang Prabang having followed the backpacker tourist trail through Northeast Thailand. This typically means taking the 2-day 'Slow Boat' from Chiang Khong in Thailand down to Luang Prabang via Pak Beng in Laos. Having essentially roughed it for a couple of days and eaten most likely simply and cheaply overnight in Pak Beng, the arrival in Luang Prabang is a food fan's delight. Luang Prabang consists of one main 'high street' which has a number of smaller streets off it, but the main drag is home to all the town's best cafes, bakeries, cheese shops and restaurants.
While Thailand might be renowned for its noodles and rice dishes - and justifiably so - many tourists find themselves arriving in Luang Prabang needing some western home comforts. This is where the baguettes and cheese really come in, as does the availability of good quality red wine to enjoy with dinner in the evening.
Luang Prabang city centre hotels are often attached to restaurants and cafes, meaning that the tourist does not have to venture very far from their accommodation to indulge their favourite habits. Daytime in Luang Prabang sees the main street's various French-style cafes offering fine breakfasts usually at great value prices. A baguette with cheese and jam plus a cup of fresh coffee plus even some luxuries like paté will set the traveller back barely a couple of dollars in most cases. Coffee aficionados too are regularly delighted by the quality of the ground coffee on show in Luang Prabang's cafes, a pleasing change from the poor quality Nescafe instant coffee which is the mainstay of lots of the villages and towns in north Thailand.
The restaurants themselves come alive at night as Luang Prabang's main high street turns into one long gourmet dining experience. One end of the high street is home to a temporary bazaar which sets up at night offering the usual tourist trinkets, wood carvings, jewellery, printed t-shirts and more. The other end of the main street however is where tourists can sit out on a street side table and enjoy a gourmet meal. Specialist dishes on show include meals flavoured with lemongrass, tamarind and more, and the food has a real fusion feel which restaurants back in the west can only dream of.
In addition to offering great value, high quality food to the visitor, Luang Prabang is a homely and welcoming town which visitors regularly cite as one of their favourite places in Southeast Asia. Stunning Asian jungle landscapes, French wine and cheese, great value, a friendly welcome and a warm climate - what's not to love?
About the Author
Lek Boonlert is an editor and content reviewer at DirectRooms and is responsible for all Luang Prabang City Centre Hotels content.
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