Pizza Phan Luang is my absolute favourite pizza in the city. Candlelight tables in the back garden of the owners’ home provide seating for a limited amount of people and the crackle of the wood-fire oven is the accompanying soundtrack for a special evening out. A Canadian man and his wife, It is entirely possible that part of my adoration for this place is that it’s a special occasion when I eat here: a fancy date night or a celebration of a project completed.

Pizza Phan Luang is my absolute favourite pizza in the city and, if we’re taking it a step further, my favourite restaurant in Luang Prabang. That might seem like a big call to make, but once you experience the ambience of Pizza Phan Luang you’ll understand. Candlelight tables in the back garden of the owners’ home provide seating for a limited amount of people and the crackle of the wood-fire oven is the accompanying soundtrack for a special evening out.

This little pizza restaurant is located across the Nam Khan River and in the back courtyard on a residential street. The first time I went looking for it, after a serendipitous tip from an old friend, I was on a street thinking I was completely lost and then there it was like an oasis: a tiny sign adorned with a picture of a pizza pie entreating me down a narrow path to the right of an un-lit house.

There are two places that do woodfire pizza in Luang Prabang : Pizza Phan Luang (in Ban Phan Luang across the bamboo bridge, near Dyen Sabai Restaurant) and "secret pizza" which is quite possibly the best pizza you will ever have -- it rivals pizzas I've had in Italy. Secret Pizza is a popular spot with expats but it is not so secret anymore now that it is in Lonely Planet.

If you’re staying on the other side of the river, or just need a break from Asian food this is a good spot to get your fix. It’s not cheap but the woodfire pizza is good and the candlelit garden is cute (bring mozzie repellent). To get here, cross the bamboo bridge then keeping walking past Dyen Sabai, turn left at pizza sign and follow the oil lamp lanterns to the garden.

The whole garden is decorated with torches, but a bit of a walk from the city centre. Pizza Phan Luang serves only wood-fired oven pizza, red wine and beer. If that’s all you need, then venture to the other side of the Nam Khan in Ban Phan Luang, easily accessible when the temporary bamboo bridge is up during dry season…cross, pass Dyen Sabai and go straight.

I often joke that I need pizza at least once a week or I’ll get cranky. Discrimination is not part of my pizza frenzy, though. Naturally, I would prefer perfectly prepared, top quality pie every time, but I believe every pizza serves a purpose.

A large multi-stage waterfall, accessible by boat or truck hire, some 29 km south of Luang Prabang. You can rent a motorbike/bicycle to transport yourself there. Parking your motorbike/bicycle at the entrance costs 2,000 kip.