Da Lat has a gift for adopting dishes from elsewhere and making them feel completely at home. "Lau ga la e" — chicken hotpot built around la e, a sharp, anise-forward basil variety native to the south-central coast — arrived here from Phu Yen province and settled in comfortably. The cold plateau air gives the dish a purpose it doesn't quite have at sea level. You want the steam. You want the burn.
The tourist strip near Xuan Huong Lake has versions of this dish. Skip them. They water down the broth, swap real la e for regular Thai basil, and charge you Da Lat (달랏 / 大叻 / ダラット)-for-foreigners prices. The spots below are where locals eat — and where the la e actually smells like something.
What Makes the Da Lat Version Different
La e (sometimes written "rau la e") is not Thai basil and it is not holy basil. The leaf is wider, the anise hit is stronger, and when it wilts into a hot chicken broth, it releases an almost medicinal fragrance that is entirely its own. Good "lau ga" in Da Lat uses free-range chicken (ga ta), not the white-fleshed supermarket kind. The broth should be clear-ish and slightly yellow from turmeric and lemongrass, not milky or cream-heavy. You'll get a plate of la e, morning glory, banana blossom, and raw bean sprouts to cook tableside. Dipping sauce is muoi ot chanh — salt, chili, fresh lime.
If a place gives you a dark, murky broth and a skimpy herb plate, it's cutting corners.
Where to Eat It
Quan Lau Ga La E Ba Tuyen
Address: 17 Hoang Dieu, Ward 5, Da Lat Hours: 4:30 PM – 10:00 PM daily Price: 180,000–220,000 VND per pot (serves 2)
This is the benchmark. Ba Tuyen has been running this spot for over a decade and sources her chicken from a supplier in the Di Linh highlands. The broth here is clean and fragrant — you can smell the la e from the sidewalk. Order the half-chicken pot for two people and add an extra plate of la e (20,000 VND) because you'll run out. No English menu, but pointing works fine and they're used to the occasional non-local.
Quan Lau Ga 198
Address: 198 Phan Dinh Phung, Ward 2, Da Lat Hours: 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM, closed Tuesdays Price: 160,000–200,000 VND per pot
A rougher setup — plastic stools, fluorescent lights, a TV showing football — but the chicken is solid and the herb plate is generous. This spot draws a younger local crowd, and on weekends it fills up fast. Show up before 6:30 PM or expect to wait. The muoi ot chanh here is particularly good; ask for extra lime.
Lau Ga La E Co Hoa
Address: 42 Nguyen Cong Tru, Ward 9, Da Lat Hours: 3:00 PM – 9:30 PM daily Price: 150,000–180,000 VND per pot
Co Hoa is the neighborhood option — not on any tourist radar, located in a residential stretch of Ward 9 away from the market area. The portions are slightly smaller but the price reflects that. Broth quality is good, the la e is genuine, and the owner will sometimes bring out a side of banh trang nuong (grilled rice paper) for the table unprompted. Cash only.
Lau Ga Phu Yen — Anh Kiet
Address: 7B Truong Cong Dinh, Ward 1, Da Lat Hours: 5:30 PM – 10:30 PM daily Price: 200,000–260,000 VND per pot
This one leans into the Phu Yen origin story explicitly — the sign says it, the menu says it, and the owner is actually from Tuy Hoa. The result is a slightly more coastal interpretation: a touch more turmeric, slightly lighter broth, and they add a small dish of mam nem (fermented anchovy paste) alongside the standard dipping sauce. Not everyone will want that, but it's the most regionally accurate version you'll find in Da Lat. Slightly pricier than the others, and the location near Ward 1 means you might hit tourist-adjacent crowds on weekends.
Quan Nho — Lau Ga La E Buoi Chieu
Address: 3 Cu Chinh Lan, Ward 10, Da Lat Hours: 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM, weekdays only Price: 130,000–160,000 VND per pot
The smallest and most informal entry on this list. Quan Nho is technically a front-porch operation — four tables, a gas burner setup, the owner's kids doing homework in the background. But the chicken is ga ta and the la e is cut fresh. It closes early and doesn't open weekends, which tells you the target customer isn't tourists. If you're in Da Lat mid-week and staying somewhere near the south end of the city, this is worth tracking down.
Photo by LUC PH@M on Pexels
Skip This Place
The cluster of "lau ga la e" restaurants along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai near the Night Market looks convenient. It is not worth your time. The herb plates are thin, the chicken is factory-farmed, and the broth at two spots we tried tasted mostly of MSG without any real depth. Prices run 250,000–350,000 VND per pot for a noticeably inferior product. The location is optimized for foot traffic, not for food.
Photo by Đậu Photograph on Pexels
A Few Practical Notes
Da Lat gets genuinely cold between November and February — lows around 12–15°C — which is exactly when lau ga la e earns its keep. Most of these spots only operate in the afternoon and evening, so don't show up at noon expecting a pot. Bring cash; none of the places above have reliable card terminals. If you're exploring Da Lat's broader food scene, the city also does a credible job with "banh mi" and has its own version of grilled corn (bap nuong) that's worth grabbing from a street cart on your way back from dinner.
Last updated · May 26, 2026 · independently researched, never sponsored.
