We’ve eaten Indian food several times in Laos and can therefore say that it’s different in Luang Prabang than in many other popular tourist destinations in the country. The food actually tastes good and what we immediately noticed the extremely affordable prices. For Indian food outside India it’s really cheap. For example, we don’t know a single Indian restaurant in Thailand that is cheaper than the Indian restaurants in Luang Prabang. And the taste wasn’t bad either. Still, we would say that most other Indian restaurants in Laos are better.
Another point is authenticity. We really can’t say that the Indian food in Luang Prabang is authentic Indian food, since we ate authentic Indian food too often and know exactly how it tastes like. We also looked at the reviews of the two Indian restaurants where we ate. The reviews were good and most of the tourists were very satisfied. Indians, on the other hand, were annoyed and almost all of them gave bad reviews because the food wasn’t authentic. More than in any other city in Laos the Indian food in Luang Prabang is designed to fit the taste of tourists. One thing we noticed, however, was that both restaurants used tofu instead of paneer cheese. We found that a little too much. Still, the food is worth the price.
Taste of the food isn‘t very authentic
Among the cheapest Indian restaurants in Laos
Quite a few Indian restaurants for the size of the city
Most of the Indian food in Luang Prabang is halal
Tofu instead of paneer cheese is a common practice
Some restaurants offer a great atmosphere by the river
Menus offer some options and not only Indian dishes
Where to find Indian food in Luang Prabang
The city center of Luang Prabang isn’t very big and most restaurants can be reached by foot. Therefore, you can simply use services such as Google Maps to guide you to the respective restaurant. Both restaurants we tried (Safeena Restaurant and Chennai Restaurant) were located directly at the riverfront and offered a great atmosphere while eating. So if you’re looking for some cheap Indian food, just head to the river. Among others, the Chennai restaurant offers halal food and therefore is an option for Muslim tourists. As we mentioned earlier, both Indian restaurants we visited gave us tofu instead of paneer. We think that’s a common practice with the Indian restaurants in Luang Prabang. It may be related to high import costs.
Here you can see the menu and food of the Safeena Restaurant we mentioned. A big plus are the tables next to the river. The view is really amazing!
Cost of Indian food in Luang Prabang
Of all the Indian restaurants we visited on our travels through Laos, the cheapest ones were in Luang Prabang. In fact, the restaurants are so cheap that at first we couldn’t even believe it. And even if the food is delicious, the taste can’t compete with many other Indian restaurants in Laos, especially those in the capital Vientiane. In any case, we think that most tourists should be happy with the Indian food in Luang Prabang, eventually, it’s tailored to fit their taste. So if it doesn’t have to be the most authentic food, give it a try and feel free to enjoy it. We did it twice and we didn’t regret it, although we frequently eat Indian food. We weren’t fully satisfied, but for the cheap price, it really was okay.