Your guide to the delicious food in Goa

The best restaurants and local eats in Goa

Find the ideal pocket-friendly eateries from the local guide

We enjoying our unlimited buffet at one of the best restaurants in Goa (costs only Rs.600 per person)

Planning for a great weekend in Goa? Are you cash strapped? Or just couldn't decide where to jump in for breakfast/lunch/dinner? Don't worry. We give you the best options handed right on your phone. Our focus would be primarily on the local eats that are out of scope for even google maps. the notable ones are already. Our food critics consider every aspect of the restaurant including the expenditure -the primary concern of any youth for a budget trip- and taste, as well as the ambience. Without further ado, let us start with my very first and all time favorite restaurant.

Martin's Corner

It is a multicuisine restaurant visited by the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Shetty and other notable figures. The ambience is that good and attracting. It starts from the outside being all quiet and appealing to the eye, with plenty of trees and greenery to welcome you. They have live music during the weekends hosted by the notable local musicians that always end up with most, if not all of the guests dancing on the floor. I always loved their steaks and mix fried rice.

Traveller's Fast Food

This small restaurant is very pleasantly known among the local citizens of Benaulim and Varca. It is known for its succulent chicken tandoori and mouth watering hot cheese garlic naan. Their rates are very economical with soup prices as little as Rs.30. I usually treat my taste buds with their manchow soup. 

Feedmore Restaurant

Another amazing restaurant in Goa known for the quality of it's food and service. It's a small shack on the road to Cavelossim specialising in Goan cuisine. The owner is present on the premises and personally serves you to ensure quality isn't compromised.

Restaurants based on type of food you want

Now that most of the best restaurants are covered up, let's review the best shacks and restaurants based on the type of food you want to try:

For the best shawarma, 

Visit the takeaway restaurant near Fatorda stadium, Margao. It is situated right next to the famous goan supermarket chain- Borkars. Their shawarma comes in 2 varieties- the spicy and the normal one; both priced at Rs.50. You also have additional types based on the add-on contents such as with cheese, all meat, plate shawarma, extra fries, etc.

The only place I can think of in the North Goa for delicious shawarmas is the Miramar beach stretch. That place comes to life in the evenings with crowd of different culture buzzing with the good food from the vendors.

For the best ross omlette

One of the most eaten fast food in Goa- which literally means curry omelette; this is a ridiculously tough choice to make but I would call it a tie. There are many food carts at the Margao petrol pump stops that serve ross omlette in the evenings, but the top ros omlette I had would be the one opposite the entrance of the old bus stand. It can be really challenging to find it. A more precise location of it is adjacent to the yellow and black bike stand. So, head there right away to be shocked by the best ros omlet of your life.

The second best is about 15 minutes away from Margao, towards the town of Quepem. You get this food cart run by an old couple opposite the Canara bank and a chapel after crossing Nessai. They open around 4 p.m. and all their products are finished by 6 p.m. Hence, you better be on time if you wish for some delicious bojes, kappas, chicken soup, chicken curry (another of their signature dishes) and much more.

A note for the ones trying ros omlet for the first time: the gravy or curry may be either chicken, beef or the traditional one with peanuts and coconut water. It all depends from person to person, so I would request you to ask them first and choose which one you'd like accordingly. Also, we Goans are known to be magnanimous, so do ask for another spoon of curry if you're done with the one in your plate. You only get extra curry and onion for free; don't push it by asking for an extra egg. Just kidding!

For the best steak bread

Usually, the steaks are beef steaks and in some places, you get chicken too. This is served with some salad and sauce (ketchup and mayo) and some of the food carts even give it with cheese. The best according to me would be the one given by a food van in Majorda. It is right outside the Majorda railway station and you will always have to wait in queue for your turn. Trust me when I say it - It is that famous!! The steaks are crisp and soft and tickle every taste bud you have on your tongue. They also serve sorpotel bread (which is a pork based dish) that is sweet and spicy in the right amounts.

For the best bhel puri

Miramar! There is no better place that begs the top spot for 'chats'. It's beautiful to visit the place in the evening and get carried away by the temptations of trying the mouth-watering delicacies that are to offer. 

For the best burgers and rolls

The 'Zombie burger' 

In the south, the best place, without any doubt is CHERRY TOMATO. Their signature burger is magnificient and trust me when I say this, "You Can't Finish It All By Yourself!! Even if you do - by some magical intervention - you will have a hard time walking back to your vehicle and skip the meals for the rest of the day. That much I can tell (P.s. because I've tried it personally). 

For the best thali

This was my final quest with the restaurants - reviewing the best thalis from all the best restaurants in Goa that offered it. Frankly speaking, most of them were evenly matched but taking more details into consideration, I ranked them accordingly:

1. Spicy Family Restaurant and Bar, Margao: This one might be a little hard to locate for some as its in the bustling Margao market but the trip is worth everything. You will be welcomed with a big aquarium at the front entrance with humongous black crabs and lobsters that you can choose from to dine on. There is ample amount of space on 2 floors, with most of the tables sorted to accommodate large families. Their thali is somewhat huge in portion sizes and gives good value for the bucks. 
2. Copperleaf: This restaurant in Porvorim has received several accolades from Food Bloggers, Times of India, etc for their thalis. Females usually get greeted with a rose from the server - well, atleast my wife got one. It was a beautiful gesture and the cocktails and appetizers we ordered were mouthwatering and delicious.
3. Sharada Classic: Located just 3 minutes from the Margao city bus station, it has one of the best ambiance and being fully airconditioned revives your body from the heat. If traditional scrumptious fish curry rice is what you want to . the size and quality of the platter will make you check the rate again to ensure you are not revering. P.s try the Special Fish thali, its only at a difference of about 40 bucks and keep you satiated for the rest of the day.
4. Ritz Classic: They have now slowly turning into a food chain with its first restaurant in Panaji city and the newly opened branch in Benaulim. Knowing for their scrumptious thalis, they offer variety of thalis including fish (mackrel, pomfret, kingfish), chicken, and veg thali. They are usually fully booked and if you visit without appointment, the wait time is usually 10 minutes at times.

For the best desserts

Although started recently, this chain restaurant went viral and received massive success within a year's span. Some of you might have already figured out the name. It's none other than "The Chocolate Room". Yeah! No matter which branch you go to, there is always someone or the other, especially the craze with the couples. The aroma and the vibe is phenomenal.

 However, every time I've been to this outlet, there has only been one problem till date - the overwhelming sweetness. Although, I liked their appetizers and desserts, I was scared for my diabetes level. Well, if you like desserts, that's one aspect you have to overlook, isn't it?

One thing I like about their outlets is that they always have sufficient parking space available. They consider their location thoroughly before starting their business.

Well, if there is one icecream parlour which I would love to have more of in Goa is that of ' Naturals Ice Cream' with the same flavors to that in Karnataka and Maharashtra. What I have personally realized is the fact that they don't add fruits and dried fruit bits in the icecream the way they sell in the metropolitan states, which got me off. Coconut and chikoo icecream may be good but so many other flavours taste so much better in the other states. Baskin Robins has always been my go-to icecream parlour since childhood and their delectable honeynut crunch flavour soothes my taste buds.