When we have grouped French and Italian restaurants together, then this is due to the fact that these two cuisines are quite closely related, especially compared to other more exotic food styles.

Laos having been a French colony in the years of Indochina, the French influence still lingers on. Not surprisingly so, you’ll find a vast variety of French restaurants and thanks to the colonial heritage, these places feel more like a part of the Lao tradition than some artificial, modern invention.

Wine is almost a must with French and Italian cuisine and here Laos is well ahead of much bigger neighbors such as Thailand when it comes to variety and quality of the wines on offer. The other good news is that thanks to very low import taxation, wines are very reasonably priced and most restaurants let you benefit from these low prices.

This very small, elegantly yet cosy decorated restaurant is still an "insider tip" for what most regular costumers believe to be Vientiane's best Italian food. Their home-made pasta is fantastic and the thin, crusty pizza without doubt the most genuine you can find here. All at surprisingly low prices and a pleasant chat, in whatever language you speak, with the Swiss owner Peter is almost always included for free.