Though Lao food has something similar to Thai’s due to a long shared history, some aspects of its cuisine are distinctive. 

• Khao Niew (Sticky Rice): is eaten by hand and ever-present in almost every meal. It is considered the essence of what it means to be Lao, one of the main identifiers of Lao culture
• Laab: The most famous Lao dish, a salad made from ground meat and herbs, laced with fish sauce and lime juice and topped with a powder made from dry ground rice.
• Muu Haeng (Sun-Dried Pork) and Siin Haeng (Sun-Dried Beef): Muu haeng is thinly sliced pork, typically shoulder, while siin haeng is thinly sliced beef, typically a tough cut with fat, like top round. Both are marinated in a mixture of fish sauce, black soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chopped cilantro, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and galangal
• Khao Poon (Soup With Fermented Noodles): The overall composition of the dish can vary by region, or even hometown. In Syhabout, khao poon nam prik is a chicken-broth soup with a red curry base that includes coconut milk. Luangrath describes khao poon nahm kaew as similar but served without coconut milk, and with a broth based on either pork or fish.
• Gaeng Naw Mai (Bamboo and Yanang Leaf Stew): This stew is made from bamboo shoots and flavored with yanang leaf extract.
• Tam Muk Muang (Green-Mango Salad): Lao version is made with unripe yellow mango, combined with tomato, garlic, and cashew and typically dressed with a mixture of soy and fish sauce, which adds salty and savory flavors, while palm sugar provides sweetness
• Naem Khao (Crispy Coconut Rice): A mixture of salt-cured ground pork, pig skin, scrambled egg, ground herbs, steamed and dried white rice, and dried shredded coconut, soaking up with the fish sauce and lime juice.
• Lao coffee (Pakxong coffee): Grown on the Bolovens Plateau around the town of Pakxong.
• Lao hai: means jar alcohol and is served from an earthen jar. It is communally and competitively drunk through straws at festive occasions. 
• The Beerlao: has become more famous in Laos and is highly regarded by both locals and travelers alike.