Goa New: Pubs & Bars

One of the oldest taverns in Panaji, tucked into a lane in the Fontainhas heritage quarter. The room seats a handful of people, so drinkers spill onto the street. Feni cocktails built on kokum and mango lead the list. Seasonal urrak appears in summer. Beef croquettes and other Goan bar snacks come alongside.

Formerly EscoBar, this Assagao tavern reopened under a new name and extended its back area in 2023. The format is deliberately plain: basic seating, a full bar and Goan bar food. Chorizo fries and cafreal chicken with poi are the orders regulars repeat. Local feni and urrak sit alongside craft beer. It fills up early on weekend evenings.

A family-run bar and kitchen off the Colva–Betalbatim road, run by an owner who works the floor herself. Goan seafood is cooked to order alongside a full bar. Stuffed squid and recheado-masala fried fish are the plates reviewers name. Live music runs on some evenings. Prices sit well under the North Goa average.

Timothy Lobo started this as a cloud kitchen in 2019 and turned it into an Alto Porvorim bar. The kitchen runs bar food, grills and a BBQ platter. Quiz nights, karaoke and live music fill the weekly calendar. The crowd skews local rather than tourist. Portions have drawn some criticism for their price.

Set on Ozran Beach Road away from the larger Vagator clubs, this compact bar runs an R&B and hip-hop playlist and a cocktail list built on seasonal urrak. Live music nights are booked out in season. The kitchen leans Mediterranean, with a pan-grilled red snapper that reviewers single out. Books line one shelf. Peacocks visit from the neighbouring plot.

Named for the Portuguese word for small plates, this Panaji gastropub pairs Goan produce with Spanish and Continental technique. Head chef Halton Dsouza runs the kitchen. The cocktail list works local flavours such as ambot-tik into classic builds. Live music plays downstairs on several nights. It sits opposite the Municipal Garden in Altinho.

One of the smallest bars in North Goa, on the Anjuna–Mapusa road, with seating for about twelve plus three bar stools. The owner works the room and mixes drinks to order. Seasonal urrak is the house speciality alongside a well-stocked spirits shelf. Fish fry and bar bites make up the food. Traffic noise from the road carries inside.

A Palolem bar with draught beer, a cocktail list and an Asian steakhouse kitchen, ranked fifth of ninety restaurants in Palolem on Tripadvisor. The signature El Diablo cocktail is built on chilli vodka. Tandoor and pizza ovens were added in a recent extension. Sport plays on a screen. The crowd is a mix of long-stay travellers and locals.

Benaulim Beach frontage with open-air, covered and air-conditioned seating, plus direct access to the sand. Sunset is the busiest slot and the reason most tables are booked. Live music and a dance floor run through the evening. The kitchen covers seafood, Continental and Asian plates. Gin-based cocktails draw repeat mentions in reviews.