Where to eat and drink this June… in Goa

If you thought monsoon is off-season in Goa, the hospitality industry will surprise you. New places are opening with the frequency at which roads are being dug up here. Mumbai seems to be the unofficial theme of recent new openings in Goa. A beloved vinyl club makes its way to the state’s Latin Quarters, and a restaurant promises to take you back to 1950s (-1990s) cinema. It’s raining sandwiches and meatballs in and around the capital city of Panjim. Also coming soon is a new cafe in Mapusa from the Café Prashant stable.

Here’s everything new in Goa. 

Oro Baking Pizza, Aldona

Mathson Solomon Miranda is familiar with a wood-fired oven. After all, he comes from a family of bakers—they run St Thomas Bakery in Aldona. Miranda followed the family business but charted his own path: a degree in culinary arts from Hyderabad followed by work experience on cruise lines and in bakeries in the US. After Covid-19 struck, he joined The Owl House, managing their cafe. The next step of his journey sees him at the same place but working on something new: a pizza house called Oro Baking Pizza. The self-taught pizza maker took his love for the dish and turned it into a business, armed with a custom-made oven. Every evening, he dishes out pizzas to a growing group of customers. Everything is homemade, from the crust to the sauces. Bestsellers include the herb garlic mushroom, spicy chicken blast, and the double cheese (a favourite with kids).

Lushora by Lloyd, Nagoa

Some destinations are worth the journey. Getting to Lushora involves an off-road adventure through a tree-laden path in a corner of Nagoa. The Dsouza brothers Daryl and Lloyd (a lecturer at BarJockey Goa) went against the grain. Instead of converting their plot into a villa, they decided to open something of their own. Thus came Lushora by Lloyd, a restaurant and bar with friendly prices and good food. Lushora is an outdoor space, with a covered section for the bar, an open kitchen, and two pool tables; they screen matches using a projector. Lushora is the rare bar doing affordable drinks—budget about ₹400 for a cocktail. The food here is a mix of bar bites and Goan staples: loaded poie, wraps, fried rice, and that Gaon Catholic meat trio staple: pork choris, chicken cafreal, and beef chilli fry. Their meat-overload nachos—chicken, beef, and sausage vying for attention in one plate—is a hit. It’s the kind of mash-up we are game for. As with family-owned places, you will always spot one of the brothers at Lushora—they will come and introduce themselves, ask for feedback, and, if they like your energy, share a round of shots!

Doolally, Miramar

India’s first microbrewery opened shop at The Corinthians Club in Pune in 2009. Much before microbreweries brought the gleam in their owners’ eye, Doolally was setting the standard. Now, everything we love about the place can be found in Goa (about time!), in Miramar. Expect everything you liked about Doolally here: pub quizzes, board games and Jenga, pet-friendly seating, and their selection of craft beers, meads, and ciders. On tap are a dozen of their brews, including the alphonso mead, rauchbier, and oatmeal stout. The new branch stays true to their signature dishes: house fries with five dips, Mangalorean chicken bao, Bengali kosha murgi, and Kerala pepper prawns. It is open for breakfast on weekends, and they encourage people to work out of the space. Don’t forget to ask for their round of (six) tasters.

Mumbai Matinee, Vagator

In what is an unusual turn of events, a new restaurant in Goa is seeking inspiration from the golden era of Hindi cinema (1950s to the early 1990s). Expectedly, the decor reflects this theme in the form of vintage posters and a collection of original vinyl records from the era. Founders Prateek Gambhir and Seep Arora wanted an “immersive cultural space that blends nostalgia, storytelling, music, and Indian comfort food”. The love for Mumbai reflects in the food—Bombay sandwich and keema pav and familiar dishes like galouti kebab and chicken malai tikka—and in cocktails with names like Chai Silk Matinee, Mumbai Marigold, Basant Mosambi, and a Mehfil-e-Thandai.

The Revolver Club, São Tomé

There’s a new vinyl player on the scene. Dhruv Tuteja and Lavanya Jayashankar have brought Mumbai’s The Revolver Club to Goa. The destination may be new but the offering stays the same: a celebration of analogue culture with a curated selection of vinyl records, LP players, hi-fi and portable audio equipment, film camera rolls, and vintage watches. You can browse, play, listen, and buy. There’s coffee on site in the form of SloMo, a slow coffee bar (only relying on manual brewing) developed in partnership with specialty coffee brand Old Planet. This isn’t a cafe, though, but a space for enjoying good music and good coffee. Beyond the espressos and cappuccinos, a signature here is south Indian filter coffee.

Nines by Hotel Evren, Vagator

By day, Nines by Hotel Evren promises leisurely brunches, curated music, and a relaxed time. At night, immersive lighting, sound design, and DJ programming turn the space into a fun party spot. Nines is the new “culinary and nightlife concept” by Hotel Evren, a venture by Anant Hospitality. Prachi Mehta, whose experience roster includes The Bombay Canteen and London’s The Wolseley, has curated a menu that is a mix of European fine dining and contemporary Indian fare. Read: balchão charred broccoli with coconut feni cashew cream, kismur grilled king prawns, and bread-crusted salmon in moilee sauce, among others. Sebastian Donoso from Barcelona brings 25 years of experience to the bar, creating drinks like Ampana (tequila with aam papad), Imli Drop, and the Cheeky Mosambi.

Mezmiz, The Kebab Shop, Porvorim

Mezmiz was once a popular destination for Mediterranean and central Asian food. The dine-in closed in 2024. Now, after a year-long hiatus, Naazneen Santrampurwala and Kush Sharma are back with a cloud kitchen. Mezmiz, The Kebab Shop is available only on Swiggy and delivers within a 14 km radius from O Coqueiro, Porvorim. The crowd favourites are still around, so you can once again get your fill of chicken shawarma, adana kebab, Palestinian hummus, and mutton chops.

New menus

Sandwich festival at Anabar, Old Goa

Chef Vasquito Alvares believes in the adage ‘When life throws you bread, make a sandwich’. Accordingly, he has curated a menu of sandwiches, all this month, at Ana Bar & Restaurant by Vasquito. He’s picked some meat-heavy, popular ’wiches from across the world, including the Portuguese francesinha, the pork bifana, the American grilled Reuben, and a meatball sub. Other bread-heavy creations include burgers, po boys, and sloppy joes.

Meatball festival at Casanoni, Panjim

Fancy a meatball? Casanoni has you covered with La Sagra della Polpetta. The name is a nod to local food festivals in Italy, called sagra, where communities get together to celebrate one ingredient. Each week spotlights a different polpette, or meatball. Some highlights include the polpette al sugo (duck meatballs), the polpette alla scamorza (pork and beef) from northern Italy, and a modern beef and bone marrow polpette with porcini mash. Vegetable lovers can dig into Bologna-inspired mortadella and pistachio polpette, a smoked scamorza and spinach polpette or a polpette di zucchine e parmigiano. Cannot eat just one? Try the meatball trays, shareable portions with breads and salads.

JSan, Anjuna

What’s the best way to beat this heat? How about a sol kadi ramen. As part of their new menu, JSan has launched a cold ramen with a chilled sol kadhi broth—thin noodles, mirin-blanched prawn and squid, tuna tataki, and a coriander and curry leaf aroma oil. It was a dish born after a conversation between chef Vishesh Jawarani and Sid Mewara of The Forkers community about what Goan summers genuinely need on a menu. The ramen is part of a new menu featuring cold and hot small plates, such as the spicy seabass picante aguachile, yakitori, cold salmon with a pineapple sambal, okonomiyaki, and kakuni pork belly. If the sol kadi ramen doesn’t catch your fancy, there’s hiyashi chuka with a chilled yuzu mushroom broth, and the tsukemen (available in limited portions). Remember, the sol kadi ramen is seasonal and won’t be available after June.