The Luang Prabang Coffee Hunt

Luang Prabang’s coffee culture cuts across all tastes, both in your mouth and your head. Sit down with locals for an early morning cup of Lao coffee with thick sweet cream. Stop at a café serving high-demand, northern Lao java, or type on your tablet in an upscale setting serving pastries with your afternoon caffeine jolt.

The UNESCO city serves up Laos’ finest roasts all over town; the question is…which coffee shop or café to choose. Tiger Trail just updated its “Top 10 Coffee Spots in Luang Prabang” for 2020. Read what the renowned travel company suggests.

Top 10 Coffee Spots in Luang Prabang (Updated 2020)

By Kyle Wagner

Coffee has been a staple of Laos ever since it was introduced in the early twentieth century. As a result, coffee spots in Luang Prabang & throughout Laos have sprung up in every kind of iteration from street vendor to Western style cafés. In Lao, coffee is pronounced “khaafeh” (similar to how you would say café). If you want real Lao coffee, you must order “khaafeh Lao”. And the Lao version of coffee should not be missed by anyone traveling through.

At first I was considering using a rating system in order to categorize different coffee spots in Laos, but I felt that it did not give enough justice to some of the more local places I visited. This list is thus based on my own personal experience in each café. I also put a heavy emphasis on atmosphere & the taste of the coffee. I love coffee so much that this post is being written with a cup of coffee next to me.

To uncover the Top Ten, click here.