The capital of Laos is surprisingly well adapt for plant-based eaters. While there aren’t many strictly vegan eateries in town there are enough options and variety to keep a veggie eater satiated. Here’s where to have vegan meals in Vientiane, Laos.
COCO & CO
My favorite veggie spot in Vientiane was Coco & Co (GoogleMaps). The menu here is mostly vegan but a few things may have egg or dairy so be sure to ask. They have great WiFi and plenty of spaces to work if you’re a digital nomad. I ate the quinoa salad, pad thai, vegan brownie, ice cream, and many delicious coffees here. They have a menu of the day that rotates often and tends to sell out quickly.
VEGETARIAN IN THE GOLDEN AGE
Once I tried the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet at Vegetarian in the Golden Age (GoogleMaps) I moved across the street into the Sailomyen Hostel for a few weeks as I waited out the rain in the south of Laos. The buffet cost 25,000 Kip, around $3 per person and comes with tea and dessert. The local restaurant is operated by Buddhist nuns who are strictly veg. I think it’s safe to say most of the menu is vegan but absolutely no one on staff speaks English.
An insider tip, if you arrive after 2 PM and the buffet food is almost gone they’ll let you take what’s left for half price. There’s also an extensive menu which can be ordered from for dinner. I found the dinner prices to be kind of steep considering the small amount of food and knowing how much more value I was able to get at lunchtime. Most days I’d have a massive lunch around 2 PM and not eat dinner as I was in serious work mode while in Vientiane. There’s a juice stand out front where you can get fresh juice or buy whole fruits.
HAUTE & COLD GELATERIA
This ice cream and coffee shop is a great spot to work for the day as it has lovely views of the Mekong River and good A/C and WiFi. Haute & Cold Gelateria (GoogleMaps) has a few vegan ice cream flavors–and not just sorbet. I couldn’t resist the All Spice Pumpkin which was vegan and incredibly creamy.
ONCE UPON A TIME
The vegan items on the menu at this quirky cafe are limited but what is available is delicious–and gorgeous, just look at this presentation. I loved my meal at Once Upon a Time (GoogleMaps). The food was fresh and flavorful. I ate her many times as the spring rolls were delicious and served with a creamy coconut milk peanut sauce. I’m also addicted to rose tea!
THE CABANA DESIGN STUDIO & CAFE
The most picturesque cafe in Vientiane hand’s down goes to The Cabana Design Studio & Cafe (GoogleMaps) which looks like it could be tucked away on a quiet street in the Gili islands in Indonesia. The vegan options are pretty limited here and they weren’t 100% sure if the bagel didn’t contain eggs and milk but it’s a lovely spot to work for the day and enjoy coffee.
REUNION CAFE
Reunion Cafe (GoogleMaps) is the only strictly vegan cafe in Vientiane. The large menu offers an assortment of typical Laos dishes and an abundance of mock meats. It’s also open later than most restaurants and quite affordable. The thick rice noodles with veggies were standard but nothing to rave about.
LAO KITCHEN
I got my laab fix at Lao Kitchen (GoogleMaps) in Vientiane. The restaurant is vegan-friendly but has loads of meat option on the menu, you know, like frog. There are a few veggie dishes including a mushroom laab which was excellently juicy and spicy.
LE PLATEAU CAFE
Le Plateau (GoogleMaps) is a beautiful cafe that offers a few vegan-friendly dishes. The veggie bowl is delicious and has roasted squash, pumpkin seeds, cashews, pomegranates, and more. The smoothie bowl isn’t as great as it was mostly frozen fruit that was extra sweet.
EARTH
The name Earth (GoogleMaps) had me thinking it was strictly vegan as the owner is veggie and posts in the vegan Laos groups often so I was a bit disappointed when I arrived to see they actually only had a few vegan dishes on the menu. There is a veggie burger but when you order it be sure to specify that you don’t want cheese or mayo. I tried the vegan pasta which I believe was made from papaya! Earth has live music almost nightly and is one of the only bars in town.
NAZIM
If you’re craving Indian food head to Nazim (GoogleMaps). I ate here a few times at night when I was so ravenous I couldn’t be bothered to stop for a photo. The vegan gobi palak wasn’t great but the channa masala and baingan eggplant were excellent! Just be sure to ask for no ghee if you’re vegan.
HOUSE OF FRUIT SHAKES
You can get veggie sandwiches all over Vientiane but the small hole-in-the-wall House of Fruit Shakes (GoogleMaps) is run by a woman who understands what vegan means, she even includes it on her menu! They have a lot more veggies than other spots too so you can have a hearty sandwich here as well as a fresh juice.
COMMON GROUNDS CAFE
Common Grounds café (GoogleMaps) is a social enterprise supports a number of community projects including Interwoven, a fair trade collection made by local at-risk women. They have a few vegan-friendly things on the menu include a falafel wrap and have phenomenal 100% organic Arabica coffee from Northern Laos. The cafe is large and a great place for nomads but is also child-friendly as there’s a playground in the back.
JOMA
Joma Bakery (GoogleMaps) is the international fair trade coffee shop that I frequented in Luang Prabang. I visited the Vientiane outpost often as it was located near my darling hostel and had decent WiFi and soy milk for cappuccinos.
BENONI
There are three whole places in Vientiane to get your vegan ice cream fix!! At the Benoni Hotel (GoogleMaps) you can get vanilla vegan ice cream–and it’s a generous serving. The Benoni cafe doesn’t have vegan ice cream or much on the menu that is veggie-friendly.
Where have you had vegan meals in Vientiane? Tell us in the comments!
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