Lively Beer Gardens in Vientiane

One of life’s simple pleasures is relaxing in a tropical garden atmosphere with a tall glass of ice-cold beer, a dinner of local comfort food, and your friends. Vientiane is home to a few worthwhile places to visit to experience the beer garden, Laos-style. Most of these establishments feature a wide variety of local delicacies along with beer on tap. Some of them offer a full bar for those who would rather drink something other than beer. Beer gardens in Vientiane are colorful and lively places, and each of the ones we've listed have different attractions that make them popular with locals, resident expats, and tourists. Some of them focus on the ambiance, some on the food, while others offer live music and concentrate on the entertainment aspect of nightlife in Vientiane.

Ban Lao Beer Garden

Ban Lao Beer Garden is located a couple of blocks from the riverside on Rue Francois Ngin. Every tuk-tuk and taxi knows how to get to Ban Lao Beer Garden; it's that popular. The large grounds of the beer garden are composed of both outdoor and indoor dining and drinking areas. It's very homey, casual, and comfortable as well as cheap, which may account for much of its fame and popularity. You can enjoy a dinner of Lao food with plenty of beer and spend about half of what you would at some of the other restaurants in town. You'll also find a wide variety of both expats and locals, young and old.

RELAX Bar & Restaurant

RELAX Bar & Restaurant is set up like a beer garden and has the same lively and colorful ambiance as one, but with a retractable roof over the central dining area, so you can enjoy your evening even if it’s raining. It has several levels that provide a variety of vantage points from which to check out the crowd. The full bar offers a range of cocktails and wine along with beer, and a full menu of Lao food (of ample proportions), making it a popular hangout spot. You’ll notice that some of the people are there for the live music that happens nightly. There is both a small and a large stage which become the focus of attention during the latter parts of the evening when the local acts rev up the crowd. RELAX Bar & Restaurant is on Ban Sybounheung just off of ASEAN Road in central Vientiane.

Berliner Garden

Berliner Garden is in an old converted house on Chantaboury Sibounheung 26 in central Vientiane. The restaurant is in a walled garden that offers a pleasant and cozy garden atmosphere. Besides the garden seating area, there is also an indoor dining area (with a foosball table!). The emphasis is on their extensive menu of well-prepared German favorites, including roast pork, grilled fish, and large grilled sausages. The dishes come with some of the best German potato salad and buttery mashed potatoes in the city, as well as fresh vegetables. With friendly and accommodating staff, this is a choice destination for the German residents of the city as well as tourists and locals. An evening at Berliner Garden guarantees you'll leave feeling full and satisfied.

The Spirit House

The Spirit House restaurant along Vientiane's Mekong shoreline is open from 7 AM to 11 PM and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This well-known and respected establishment is one of the city's favorite destinations for residents who want to enjoy fine Lao and European-style cuisine in a lovely riverside setting. The restaurant is an old, converted teak house that has been exquisitely repurposed. The large outdoor seating area with a view of the river flowing by is the perfect place to enjoy a beer while you watch the sun go down over the water. It is a fine example of an upscale beer garden that's both a beautiful and casual place to enjoy a well-prepared meal accompanied by a few drinks. The full bar specializes in exotic cocktails, wines, and, of course, ice-cold beer. The restaurant is located at 09/093 Fa Ngum Road in central Vientiane.

Garden at Vientiane Crowne Plaza

Garden at the Vientiane Crowne Plaza hotel at 20 Samsenthai Road in central Vientiane is a popular hangout for the upscale movers and shakers of the city. The beer garden is laid out on expansive wooden decks between tranquil lotus ponds in a lush, tropical garden setting. It's open from 7 PM until 12 midnight every day, and a live DJ plays music from 9 PM until closing. Garden offers beer-lovers both bottled beer and draft beer, served in glasses or towers, with a range of both Beer Lao and imported brands to choose from. They also have several cocktails on their menu, along with red, white, and sparkling wines and soft drinks. Garden benefits from the numerous talented chefs employed by the other restaurants at the Vientiane Crowne Plaza. They offer a menu of food designed to complement the beverages, including cold cut platters, cheese boards, and a trio of sliders made of beef, chicken, and lamb. Try the Lao Beef Skewers or a BBQ chicken thigh; both are served with Lao BBQ sauce and provide a great accompaniment to your drinks. The Garden is the perfect place to entertain business colleagues or clients in town for conferences or seminars. Show them your appreciation and further your business relationship by treating them to an evening of drinks and delicacies at Garden.