Café Hopping in Central Vientiane
The Vientiane Crowne Plaza is the ideal hotel for a small business meeting or a large convention. It offers multiple venues, state of the art AV equipment and a team of event specialists to ensure your gathering runs smoothly. But sometimes you just want to take a stroll with a favored client, colleague, or supplier, explore the city and sip a delicious cup of coffee at a local café. After all, one of the highlights of a trip to Vientiane is sampling the world-famous coffee culture of Laos. We’ve put together a list of some of the most popular cafés near the Vientiane Crowne Plaza that are perfect spots for a casual business conversation over some fresh pastries, a delicious lunch, or just a rich cup of coffee. Treat your favorite business partners to an afternoon of café hopping around the charming waterfront area of the city, or visit one of them each day of your stay in Vientiane. All of the popular cafés are within walking distance of each other as well as the hotel so this route enables you and your guests to easily revisit your favorite cafés. The route is in a corkscrew shape that takes you from the waterfront, along the Quai Fa Ngum area, up to the area around the Lao National Cultural Hall, and back in the direction of the Vientiane Crowne Plaza. The cafés you’ll visit each offer a slightly different ambiance and dining experience, but they all offer a superb cup of coffee.
Tree Town Café
The tour starts at the Tree Town Café on Chao Anou Road right off the Quai Fa Ngum. This is a brand-new upscale café that caters to the hi-so crowd in Vientiane. The café focuses on the presentation of everything it serves and they wow everyone with the artistry of their coffee and pastries. There are also some kakigori and cakes supplied by Bakery by Boris to sample. This is a good place to take a client you’re trying to impress.
The Cabana Design Studio & Café
This is one of the favorite haunts for those who believe that a stylish atmosphere makes the café experience. Located right on the busy Quai Fa Ngum Road, this café is the epitome of style and elegance, from the French windows to the groupings of tables and chairs. This is also the home of some of the best coffee in the city, and you can enjoy a fresh and delicious breakfast or lunch along with the finest espressos or Australian-style flat white coffees. Just about everything is made in-house, adding to this café’s attractiveness.
Joma Bakery Café
Expats and visitors flock to Joma’s for the variety and authentic flavor of its homemade bagels, sandwiches, soups and cakes, as well as the seasonal baked goods it offers. This café is famous around town for the touches of home it provides to the expats of Vientiane, such as pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving or gingerbread at Christmas. But they also offer a quality cup of coffee, or for a refreshing local touch, try soda mak nieow, their freshly-made lime soda. Joma Bakery Café is located on Rue Setthathilath, near the Nam Phou Fountain.
Coco&Co. & Le Trio Coffee
Just across the street and up a little are two sister companies that complement each other well. Vegans and vegetarians will want to make a point of visiting Coco&Co. as they specialise in meat-free cuisine and healthy eating with gluten-free options available too. Le Trio Coffee shares the seating veranda and provides all their rich coffee confections, while Coco&Co. have a wide variety of Lao loose-leaf teas for you to enjoy with your meal.
Sugamelt Pastries & Coffee
Just a couple of blocks up from Coco&Co. and Le Trio Coffee is Sugamelt Pastries & Coffee on Samsanthai Road. This is the ideal place to take guests with a sweet tooth. The café is owned by a Lao couple who learned the craft of baking in Australia. When they opened up Sugamelt they decided to incorporate the region's own flavors into the pastries, so you can expect to find items such as lime and pandan flavored donuts, as well hibiscus and chocolate-orange. They also serve great coffee along with fresh-pressed juices containing cinnamon, ginger and hibiscus. For a uniquely Lao coffee and pastry experience, be sure to stop in at Sugamelt.
La Cattitude Café
As we head back to the Vientiane Crowne Plaza, there’s one more place you should visit, especially if you’re an animal lover. La Cattitude Café is a café on the ground floor, while the upstairs is a modern cat boarding facility. This café is a peaceful, bright, and inviting place that serves both rich coffee creations and a range of snacks and foods to go along with your beverage of choice. But the real attraction is the chance to spend some quality time with the two feline ambassadors of the café, a fluffy persian named Elijah, and a Bengal named Captain. The Cattitude Café is located on Samsenthai Road near the intersection of Khun Bu Lom Road.
Elephant Lounge
If you’d prefer to stay in the hotel, The Vientiane Crowne Plaza offers its own destination for an excellent cup of coffee and some exquisitely prepared gourmet snacks. The club-like atmosphere of the Elephant Lounge is like no other and the food and beverage options provide the ideal conversation starter to get better acquainted with your business contacts. The Vientiane Crowne Plaza is the ideal business hotel in the perfect location. Book your upcoming event there and enjoy all the luxurious facilities and amenities of the hotel. It’s proximity to central Vientiane also provides you with easy access to the most colorful and vibrant part of the city, the riverfront area.
