3 Thep Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Luang Prabang

This is a restaurant in Luang Prabang that serves the best fried food we’ve had so far. We visited twice, and if you're a fan of fried dishes, this place is a must-try. We sampled the fried pork ribs, fried fish, and fried eggplant, all of which were incredibly delicious. The batter was perfectly seasoned, and you can clearly tell that the chef has a great sense of timing. The dishes not only retained their juiciness and tenderness, but even after sitting for a while, the crispy coating didn’t absorb any oil, making them light and not greasy at all. The fried eggplant, in particular, stood out with its perfect balance of crispness and tenderness,it was truly memorable.

2.The other dishes here are just as great. The salads are perfectly balanced, with a nice touch of sweetness. They're ideal if you're not into spicy food. The spring rolls are also super tasty. The skin has a nice chew to it, and with the tangy, spicy dipping sauce, they’re surprisingly flavorful for being vegetarian. As for the soups, they’ve got that comforting, homestyle feel. The chicken soup, for example, has a clear broth that kind of reminds you of a milder Tom Yum,simple but really satisfying.

3.The restaurant is located by the Mekong River, though it's a bit further from the main riverside area. This gives you the chance to enjoy the sunset while listening to traditional Lao music, without the noise from the more crowded spots. The service is also very good. When they brought us the wrong dish, they immediately replaced it without any hesitation.

4.A couple of things to note: First, the portion sizes are on the smaller side, especially for the fried dishes, which makes the prices feel a bit higher than expected. Second, the plants on the tables tend to attract a lot of insects. Both times we visited, there were quite a few ants around, so it might be worth looking into that for...

We’ve visited several cities along the Mekong River, but had never tried the famous Mekong Giant Catfish—so we finally gave it a go. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a letdown. We ordered it in a sour soup dish, but the texture of the fish was tough and chewy, almost raw-like—not to our liking at all.

Later, we tried another type of Mekong river fish called “ba chup,” a small white fish. This one was much better in terms of taste, although it came with the downside of many tiny bones. Still, it ended up being the most enjoyable dish of the meal.

As for the side dishes like stir-fried green beans and morning glory, they were average at best—maybe even slightly below average.

A quick note: the staff spoke very limited English, so be extra cautious when placing your order to avoid any misunderstandings.

KH Guide & Rating Accessibility: 4/5 (Easy to find, with a nice view of the Mekong River) Cleanliness: 3.5/5 Ambience: 4/5 (Great atmosphere, especially with the sunset) Food Quality: 3.5/5 (Leaning towards the lower side) Pricing: 3.5/5 Staff Attentiveness: 4/5 (Quite attentive) Would Visit...

Dont know how they got high review ratings. First ordered fried shrimp and asked for the photo. Did not let us know it would be a different type of cooking instead. When the meal came, we let it go anyway. But after peeling the shrimps it was all raw and unable to eat. They served us another but only half the portion was served even though we didnt even eat any of the first dish. Also order fish and the taste was meant to be good but it was all raw in the middle again we couldn’t enjoy. Staff insisted that it was cooked. Sorry but Ive eaten fish my whole life I know the difference between cooked and raw fish. Charged everything full price. Not...