Goa has a packed schedule awaiting anyone who’s headed in her direction. Begin your day by catching the sunrise at Hollant Beach in South Goa followed by a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausages, and pav at AJ’s Benaulim; then head to the Old Latin Quarter of Fontainhas — a Pandora’s box of Goa’s rich colonial past.
Walk through the winding lanes of Old Goa (Velha Goa) and find solace in the churches there. Decked in 18th-century Baroque art, they have retained their beauty through the ages. Finally, settle down on one of the many beaches in North Goa to catch the setting sun and some cocktails.
A packed day, indeed!
If you think the sightseeing is too good to be true, the gastronomy of this beach town offers some stiff competition to it. With breakfasts, lunches and dinners boasting a seafood fiesta, it can get tough to narrow your options. Here’s where this list should help.
1. Vinayak, Assagao
Fish curry and rice were (and still are) a staple in many eateries around this beach town. While Vinayak Family Restaurant packs a punch in each meal, through the years, the eatery has pushed the envelope to expand its menu to dried seafood, veg sides, a thali (platter), butter garlic prawns and squid, clams, vindaloo (a spicy Indian gravy) and more.
What started in 2013 as a couple’s idea to earn through cooking, has now evolved into one of Goa’s most loved seafood spots.
As Chef Shilarna Vaze (popular as Instagram’s Chef Chinu:@chefchinuvaze) shares with Condé Nast, “Vinayak Family Restaurant has been my local fish thali joint for many years now. I just love Ujwala, the boss lady who has her eye on everything that goes on! And their actual fish curry is one of the best in town and one of the cheapest thalis too.”
2. Souza Lobo, Calangute
The xacuti (a Goan curry with complex spicing) at this Calangute haunt has struck a chord with its patrons ever since 1932 when the eatery was started by a gentleman Joao Fortunato Lobo. It is now helmed by the third-generation John Jude Lobo who has integrated his mother’s recipes with the magic of Goan spices.
Souza Lobo is a name to reckon with.
The menu regales beachgoers (the eatery is on Calangute Beach) with its prawn recheado, pork in schezwan sauce, Goan masala fried fish, and tiger masala prawns. For those who prefer to be spoilt for choice and cannot make up their mind about any one seafood item, the mixed seafood grill and the mixed seafood stew come to the rescue.
3. Sharada Bar, Madgaon
The flagbearer of Goan seafood. While this does seem to be a contentious and flighty peg to hang this eatery upon, Sharada Bar and Restaurant in Goa lives up to the promise. A variety of seafood delicacies — kalwa (oysters) fry, drumstick prawn curry, fish thali, recheado masala, kingfish thali, and squid butter fry will thrill your senses.
The rustic, hole-in-the-wall interiors will instantly make you comfortable. Ditch your fancies at the door as you prepare to devour freshly prepared seafood with your hands. For decades now, this eatery has been the first choice of the locals for sampling some Goan staples — vindaloo, cafreal (a chicken preparation infused with spices), xacuti, and ambotik (a spicy, tangy curry).
4. O Coqueiro, Porvorim
Following lunch at this modest, vintage eatery, you can brag about having sampled the “original chicken cafreal”, according to the place’s Instagram bio. Chef Gines Viegas, hailed in Goa as a ‘culinary artist’ popularised O Coqueiro with his take on seafood. The menu he created blossomed when Viegas joined hands with Chef Peter Fernandes, who added his own culinary strokes of excellence to the dishes.
Coqueiro in Portuguese translates to ‘coconut’, a main ingredient in many of the curries. The meals at O Coqueiro are an epitomisation of the concept of susegad (the Goan culture of being relaxed and laid-back).
5. Bhumiputra Restaurant, Pernem
You claim to be a seafood lover; but we won’t believe you until you surpass this challenge. Tucked away in North Goa (a half an hour’s drive from Mapusa) is Pernem, which is home to the Bhumiputra Restaurant which houses the biggest fish thali you will ever encounter.
Marinated to perfection, with spices and juices lining the flavoursome flesh, the pieces of fish are heavenly. Groaning with a dozen varieties of seafood — fish, prawns, squid, crab, teesrio (shellfish), and pomfrets — the thali is a seafood lover’s dream come true.
6. Fat Fish, Calangute
The journey of this seafood haven began in 2012 when a fashion designer — Pooja Sarin — and a restauranteur — Prashant Korgaonkar — bent their heads over a plan to create a spot that would cater to every fish lover’s cravings.
The seasonal ingredients championed at the eatery add to the magic of the dishes. With various kinds of fish options, lobsters, squid, crabs, and finger food, Fat Fish should be on your bucket list on your next vacation.
7. Seafood Junction, Calangute
“Fiercely loved by the locals” is how the Seafood Junction describes itself. Great flavours and seasonal delicacies convene in every dish here. The team behind the eatery claims to have been closely associated with the food industry for over a century now. And the success of their seafood menu nods to this.
Fresh crabs caught just minutes before will deck your plates while perfect circles of marinated squid beckon you to dive in. For those who can’t ditch their love for North Indian food and Continental cuisine, there are a host of tandoori dishes and Chinese fusion snacks to be had here along with your choice of mocktails.
8. Martin’s Corner, Betalbatim
In its nascent stages in 1989, the space was a haunt for young boys from the locality to play a game of carrom and sip on soda. Set up by a gentleman Martin, the eatery only gained popularity much later when his wife Carafina began serving her Goan makes — sorpotel (meat cooked in vinegar and spices), Goan sausage bread, and pork chilly fry.
Today, these Goan specialities are accompanied by tandoori dishes and oriental options. The place has found favour among many celebrities and iconic personalities alike.
As an article in Business Standard mentions, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had once mentioned that Martin’s Corner was one of his favourite restaurants in the world. The article notes that such was the legend’s love for the place that when he launched his (now-defunct) Tendulkar’s restaurant in Mumbai in partnership with Sanjay Narang, he introduced Martin’s Corner king crab masala fry on the menu and gave credit to the original.
Edited by Pranita Bhat.
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