Top 5 Lao food to eat on a budget

Before we talk about Top 5 Lao food

Before I tell you Top 5 Lao food you can eat in Luang Prabang, I have to share some issues about Lao food.

Don’t get too excited

If you are planning to head to Laos after Thailand, and if you liked the diversity of Thai food, you are so going to be disappointed. Maybe it will sound too harsh, but it’s hard to expect unique cuisines from a country where Sticky rice is their top favorite food… Lao food is lack of its unique color in food except for Larb. Other food in Laos is pretty similar to its Thai or Vietnamese food.

Can’t complain though

Also, compared to Thai street food, Lao food is a little bit more expensive. So I had to write about Top 5 Lao food for a budget traveler like me. But at least they sell popular food that most tourists like such as spring rolls, fried rice, fried noodles, noodle soup… so you can’t really complain. 😉 Then now, let’s get to Top 5 Lao food to eat on a budget. 😉

1.Lao baguette sandwich

Baguette? A baguette sandwich in Laos? I know it doesn’t make sense, right? I’m a backpacker who always eats street food and local food, now I just eat western food? Nope. Laos was once a French colony and they make baguettes. You can buy a big long baguette sandwich from the street vendors. It’s quite filling.

Price: 15,000 Kip

2.Lao Larb (Lao Lap)

Larb is Lao signature dish. It’s made of minced meat (usually pork) with chilies, mint, some vegetables. It’s a bit spicy, but it tastes quite good. You should definitely try at least once.

3.Lao Vegetarian buffet (Luang Prabang)

Vegetarian buffet is the most famous and the common food you can eat in Laos especially in Luang Prabang. You pay 10,000 Kip or 15,000 Kip for a plate depending on the places, and you put whatever you want on the plate as much as you can. The food is cooked already, so when you put your food, the owner will warm your food on the pan. There’s no meat, but it will make you really full with all the vegetables, noodles, and rice. 😉

Click here to check places where you can eat vegetarian buffet in Luang Prabang.
Click here to check out Top 5 things to do in Luang Prabang on a budget.

4. Grilled food

You can see grilled vegetables, sausages, chickens, and fish! I liked the grilled vegetables, grilled Lao sausages, and grilled chicken. Just choose whatever you feel like! 😉

5.Lao barbecue

Laos Barbecue is pretty nice and fancy for a budget traveler like me. I treated myself by having Lao Barbecue for dinner on Christmas night last year! 🙂 Some restaurants offer 35,000 Kip Lao Barbecue for two people. The restaurant gives you some meat you can put in the middle of the grill, soup with noodles, and vegetables around the grill.

Click here to check out a barbecue restaurant I tried. The one on this map (after taking up the stairs on the right) shows a restaurant and the one across the street offer special deals for Lao Barbecue.

Thank you for visiting Explore Your Life Now. I hope 5 Lao food to eat on a budget helps you enjoy your time in Laos better. If you have any questions about traveling Southeast Asia, don’t hesitate to visit my facebook and send me messages! I’ll help you as much as I can! 🙂

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Special thanks to my dear friend Daniel for Lao barbecue pictures! 🙂

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Top 5 Lao food to eat on a budget – Lao food guide

Before we talk about Top 5 Lao food

Don’t get too excited

Can’t complain though