All activities / Culinary / Cooking / Luang Prabang
Culinary / Cooking in Luang Prabang
A UNESCO World Heritage town at the meeting of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, the former royal capital of Laos, known for its gilded temples, French-colonial streets, dawn alms rounds and night market, and the springboard for the country's north.
Why here
Luang Prabang is the best place to learn Lao food at its source. The old royal capital has a distinct northern kitchen built on sticky rice eaten by hand, fiery jeow dips, laap salads, herbs foraged from the riverbanks and fish steamed in banana leaf, and its cooking schools are among the most established in Southeast Asia. A class here almost always starts before the heat, with a walk through the town's morning market to meet the galangal, lemongrass, river weed and buffalo-skin that define the cuisine, then moves to a riverside kitchen for a hands-on session. Because Lao food is still poorly known abroad, the teaching tends to be properly instructive rather than a photo opportunity, and two long-running family schools on the Nam Khan let you work on technique and come away able to cook the dishes at home.
Best months
Classes run year-round and the cooking is under cover, so weather matters mainly for the dawn market walk. The cool dry months from November to March are the most comfortable for the early start and for wandering the town afterward; April and May are very hot and the wet season brings afternoon downpours. Morning classes include the market tour, while shorter evening sessions usually skip it.
Getting there & around
Luang Prabang has an international airport and a stop on the fast China-Laos railway, and the town centre is small enough to cover on foot. Both schools sit on or near the Nam Khan riverfront in the old town, a short walk from most guesthouses. Book a day or two ahead in high season, and come to a morning class hungry, since you eat what you cook.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Bamboo Tree Lao Cooking School
SchoolBamboo Tree Lao Cooking School opened in June 2014 on Kingkitsarath Road beside the Nam Khan river, run by owner-chef Linda, who has taught Lao cooking for more than a decade. Each class starts with a market visit led by Linda's sister, then students choose their own menu from a list of around twenty-four Lao dishes and cook them hands-on, leaving with a recipe book. Much of the produce comes from the school's own organic garden, established in 2017 south of town.
Tamarind
SchoolTamarind opened in December 2005 as a taste of Laos, founded by the Lao cook Joy Ngeuamboupha and his Australian partner Caroline Gaylard on the Nam Khan river in Ban Wat Sene. Its cooking classes begin with a tour of the Luang Prabang morning market, then work through Lao staples such as jeow chilli dips, mok steamed in banana leaf, sticky rice and stuffed lemongrass. The kitchen and restaurant are family-run, several of the team employed for more than a decade.