O’Grady’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, Vientiane

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Whilst travelling recently in Laos I had an interesting discussion in a bar with a guy who was about to open a pub in Vientiane, Laos. He told me enthusiastically about his new project: O’Grady’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant. Vientiane already has a great selection of restaurants, and a couple of expat friendly (and expat run) bars, but strangely, no Irish Pub. I was told that O’Grady’s will open in a more residential area of Vientiane, and will be a community pub for expats and locals alike with classic Irish décor inside, a beer garden, stage and kids playground. It’s due to open Oct/Nov 2015. According to their website and in line with what I heard in the bar, they will serve the highest quality food, mixing fresh local ingredients (from organic suppliers where possible) with quality imported meats and specialist ingredients (think malt vinegar and pickles!). Ambitious in their plans, I was told that the food would be as good as, if not better, than any other Irish Pub in South-East Asia. In the theme of the community pub, O’Grady’s will have (actually I saw pictures to see it’s already complete), a kids play area. The restaurant will be family friendly , with kids safely (and quietly!) tucked away in the large beer garden. There will be family seating around the play area so that families can come and enjoy the live music as a family. Now for me, the marker of a good Irish Pub Vientiane is the drinks selection. I was assured that there would be a great selection of imported Irish and Scotch whiskey’s, Guinness, cocktails and ice cold Beer Laos live music vientiane! Oh, I also saw pictures of the coffee machine they were planning on using and heard stories of the coffee they were procuring from a small family farm on the Bolavan Plateau in the South of Laos. So the big question is, does Vientiane need an Irish Pub? From my week in Laos I would say yes! If it’s true, and this Irish Pub is indeed a family restaurant, with a beer garden, selling great food, has live music and is a place for the community to enjoy, then Vientiane needs it! I will be back in November 2015 on business. Vientiane Irish Pub Watch this space for my follow up review!