The one advantage about Goa when it comes to eating out is the wide range of global cuisines the
cosmopolitan state offers. The very range of cuisines available in this coastal state can compete with
the best of cities in India. Take Italian food for example. There are scores of restaurants in Goa whichoffer quality Italian food, whether in fine dining or eating at some nice earthy joints. Below we listsome of the more popular Italian restaurants in the state, where you can get your appetite for
pastas or pizzas satiated.
Baba's Wood Cafe
Baba's Wood Cafe is an Italian restaurant which specialises in traditional pizzas, pasta and
homemade gelato. The café also houses a fancy art and lifestyle boutique.
Miramar - Panaji
9168804018, 9823714098
My Place
Tucked away in Chapora, is My Place, an Italian restaurant which is known for its authentic Italian
food and is known to serve some lipsmacking ravioli. Chapora
9767020138
Basilico
Basilico in Anjuna also offers a wide range of Italian food right from pastas to pastries to raviolis,
pizzas, gnocchis to salads. Patrons of this restaurant claim the food has a touch of home to it. No
wonder they are known for their repeat clientele, always a compliment for any restaurant. The
desserts like the torta di ricotta, mousse au chocolate, tiramisu and creame brulee are also to die for
Anjuna
098221 04817
Da Tita
Eating at this cosy Italian restaurant in Majorda is like eating at home itself, such is the comfort level
of the food at Da Tita. You may choose from their variety of pizzas to parma ham or salads, the taste
lingers in the mouth, long after you’ve headed back home.
Majorda
0832 2791885
Ciao Bella Restaurant
Ciao Bella at Vagator is a restaurant started by two Italian gents. Their purpose? To serve traditional
Italian dishes alone. And did their purpose and agenda pay off? Well, their repeat customers seem to
think so.
Vagator
9765718373
Da Luigi, Park Hyatt Goa
If you want to notch it up a bit and eat Italian food in a sanitised five star environment, try the Da
Luigi at the Park Hyatt in South Goa which is known for their gourmet menu.
Cansaulim.
08322721234
Much before the Churches, mosques and the mammoth temples sprung up in Goa, the state also had a flourishing Buddhist presence. Goa’s Buddhist footprint is evident thanks to heritage structures like the Buddhist caves at Rivona in South Goa. A visit to these sixth century AD caves can be a real nice experience, especially because of the other allied activities which you can simultaneously indulge in along the way.
The caves are carved and hollowed spaces in a laterite pocket of a largish hillock. What remains today is the pitha, from where Buddhist monks of the time would have used to preach to followers of the religion about the beauty of concepts like dharma, non-violence and renunciation.
You can also see the remnants of what appears to be a water tank with steps leading to the bottom as well as a several-centuries old carved relief sculpture of Lord Hanuman.
There is also a widely held belief that the mythical Pandava brothers stayed at this cave during exile which is one of the reasons why it is still called Pandava caves.
And finally, what’s wonderful about a trip to Rivona is the natural beauty which this rural pocket abounds in. There is also a hot water spring nearby available to rest your weary legs.
A visit to Buddhist caves
Rivona, around 30 kms from Margao.
