Noodles, Baguettes and Lao Coffee

A slow breakfast-to-lunch wander through Vientiane’s best everyday food: thick rice noodle soup, crusty baguettes, strong coffee and sticky rice in woven baskets.

Area

Vientiane evenings & food

Start from

Nam Phou fountain

Distance

about 3 km on foot

Time needed

a morning

Best season

Year-round

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

On foot; a tuk-tuk if you get too full

Tickets & rules

None

Why go

Vientiane is one of the most enjoyable cities in Southeast Asia simply to eat in. It is not about fine dining; it is about small open-fronted shops, plastic stools and dishes made the same way for decades. Food is cheap, fresh and usually served with a mountain of herbs.

The morning is when the city eats best. By six or seven the noodle shops are full of office workers and families, and the baguette sellers have set up their carts. The French left the bread, and Laos made it its own: crisp, light baguettes filled with pâté, cold cuts, pickled vegetables and chilli sauce.

This route is not a strict list of addresses but a way of eating: follow the crowds, choose the busiest stall and point at what others are eating. You will end up full, a little caffeinated and with a much better idea of how this city lives.

The story

Lao cooking is built around sticky rice, khao niao, steamed in bamboo baskets and eaten with the hand. You roll a small ball, press it with your thumb and use it to scoop up dips and salads. Many Lao people say they are the children of sticky rice, and the woven tip khao baskets are on every table.

The national dish is laap, a salad of minced meat or fish with lime, chilli, fresh herbs and toasted ground rice that gives it a nutty crunch. Alongside it you will find tam mak hoong, green papaya pounded with chilli, lime and fermented fish sauce, much funkier than its Thai cousin.

Khao piak sen is the classic breakfast: thick, slightly chewy rice noodles in a cloudy, comforting broth with chicken or pork, fried garlic and lime. Its cousin, feu, is closer to Vietnamese pho and comes with a plate of fresh greens. Both are dressed at the table from a tray of chilli, sugar, fish sauce and lime.

Coffee came with the French too, and today it grows on the Bolaven Plateau in the south of the country. Traditional Lao coffee is strong and dark, often served with sweetened condensed milk and a glass of weak tea on the side, though modern cafés in Vientiane now serve excellent espresso as well.

Getting there

Start around Nam Phou fountain and walk the grid of streets between Setthathirath, Samsenthai and Fa Ngum roads, where noodle shops, bakeries and coffee stands cluster. The Morning Market area to the east has more food courts and stalls.

Everything here is walkable. If you go further out, any tuk-tuk can bring you back to the centre.

A suggested plan

1. 7:00Start with a bowl of khao piak sen at a busy noodle shop where locals are eating.
2. 8:00Walk to a baguette cart for a khao jee pâté sandwich to eat or carry away.
3. 9:00Sit at a café for a Lao coffee with condensed milk, or a modern espresso.
4. 10:30Wander towards the Morning Market and try fresh fruit, grilled sausages or sweet sticky rice in banana leaf.
5. 12:00Finish with laap, sticky rice and papaya salad for lunch at a simple Lao restaurant.

Where to stay

The riverside centre puts you within a few minutes’ walk of the best breakfast streets, which matters when noodle shops sell out early.

Good to know

• Popular noodle shops often close by late morning when the broth runs out, so go early.
• Ask for papaya salad not too spicy, bo phet lai, unless you really like heat.
• Eat sticky rice with your right hand and keep the lid on the basket to stop it drying.
• Order a glass of hot tea after coffee; it is often served free.