Catering for the droves of tourists who come here from other Indian states, as well as more price-conscious locals, Panjim is packed with good
places to eat , from hole-in-the-wall fish-curry-rice joints to swish air-conditioned restaurants serving top-notch Mughlai cuisine. In a week you could feasibly attempt a gastronomic tour of the subcontinent without straying more then five minutes from the Municipal Gardens. Vegetarians are best catered for at the numerous
udipi canteens dotted around town, most of which open around 7am for blow-out
breakfasts - great if you have just staggered into town after a night on the bus. Beer,
feni and other spirits are available in all but the purest "pure veg" places, especially in the hole-in-the-wall taverns around Sao Tomé.
A Pasteleria , Dr Dada Vaidya Road. Panjim's best bakery does dozens of Western-style cakes, biscuits and sticky buns, including brownies and fruit loaves. Its savoury selection of tasty egg puffs, and succulent, spicy chicken or prawn patties is good too. Takeaway only.
Delhi Durbar , behind the Hotel Mandovi . A provincial branch of the famous Mumbai restaurant, and the best place in Panjim - if not all Goa - to sample traditional Mughlai cuisine of mainly meat steeped in rich, spicy sauces (try their superb rogan josh ormelt-in-the-mouth chicken tikka). Most main dishes are pricey, at around Rs120, but this place is well worth a splurge.
Goenchin , off Dr Dada Vaidhya Road. Glacial a/c and dim lighting, but (along with Sweet and Sour in Vasco) the best and most authentic Chinese food in Goa. Count on Rs300 per head.
Horseshoe , Rua de Ourem, Fontainhas. The town's only Portuguese-Goan restaurant, serving a limited, but very reasonably priced, menu of old standards such as caldo verde soup and grilled sardines. The food is so-so, but the decor and atmosphere make this a worthwhile option. Most mains around Rs50.
Megson's , next to Moti Mahal , 18 June Rd. The state's top deli, with a great selection of traditional Goan foods: spicy sausages, prepared meats, tangy cheese from the Nilgiris, olive oil, and the best bebinca you can buy (ask for Linda brand).
Rosoyo , 18 June Rd. Run by Megson's , this busy little fast-food joint is the place to sample tasty, hygienic Mumbai-style street food: crunchy bhel puri or delicious pau bhaji . They also serve wonderful Gujarati snacks such as thepla - chappatis griddle-cooked with curry leaves and cumin, and served with south Indian chatni - plus a range of shakes and ice creams. You'll be hard pushed to spend Rs50 here.
Satkar , 18 June Rd. Newest and much the most congenial of Panjim's numerous South Indian snack joints. They do a huge range of dishes, including Chinese and North Indian, but most people go for their fantastic masala dosas and piping hot, crunchy samosas, which get the vote as the best in town.
Tony's , Emilio Gracia Road/31 Janeiro Rd, Fontainhas. A blue-painted street-stall run by a retired footballer and his wife, who serve up the freshest, tastiest and most authentic Goan food in town. Dishes include sublime fish cutlets, chicken xacuti , chilli beef, sorpatel and - on Saturdays only - perfect sanna , made with real palm toddi . Around Rs30 per person for a filling meal; no veg options. Takeaway only.
Venite , 31 Janeiro Rd. Deservedly popular hotel restaurant, serving great fresh seafood, including affordable lobster and crab, along with Western dishes, desserts, feni and cold beers. Wooden floors, balcony seats, candles and an eclectic cassette collection add to the ambience. Good breakfasts, too. Closed Sun.
Vihar , 31 Janeiro Rd, around the corner from Venite . Arguably the best udipi in Panjim, and more conveniently situated than Satkar . Try their super tasty rawa masala dosas .
Goan food and drink
Not unnaturally, after 450 years of colonization, Goan
cooking has absorbed a strong Portuguese influence. Palm vinegar (unknown elsewhere in India), copious amounts of coconut, garlic, tangy tamarind and fierce local chillies all play their part. Goa is the home of the famous
vindaloo (from the Portuguese
vinho d'alho , literally" garlic wine"), originally an extra-hot and sour pork curry, but now made with a variety of meat and fish. Other
pork specialities include
chouriço red sausages,
sorpotel , a hot curry made from pickled pig's liver and heart,
leitao , suckling pig, and
balchao , pork in a rich brown sauce. Delicious alternatives include vinegar chicken, spicy chicken or mutton
xacutti , made with a sauce of lemon juice, peanuts, coconut, chillies and spices. The choice of
seafood , often cooked in fragrant masalas, is excellent - clams, mussels, crab, lobster, giant prawns - while
fish , depending on the type, is either cooked in wet curries, grilled, or baked in tandoor clay ovens. Try
apa de camaråo , a spicy prawn pie with a rice and semolina crust.
Sanna , like the south Indian
iddli , is a steamed cake of fermented rice flour, but here made with palm toddy. Sweet tooths will adore
bebinca , a rich, delicious solid egg custard with coconut.
As for drinks , locally produced wine, spirits and beer are cheaper than anywhere in the country, thanks to lower rates of tax. The most famous and widespread beer is, of course, Kingfisher, which tastes less of glycerine preservative than it does elsewhere in India, but you'll also come across pricier San Miguel, brewed in Mumbai and nothing like the original. Goan port, a sweeter, inferior version of its Portuguese namesake, is ubiquitous, served chilled in large wine glasses with a slice of lemon. Local whiskies, brandies, rums, gins and vodkas come in a variety of brand names for less than Rs20 a shot, but, at half the price, local speciality feni , made from distilled cashew or from the sap of coconut palms, offers strong competition. Cashew feni is usually drunk after the first distillation, but you can also find it double-distilled, flavoured with ginger, cumin or sasparilla to produce a smooth liqueur.
