The Best of Cambodia & Laos

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VIENTIANE
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WHERE TO DINE
dips and sauces (available for takeout). This is the place to grab a falafel or get your hummus
fix and a respite from the afternoon heat.
103/3 Francois Nginn St. & 021/215-972. Main courses $3.50–$6. Tues–Sun 10am–11pm.
INEXPENSIVE
Just for Fun Despite the rather cheesy name this a good option for committed veggies.
They are also good with tea, offering quite a range of herbal brews plus Lao coffee.
It also doubles as a Lao handicrafts store. The colorful menu offers both a variety of
vegetarian dishes with a local twist, and helpful bits of information such as “eggplant
helps to balance the heat in your body.” Nonvegetarians can substitute chicken for tofu
in any dish. It is a pleasant and quiet place where you can sit indoors among the handicrafts
or outdoors among the plants.
51/2 Phangkham Rd. (opposite the Lao Aviation building). & 021/213-642. Main courses $1–$3. Mon–
Sat 9am–10pm.
Mittaphap Restaurant LAO This huge restaurant by the river serves a
wide selection of Lao barbecue and steamboat-style dishes (where you cook the meat in
a heated dome over a fire). It is very popular with local people and on the weekend you will
see big groups of family and friends stirring the soup or piling meat and fish onto heated
metal domes, fired by hot coals right at the table. It is a very Lao family experience.
Fa Ngum (near the Hotel Beau Rivage). & 021/264-444. Main courses 25,000 kip. Daily 11am–2pm and
5–10pm.
The Nazim INDIAN There are a number of Indian restaurants around Vientiane, but
the Nazim has a legendary reputation among backpackers. For great Indian cuisine at
affordable prices, Nazim has cornered the market in Laos and now has branch locations
in Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. Serving everything from biryani to any kind of curry
you can imagine, Nazim offers a survey of Indian cuisine (and the beer to go with it) in
a no-frills storefront along the Mekong. If you like sweet Indian masala chai (tea with
milk and sugar boiled together) then the Nazim won’t disappoint. The staff can sometimes
act as if taking your order is an unspeakable bother, but the food is tasty and the
prices are reasonable, making this a popular backpacker spot and an expat standby.
There’s another location at 9 Francois Nginn Rd. (& 020/630-2616; main courses
45,000 kip; Mon–Sat 11am–2pm and 5pm–midnight, closed Sun).
Fa Ngum. & 021/223-480. Main courses 25,000 kip. Daily 9:30am–10:30pm.
The Shade Restaurant WESTERN/ASIAN This is part of a series of cheap eateries
side by side facing the river. They are all very similar to each other with simple menus of
Thai, Lao, and Western food. The Shade stands out slightly on account of its Middle
Eastern kabobs and falafel. It is popular with the resident West African community.
Fa Ngum. Main courses 15,000 kip–30,000 kip. Daily 8am–10pm.
Snacks & Cafes
Joma Bakery Café, across from the fountain on Setthathirath Road (& 021/215-265),
is renovated and spruced up, with fine breads and good coffee, as well as wireless Internet
access. Next door is the newly opened Dao-Fa (& 021/215-651), offering the same fine
crepes and pastas as its sister branch in Luang Prabang. Nice toasted baguette sandwiches
can be had at Le Banneton (Nokeokumman Rd.; & 021/217-321). The Scandinavian