Khaiphaen

Rule number one: Make a reservation. If you don’t, you’ll be the one on the sidewalk looking in at one of the most meaningful meals in Luang Prabang. Khaiphaen is a training restaurant with a soul, and the dinner rush proves that doing good and cooking well aren't mutually exclusive. ​The Food: ​The Eggplant Dip: Outstanding. Smoky, charred, and deep—it’s the kind of dish that anchors your entire perspective on Lao cuisine. ​Khai Pen & Sausage: The namesake riverweed is as tasty as it gets, and the sausage is a solid, lemongrass-heavy punch. ​The Fish & Chips: A minor gripe—it could’ve used a bit more crunch on the batter—but the flavors still sang. ​The Red Curry: Very rich and aromatic. Another must order. ​Pandan Dessert: Incredible. A bright, fragrant closer that you’d be a fool to skip. ​The Experience: The mission is awesome and they deliver some very solid Lao food for an incredible price point. My only wish? That the students had taken our order instead of the teachers. You're here to see the next generation find their footing, and you want to see them lead.

Great visit to Khaiphaen with friends! The place is lovely and quiet, and I loved the “newspaper” style menu. The food arrived quickly. There was a small mix-up with my order (pork instead of fish), but the waiter was so nice that it wasn't a big deal. Prices are fair for the quality and the cause. I’d love to see a slightly larger menu in the future, but I’d definitely come back!

We had a brilliant meal. In Laos it's a bit hit and miss I find. Usually acceptable but nothing to get excited about. This meal was however. Great snake beans, tofu red curry and fish and chips (believe it or not). And not overpriced. We left a big tip that goes to the students. This is a not for profit institution that trains marginalised and street kids to give them a future. Highly recommended.

A lovely place and it’s a training restaurant for marginalized youth. The food is excellent! The chargrilled eggplant was finger-licking delicious, and the handmade Lao sausage with banana chili pepper was a real treat. The place is beautiful, clean, and knowing that your meal supports a good cause makes the experience even better. We truly enjoyed our visit and highly recommend it.

After eating our way through Thailand and other parts of Laos over three weeks, we stumbled upon Khaiphaen. It was so good, we came back the next night too. Hands down, our favourite restaurant so far! The menu is small but everything is delicious. We especially loved the Mekong River fish, green beans and the very unique panna cotta. Beyond the food, we also loved that this is a teaching restaurant, which employs young people from underprivileged backgrounds. Noy - one of the teachers/waiters - is lovely, we spoke with him for about 15 minutes while waiting for our food. Overall, we were blown away by our experience here, cannot recommend it highly enough - six stars!

I have liked this restaurant a lot. I had a chicken laab, which is hard to find elsewhere. And, as a Muslim, I was especially happy to have been able to eat something that isn't pork. The sticky rice that came with it was fresh and tasted great also. And service was excellent. This restaurant really does a great job. No wonder they are so popular - we even had to wait a few minutes before getting a table.

We didn't plan to come initially but were tempted after seeing how this place was always crowded. I tried their lao pork sausage and my partner took the fish coconut curry and we were pleasantly surprised. The sausage was amazing, very flavourful, the condiments that came with were delicious and fresh. They also contribute to local social initiatives 🫶

I've bookmarked Khaiphen restaurant before coming to LPQ and this place didn't disappoint. Khaiphaen, meaning dried seaweed, is not only a restaurant, but also a cooking school for the underserved young adults in the community to learn a skillset that can last a lifetime. We actually went there 3 times during our 3 night stay here. The Khao soi, red and green curry were the bombs! The student servers could be a bit slow but that was expected. Overall this place offers delicious Laos cuisine at a very reasonable prices with the added noble cause serving the LPQ community. Can definitely recommend.