Bamboo Bistro Garden — Restaurant in Vientiane Province

The vegan menu is a lie and the restaurant does not take allegens seriously. Manager called us boneless c*ts after complaining of incorrect food.

AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!!!!!!!!!!! Me, my partner and some friends were excited to try Bamboo Bistro Garden during our visit to Vang Vieng, Laos, especially because of the vegan options advertised and the appealing images online. Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing and extremely concerning.

We ordered pasta from the vegan menu and as a precaution we specifically requested no dairy or eggs due to our allergies. Despite this, our dishes arrived with cream and garlic bread with butter. When we brought this to the attention of the staff, asking for a replacement, the response was far from professional. The owner’s behavior was aggressive, and we were mocked for our dietary choices. There was no apology offered, which is the least one would expect in such situations. We did however get a replacement after the owner had tried to convince us that original food was vegan (like the menu states) when it clearly had cream in which he later admitted.

Reluctantly after this experience, we decided to pay for the meal and leave, giving the benefit of the doubt to the restaurant and treating it as an accidental oversight. However, the owner did even try adding the incorrectly prepared meal to our bill, which we of course refused.

We now know, after reading several reviews echoing similar experiences with the management’s dismissive responses that this wasn’t an isolated incident.

It’s disheartening to see a restaurant not take dietary restrictions and allergies seriously, as it can pose severe health risks to customers. The lack of empathy from management, poor food quality and level of customer service only adds to the frustration. To the management of Bamboo Bistro Garden, I urge you to either ensure that your vegan and plant-based options are truly compliant with what they claim to be (no meat, dairy, eggs etc.) or remove them from the menu in their entirety to prevent future incidents or complaints. It’s crucial to handle any food and allergy-related concerns with the upmost seriousness they deserve if you would like the business remain a success that you so claim. To anyone reading this, my advice would be to spend your money elsewhere! You can clearly see how deluded and aggressive the owner is with the response below. We have no hidden agendas the managers comment refers too. I just want to inform other potential customers on the restaurants false dietry claims and to ask you to put these right.

Serving food which is advertised incorrectly is fraudulant and quiet frankly dangerous. The management is the worst we have encountered across Asia and the owner is not fit for his role. He clearly does not like travellers and has something against people who he assumes are travelling from the UK! Would you really want to eat somewhere where you are mocked and called "boneless c**s" for asking for food thats on the menu? He gives Laos a very bad reputation and I hope that others customers are treated better in the future. Owners response in screenshot attached which has since...

Visited in November 2024. Laos. Vang Vieng. Finding a truly high-quality restaurant in Vang Vieng, Laos, can feel like a Herculean task. Based on Google reviews, we chose this establishment, despite its unassuming exterior. The restaurant itself is quite basic, resembling more of a roadside eatery than a fine-dining establishment—a common sight in this region.

The Food:

We ordered two burgers: one chicken pesto and one of their signature double cheeseburgers. Frankly, the open kitchen, or rather the open doorway leading to the kitchen, did little to inspire confidence in the restaurant's hygiene standards. While the burgers were visually appealing, the taste proved significantly underwhelming. The buns were excessively dry, suggesting they had been sitting for some time, a dryness exacerbated by their charring on the grill. The chicken pesto burger fared better; the chicken patty was tender, free from any off-putting flavors or odors, and surprisingly moist. The pesto sauce, while somewhat overpowering the chicken's delicate flavor, did not detract significantly from the overall experience. The beef burger, however, was deeply disappointing. The patties had a peculiar, almost rancid, flavor—possibly from overly enthusiastic seasoning or even a hint of spoilage—and were exceedingly dry; the sauce offered no redemption. This was far from the burger experience we anticipated.

The fries, however, were impeccably prepared—crisp, golden-brown, and perfectly seasoned. But relying solely on fries was hardly our intention. On a more positive note, their imported beer selection was excellent, featuring a pleasing range of Belgian brews.

Service:

The service was slow and somewhat lackadaisical, though this is perhaps typical of the region. While the servers were pleasant, their limited English proficiency created some communication barriers.

Conclusion:

This establishment is recommended primarily for its selection of imported beers. If expectations are kept appropriately modest, it might satisfy basic needs. The beef burgers should be avoided; however, the chicken burger and other simpler dishes might prove adequate. For us, it was a one-time experience; we might return for the beers, but certainly not for...

My partner and myself are disappointed with our experience at Bamboo Bistro Garden. As vegans with lactose intolerance, we were looking forward to coming here for their vegan options but left dismayed by the lack of attention to our dietary requirements and allergies.

Despite clearly specifying — ‘’vegan, no cheese, no egg, no milk, no butter" — the vegan pasta we ordered was not vegan. The waitress had to come over to double-check my order. She pointed to a non-vegan pasta, and I had to once again specify that I asked for the vegan pasta, no egg, cheese, milk, butter etc, although at the time we understood this as a simple mistake.

While my pasta initially seemed fine, it was served with garlic bread that, unbeknownst to me, wasn't vegan. Unfortunately, my partner's pasta, which arrived 15 minutes later, contained cream and served with the garlic bread. When we raised this issue, the owner's response was unprofessional and sarcastic. Although they did remake my partner's dish, it was accompanied by mocking remarks and a lack of apology.

While we were willing to overlook a one-time mistake, the owner's attitude and the consistency of negative reviews suggest a pattern. It's disheartening to see a restaurant disregard veganism, allergies, and customer feedback. If understanding veganism or accommodating allergies is challenging, we suggest removing the vegan option from the menu.

It's important to clarify that our review is NOT driven by a ‘’hidden agenda’’. (The owner seems to think everyone has one). I simply want to write a honest review, caution others with allergies and those seeking vegan options to consider alternative options. There are many restaurants close by with both vegan-friendly food and...