Guide To The Best Café’s In Goa
Prana Café, Ashwem
If you’re a fan of health food, fresh ingredients and smoothies that can cure the worst of hangovers, look no further than Prana Cafe. Tucked away right at the mouth of Vaayu Waterman’s Village in Ashwem, it lets you enjoy a panoramic view of white sands and clear blue waters, while sipping on your smoothie or that perfect cup of Sunday morning coffee. Their fresh juices, salads, locally sourced pasta and sandwiches make for a filling, soul-satiating meal. The cafe also has an in-house art gallery which displays art from local artists, books and there are board games to make it the perfect spot to spend an afternoon with friends.
Eva Cafe, Anjuna
A beautiful vegetarian cafe overlooking Anjuna beach,that feels like a slice of Greece right in the heart of North Goa, Eva Cafe is perfect for a breakfast bowl or an evening date with some wine and that warm sunset glow. Thanks to its location, it even allows you to walk down to the rocks below and dip your toes in sea water. Their menu is no-frills with a variety of sandwiches, pasta, juices, crepes, museli, eggs, salads and more.
Literati Bookshop & Cafe, Calangute
Located in an old Goan house, with walls that are stacked with piles of books, it’s almost impossible to be sad here. A quaint bookstore and cafe, there are wooden shelves everywhere you look, with books from different parts of the world — new arrivals, bestsellers, fiction, non-fiction, so if you are looking for a laid back evening, you know where to go. The bookshop also has a cafe alongside, where you can get yourself a cup of hot coffee and snacks to read along with those books.
Cantina Bodega, Panjim
Althino hilltop houses The Sunapranta Centre for Arts, which has one of the loveliest cafe-cum-restaurants in Goa — Cafe Al Fresco by Cantina Bodega. An eatery adorned with beautiful Al Fresco dining in a Portugese villa courtyard, where you can have a hearty breakfast surrounded by greenery and art. Another plus are their hearty portions. You can order a plate of mushroom garlic pasta and cheese fries and be done for the day. While you’re there, look out for the attached art gallery, they always have some art on display.
Carpe Diem, Majorda
A cafe that combines skill-building opportunities alongside a cafe that feeds you waffles, sandwiches and shakes, Carpe Diem hosts a range of activities and workshops from dance to pottery, yoga to theatre, art exhibitions to book readings. Located in Majorda, in South Goa this cafe becomes the hub of activity — they’ve also got tonnes of paintings and artworks for you to enjoy and take home. In fact, it’s a good place to pick up souvenirs for folks back home.
Zest Cafe, Canacona
Healthy vegetarian and vegan food at its best, Cafe Zest creates an utterly relaxing and unbelievably uplifting experience. They add a special zing to the food that easily takes takes the boring out of the vegetarian — everything from the pastas, coffee, smoothies, salads, wraps and sourdough toasts, are delicious, though their scrambled eggs with goat cheese deserve a special mention, as does their chia seed pudding.
The Rice Mill, Morjim
A quaint bar and cafe in Morjim, The Rice Mill derives its name from the building it’s housed in — what used to be a local rice mill back in 1955, is now a chic cafe that has a rather diligently put-together tea and coffee menu. True to the cafe style, Rice Mill is the ideal haunt if you’re feeling peckish, or even for breakfast — you’ll find pasta, sandwiches, quiche and the likes along with breakfast bowls, smoothies, and a wide range of cookies.