Eating in Vientiane

(November 2009)

Other than the usual tourist attractions and lodging,  most Western travelers normally look for a place for coffee and beer as they generally don’t require anything other than some simple Western food or the typical fried noodle/rice to keep the stomach happy.

The majority of Southeast Asian travelers, however, place more importance on food rather than alcoholic beverages. Most prefer local food in a family restaurant or a roadside stall.

 

The cafes, bakeries, restaurants, and food stalls in Vientiane are clean, presentable, and well-maintained.

 

Compared to Thai dishes, Lao dishes contain less chili peppers, less salt, less sugar, and less MSG but this doesn’t mean less flavor. The flavors are more suitable to the more health conscious majority of Malaysians and Singaporeans. The cooking style is not unlike Khmer dishes but Lao cuisine appears to have more varieties.