Patnum Beach, a seaside town just south of its much more popular neighbour, Palolem Beach.
In South Goa, size doesn’t matter. Although Palolem may have a bigger surface area, it’s actually Patnum where locals prefer to stay and relax. With fewer crowds, better priced beach bars and huts, and a cleaner beach, it’s no shock that many tourists are now jumping on the bandwagon and opting for Patnum instead.
Thankfully, with more locals choosing Patnum, local eateries are in full supply. After staying in Patnum during the run up to Christmas, here are our top 5 local restaurants in Patnum:
Om Shanti
Located at the mouth of the main path to the beach, Om Shanti is a bar, hotel, and restaurant – like many establishments in Goa. What gives its restaurant an edge over its competitors is the BBQ fish and tandoori grill set out front, making it hard to swerve and go anywhere else.
Om Shanti was our home from Christmas through to the New Year, so we had the chance to try most of the menu, including many of the desserts. Bebinca and Hello to the Queen were our favourites.
Being on the seafront, it’s the most expensive place on our list and ranked fifth in our tasty list. That said, with regular live music events and cheap booze, it’s definitely worth a visit for a tipple at least.
Maria Cafe
After just a couple of minutes in Maria’s company, the head chef and restaurateur, you soon realise she’s a little bit nuts. Going out should be an experience, and Maria delivers exactly that. Whether she’s berating her husband about his weight or insisting you try her entire chilli collection, it’s hard not to be won over by her flamboyant charm.
The service mirrors Maria’s cooking. A no-nonsense attitude spills straight onto the plate. Homegrown flavours, cooked with heart and offered at a seriously low cost. The only issue was the toilet, or lack of one. Maria giggled when I asked where I could wee, before directing me to her makeshift urinal, which was more of a hole behind her house.
Casa Pizza AL Mare
An Italian pizza restaurant, but we rank this place at number three not for its Italian influence, but for its Indian dosas. Apart from curry, dosas are mine and Gina’s most ordered food in India, mainly for breakfast. At Casa, our expectations were low, but the dosas were less than two pounds, so we took a gamble.
We ended up returning to Casa every morning for our daily dosa.
Meena’s Kitchen
Now starts the battle of the fish thalis. Goan food is not complex. It mainly revolves around dahl, fish, and rice. Together, these elements make up a fish thali. After just one day in Goa, the food becomes synonymous with the region, and for good reason.
Meena’s kitchen boasts the best fish thali in Goa, with one small caveat. Directly opposite, the next restaurant on this list also claims to have the best in the land. This is no disservice to the quality of the fish thali Meena has to offer. At the time we ordered the prawn thali, it was our clear favourite. Little did we know that a new fish thali kingpin was waiting just across the road.
Rama’s Home Cooked Fish Rice
Working in marketing, I would suggest Rama’s Home Cooked Fish Rice shorten its name to simply “Rama.” That said, I don’t think the name matters much to tourists once they’ve tasted Rama’s fish thali options.
Offering prawn, red snapper, and kingfish thalis, Rama doesn’t need to sell you his food. The locals do that for him. On our first visit to Rama, one of many, an elderly man sitting beside us shared some local advice about the area. Naively, we asked him where the best place to eat was. He scowled, then said, “You are in it.” He wasn’t wrong.
A common rule in seaside towns across Asia is to walk away from the waves and find the local family restaurant tucked away from the crowds and the two-for-one cocktails. That’s where the best food lies.
