Nangphone is the kind of place that gets recommended by guesthouses and then fills up with travellers who are pleasantly surprised by how good simple Lao cooking can be. The laap — minced meat salad with toasted rice powder, fish sauce, and herbs — is excellent, and the or lam (a thick Lao stew with eggplant and wood ear mushrooms) is made properly, not toned down for foreign palates. Sticky rice comes in a traditional woven basket.
The space is basic: plastic tables, no air conditioning, a fan overhead. Prices are low and portions are generous. Order the tam mak hoong (spicy green papaya salad) if you can take the heat — the chilli level is authentic. This is the kind of restaurant that disappears and is replaced by something trendier, so go before that happens.