Margao is a much quieter city but it does not lack when it comes to food. There are loads of restaurants in Margao. Many of which have been around as long as I can remember. These places have their steady clientele with their regular orders.
Yes we tend to be fixed in our ways a bit. I mean if the food is that good why not just have exactly what you want?
To get me wrong. There are a lot of interesting new restaurants in Margao that have opened up. We’ve been exploring these as and when we get a chance but it is quite impossible to list them all. Instead, I’m just going to take you for a tour of the best restaurants in Margao.
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Restaurants In Margao – Table Of Contents
- Konkani Coastal Food Delicacy
- The Goan Kitchen
- Cinnamon Bar And Restaurant
- LEDA BPS Garden Restaurant
- Pepper’s
- Spicy Family Restaurant & Bar
- Gaylin Chinese Restaurant
- China Gate
- La Salle
- AJs
- Fes Deli
- Cherry Tomato
- Ceskaz Deli Café
- Christabel’s Pastelaria
Goan Food
If you are in Goa, you definitely want to indulge in some of the local Goan cuisine. For those of you that are not familiar with it, Goan food tends to have a lot of fish. We love our fish in curry, fried, cooked and even in salad.
I still remember my grandmother who couldn’t go a single meal without a piece of fish as an accompaniment. There are many others who feel the same. If you head to one of these restaurants in Margao for Goan food, expect to be served rice curry and oodles of fish.
1. Konkani Coastal Food Delicacy
Timings: Open everyday from 8am-3pm and 7:30pm – 10:30pm
Location: Jigisha Building, Varde Valaulikar Road, Margao, opposite Cafe Tato, Goa, 403601
Konkani Coastal food delicacy opened up when we were in college. I still remember that Shawn celebrated his 21st birthday here and our entire gang took up a table and filled it with laughter. Among the numerous restaurants in Margao, this one is famous for its rice curry and fried fish.
Konkani is still a popular favorite today. In fact, if you head here during the lunch times, you will probably have to wait for a seat. On the flipside, the turnover is pretty fast since it is mainly office people who want a quick meal.
If you are a fan of fish, my advice would be to order some of the rava fried fish. This is one of Shawn’s favorites.
2. The Goan Kitchen
Timings: 9:30 am – 7pm, Tuesdays closed.
Location: Shop No 18, Pereira Plaza, opposite Hospicio Hospital Road, Pajifond, Margao, Goa 403601
The Goan Kitchen opened relatively recently. It was one of our favorites before we headed back to Bangalore when work from home came to an end.
According to me, this is one of the restaurants in Margao which has the best decor.
The mosaic at the entrance particularly is very intriguing. The restaurant specializes in making traditional Goan dishes. Many of these dishes aren’t being prepared any more or are hard to get. I remember that during the last Christmas season, I got orchato from here. This is a traditional Goan drink that is made out of almonds.
The Goan Kitchen also has a lot of interesting snacks. You can choose to get a takeaway or you can even sit in their upstairs sitting area and snack.
3. Cinnamon Bar And Restaurant
Cinnamon Bar And Restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Margao for a Goan fish thali.
Timings: Open everyday from 11:30 pm – 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Location: Govt. Rest House, Monte Hill, Margao, Goa 403601
I honestly fell in love with Cinnamon Bar and restaurant because it has some good food and is relatively cheap compared to most of the restaurants in Margao.
The specialty of Cinnamon Bar and restaurant is their ultra large thali. They call it the Bhatkar thali. It has loads of different options.
Just note that you need a humongous appetite and you need to be two people at the very least to eat it!
They do have smaller thalis which are equally as good and are more in line with what a single person can eat. These are still quite a large quantity. It is my favorite place to eat because the price to value of the food has always been very good.
4. LEDA BPS Garden Restaurant
Timings: Tue – Sun: 11 am – 3 pm, 7 pm – 11:30 pm, Monday closed.
Location: BPS Sports Club, Near Nanutel, Bernardo Peres da Silva Rd, near Tato’s, Pajifond, Margao, Goa 403601
LEDA BPS Garden restaurant was a place that we stumbled into one day when we wanted a chill place that served Goan food. It turned out to be a place that we would head to whenever we were in town on a Friday evening.
LEDA serves up some really good Goan food. We have never ever had a complaint. This isn’t a place that you head to for a thali. Most of the dishes are ala carte. Almost every dish that we have ordered has been something we loved. That’s saying something!
One of the things that we love about LEDA is the live music. You can catch it every Friday evening which is why we tend to visit it on Fridays. It definitely adds to the ambiance.
5. Pepper’s
Timings: Open everyday from 11:30 am – 3 pm, 7 pm – 11pm
Location: 15, 604, Gold Road, near Child Care School, Pajifond, Margao, Goa 403601
Pepper’s is another great place if you are looking for restaurants in Margao that serve Goan food. This restaurant is based out of an old Goan house that was reconstructed to house the restaurant. I’ve been here a couple of times over the years and one thing that I can say is that the quality has not changed much.
It is a great place if you want to sit and catch up with friends while indulging in a good meal. Other than the decor, I also love the huge windows which give you a bird’s eye view of the street below.
Usually you will find that there is ample parking since it is a little out of the city.
6. Spicy Family Restaurant & Bar
Spicy Family Restaurant & Bar is one of the most popular restaurants in Margao.
I visited Spicy Family Restaurant & Bar on my recent trip back home. The restaurant wasn’t really crowded when we got there but we got there pretty early in the afternoon. By around 12:30 pm, the crowds began to pick up and by 1 pm there was a line outside.
The restaurant is really famous for their seafood Goan thalis. We tried the seafood thali and some ala carte fried fish. I’ll be honest. That thali was great. The quantities were limited compared to the Cinnamon Bar & Restaurant. The fried fish was average at best.
The restaurant is however easily accessible especially if you are shopping in Margao market.
Chinese
When it comes to the chinese restaurants in Margao, you will find that there are a number of places that have a lot of chinese food. If you ask a local, they will however point you to two restaurants that have been around for at least two decades or more.
If I have to be honest, of these two, Gaylin Chinese Restaurant is my favorite.
7. Gaylin Chinese Restaurant
If you are looking for restaurants in Margao that serve Chinese food, then you can’t go wrong with Gaylin.
Timings: Open everyday from 11:45 am – 3 pm and 6:45 pm – 11 pm
Location: 1,Shar & Sorai Apartment, Varde Valaulikar Rd, Margao, Goa 403601
Gaylin is one of the iconic spots in Margao. It offers a large variety of different Chinese items on the menu. I must have been around ten years old when I first visited this restaurant. It has been a place that I have loved ever since.
In fact, even during the pandemic, we would place our orders from here and get them delivered to Colva because none of the other Chinese restaurants held a candle to it.
Things on the menu that you really should try are the different varieties of fried rice. The noodles are pretty good too. Most kids tend to love the noodles. Shawn and I order the mixed fried rice every single time. Our side orders keep changing but this remains our constant.
8. China Gate
China Gate is another one of the popular Chinese restaurants in Margao.
Timings: Open everyday from 11 am – 3 pm and 7 pm – 11 pm
Location: Midland Apartment, Margao, near Woodland Hotel, Goa, 403601
Quite as much a fixture as Gaylin, China Gate has been around for a long while. When Gaylin is not available, we usually turn to China Gate. Previously, China Gate was just a shorter walking distance if you wanted to eat out and that was what usually won out. Plus my grandmom loved taking us here as a treat.
Don’t expect exceptional food here. The food is good. The prices are decent and the service is on point.
Continental And Fast Food
Margao has a lot of places if you are looking for continental food or fast food. The number of these is growing every single time we visit the city. I decided just to name a few of my top picks when it came to the restaurants in Margao.
9. La Selle
Timings: Thursday to Tuesday: 9:30 am to 10:30pm (Tuesday is till 10 pm), Wednesday closed.
Location: La Selle, Saaket Nirvana, Padre Pedru Ferrao Rd, near Magsons, Fatorda, Margao, Goa 403602
La Selle is one of my top favorites. The menu in this restaurant is really innovative and no matter how many times we have visited, they have always delivered perfection. The restaurant has two sitting areas. One is down in the basement and no matter where you sit, you can be assured that the decor will be cool and quirky.
So what do we love at La Selle? Breakfast in La Selle is always divine. Think poached eggs on toast with all kinds of toppings. I’m drooling already. In addition to this, they have a mean mac and cheese with either bacon, chorizo or prawn toppings. Highly recommended!
I’m not a liver person BUT if you are here, then give their liver pate a try. It is divine. I have never tasted anything quite like it anywhere else.
10. AJs
AJs is one of the most popular restaurants in Margao.
Timings: Tuesday to Sunday: 9:30 am – 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Sunday it closes at 9 pm), Monday closed.
Location: Kk white House, Near Don Bosco College, Murida Road, Murida, Fatorda, Margao, Goa 403602
I’ve been a big fan of AJs for years now. Heck, this cool café/ restaurant was around when Shawn and I were dating. Albeit at a different location back then. A friend of ours had visited their store and came back telling us that their chicken wings and burgers were the absolute best in town.
Obviously we all trooped out to find out for ourselves. Numerous burgers and plates of chicken wings later it was voted the best place to eat. AJs may have changed its location but it has retained its vibe.
It is one of the laid back restaurants in Margao that you are bound to find a place to sit. The aesthetics are designed to encourage conversations and the huge tables are always piled with food because you just can’t help but order food.
Top things to eat here are the pizzas, burgers, chicken wings and desserts. Make sure you take your friends!
11. Fes Deli
Timings: Monday to Saturday: 8 am – 9:30 pm, Sunday closed.
Location: PM Dias Residency, Borda, Margao, Goa 403601
I’ve not been to Fes Deli in awhile but it was my favorite place to catch a bite to eat when I was pregnant. I think in part it was because their meals always felt so wholesome. In fact, there were times I would even order in. Mind you, we were staying in Colva back then.
Fes Deli has a cute seating area and a couple of board games to keep you going. There aren’t a lot of tables but we never really had a problem finding a spot to sit. I highly recommend the calzone here. The sandwiches are good too. If you are thirsty then try one of the shakes. These are probably one of the best things on the menu.
12. Cherry Tomato
Timings: Open every day from 12 pm to 10:30 pm
Location: Rua De Saudades Road, Pajiifond, behind Hosoicio Govt Hospital, Margao, Goa 403601
If you are looking for restaurants in Margao that serve up great burgers then you really can’t go wrong with Cherry Tomato. Located close to BPS club, this cute spot has a pretty cool ambiance.
It has an indoor and outdoor seating area which is great for people like me who prefer to avoid the smoking crowd that sits outdoors. Plus no mosquitoes indoors.
Cherry Tomato has some really huge burgers. I remember the one that we ordered required Shawn, Joanne and me to finish it up! Did I mention that there were loads of onion rings included in the plate too?
The restaurant also has some great cocktails and the prices are pretty reasonable too. Another great part about Cherry Tomato is the parking. There is plenty available in and around the area and unlike the other restaurants in Margao, you don’t have to worry about where you can park your vehicle.
13. Ceskaz Deli Café
Timings: Tuesday – Sunday: 10 am – 10 pm
Location: Garden, Roma Apartments, near Spring of Ana Fonte, Pajifond, Margao, Goa 403601
Ceskaz Deli Cafe is really one of the restaurants in Margao but I would say that it falls on a thin gray line between cafe and restaurant.
While Ceskaz has your traditional café food including sandwiches, baked goods and desserts, it also serves up some really delicious meals. This is why I included it in the list. The place can get pretty crowded especially towards the end of day which means that the service slows a bit. It is definitely worth the wait.
14. Christabel’s Pastelaria
Christabel’s Pastelaria is one of the best restaurants in Margao for a nice wholesome meal.
Timings: Monday to Saturday: 9 am – 6 pm
Location: Shop No. S-1, Lea Majestic Building “B Nagmodem, Navelim, Margao, Goa 403707
If you are ever in the Navelim area then Christabel’s Pastelaria is a must visit. Started up by a young entrepreneur, this restaurant has a lot of little delicacies to offer. In fact, it is more of a café than a restaurant really.
Some of the must have items on the menu include the grilled sandwiches. They have a very homey feeling to them and definitely pair it up with some hot coffee. Our kids love iced tea here too.
I haven’t tried them yet but there are a couple of meals on offer for lunch. The chicken biryani is supposed to be really good.
And there you have it. These are the top restaurants in Margao that we find ourselves visiting again and again over time.
Many of them have been around for years. If we have not added your favorite spot to our list of restaurants in Margao then let us know in the comments below. I’ll make sure to add it in.
