Eating on a budget at the Luang Prabang Night Market (organic vegetarian buffet)

Organic Vegetarian Buffet at the Luang Prabang Night Market

organic vegetarian buffet at the Luang Prabang Night Market

If a day of temple-hopping has helped you to work up an appetite, there is a super fun food experience waiting for you in Luang Prabang!

Everyone who walks through the charming night market in Luang Prabang will find some cool souvenir to take home with them. You can find everything from colorful silks to beautiful one-of-a-kind paintings. The market is very relaxing, peaceful, and has tons of cheap and skillfully-made Lao handcrafts, textiles, art, souvenirs, and more. 

the entrance to the Luang Prabang Night Market - next to the Indigo House Hotel

Although Luang Prabang isn't particularly famous for its street food, there's one place that every traveler raves about. Down one narrow alley at the night market, just past the Indigo House Hotel, you'll find so much good street food to try. On a tight budget, but with an empty belly,just head down that tiny alley to the world famous Luang Prabang Night Market Buffet!

vendors at the Luang Prabang Night Market, Laos

The shop boasts over 20 dishes of organic vegetarian food served on trays along with fried noodles and stir-fried vegetables. This buffet isn't run quite like others that you may have visited. You have to pay 15.000 kip (about $2) up front, and they will give you a big plastic bowl. You can fill your bowl up with as much food as you can fit in it.

various vegetarian dishes at the Luang Prabang Night Market

If you want a little extra protein, you can buy a skewer of BBQ pork, chicken, or other meats fresh off the grill, but those cost extra (10-20.000 kip per). If you do want to order some meat, just let them know what you want, and they'll grill it up right away and bring it to you at your table. I sat down at a table pressed against the wall of the alley, and dug in (with a nice cold bottle of Beer Lao Dark, of course)!

vegetarian dishes at the Luang Prabang Night Market

When you visit, you'll see why this buffet is so famous with backpackers and travelers to Luang Prabang. Laos may be a pretty cheap country to visit, but you might be surprised to learn that food can be a little more expensive than in neighboring countries like Vietnam or Thailand.

The flavors of the buffet are standard, but yummy, and I'm happy to get to try many new things in my bowl. Be sure to get rice or noodles as a base, veggies, and even fruit such as pineapple for a balanced meal. 😃 I think it's definitely worth the price (which is very reasonable). It's hard to find even a small bowl of noodles in Luang Prabang for 15.000 kip, much less a HUGE and filling buffet meal! No backpacker need ever go hungry again. You might have to cram up with other people on the same bench whenever the restaurant gets busy, but that's a good way to meet fellow travelers and make new friends. All in all, I had a great meal and a fun memory to carry with me.

15.000 kip per bowl and 7.000-10.000 kip for a drink

Price: 💲 (15.000 kip for as much as you can fit in a bowl; 10.000 for beer; 7.000 for other drinks; grilled meat sold separately)

Location: Street food night market