Goa is a food lovers paradise; name a cuisine and you will find a restaurant that caters to it. Considering our villa is in North Goa and more in the Arpora area, we thought we could share our experience of trying out food in some of the restaurants in North Goa. This guide will be very useful when you don’t want to go far out or at times when you want to order food through a food delivery app.
A 5-minute drive will take you to Villa Nova; it is a cafe, pizzeria and a cocktail bar packed into one and offers a fusion-inspired menu in a stylish setting, The service is quick, efficient and friendly. The salads are a must try and would highly recommend the Baby spinach and roasted pumpkin salad and the Rocket and Beetroot salad here. We also love the simple and versatile Aglio Olio pasta. The wood fired thin crust pizzas are delicious. I personally love the Asian glazed snapper. The meal is rounded off best with a dark chocolate mousse. We also love the place for its ambience; it seems like time slows down, whether you visit for lunch or dinner; both times of the day bring out the best ambience in the garden.
A 15-minute drive will take you to Tanjore Tiffin Room, in Anjuna. This is a Tamil bistro serving home style food in a beautiful setting amidst a lush green garden. They offer a wide range of curries with appam, dosa, parotta or rice, and these can be customised to your requirements with meat and vegetables of your choice. The staff are very knowledgeable, and you see it when they get the curry sampler to your table. The appetisers we loved were the Jackfruit cutlet and Kottu Parotta. The choice of curries is very wide and can cater to every palate. We loved the Rice and jaggery payasam for dessert. Again, a lovely ambience both at lunch and dinner.
If you are feeling like Japanese or Korean, Kofuku is a 10-minute drive away, in Parra. The decor is simple with wooden tables and cane lamps, and the food is authentic and delicious. We love the Wakame and Kimchi soup here. The Sushi rolls are to die for. If you love Tataki, the salmon is a must try. The spicy edamame and Ebi tempura never disappoint. We are also a big fan of the Kaku Soba, buckwheat noodles. There is a wide variety of Teppanyaki and Sushi to try. We also love the Mochi ice cream and Dorayaki, sweet red bean stuffed pancakes. It’s worth noting that the menu has a wide range of vegetarian options. As you can see, we have been there, many times over and have had a fabulous experience every single time.
While in Goa, how can we not try a Goan thali and here a 15-minute drive would take you to Vinayak family restaurant, offering Goan cuisine, in Assagaon. Its a simple place but offer delicious home cooked Goan food, be it the Xacuti, Vindaloo or Rachedo curries or the Thali. This place is hugely popular and could entail a wait time. My go to dish is the Chonak curry with Goan red rice and Bebinca to round off the meal. I also highly recommend the Fish Thali; its a must try if you love seafood.
One of the other restaurants that is pretty close, a 10-minute drive, is Fat fish, a very popular eatery for local cuisine and seafood. This place will warrant a wait at peak times, but has great reviews for Grilled fish, Butter garlic crab and Prawns peri peri. The large outdoor seating area with cane chairs and wooden tables offers a Goan appeal to the place. There is ample parking available.
There are numerous other options that are within driving distance; I would recommend Fisherman’s Wharf for seafood in Calangute, Chapter Two for North Indian food in Calangute, O’Coqueiro for Goan-Portuguese food in Porvorim, Kismoor for Goan food in Saligao, Hosa in Assagaon for South Indian fusion food, Copperleaf in Porvorim for Goan and multi cusine food,
Enjoy your meal!