Restaurants in Assagao You Need to Try
Goa, known for its serene beaches, lush greenery, vibrant nightlife, and rich culture, is now gaining popularity for being recognized and appreciated for its rise in the culinary scene. This is especially true for North Goa, with a range of upcoming restaurants, high-end bars, and trendy cafes mushrooming across the tourist hotspots. Assagao is one such locality that is bustling with culinary activities.
Chefs and mixologists have begun transforming the culinary scene, setting up shop and introducing a range of delightful flavours and dining experiences. Chefs are blending local ingredients with new-age culinary techniques and bringing culinary influences from across the globe. Mixologists are crafting signature cocktails that promise to be your new favorites. Assagao’s dining landscape is rising to new heights with a number of restaurants that demand to be dined at by tourists as well as locals.
Bawri
Bawri is an upcoming Indian cuisine restaurant run by chef Amninder Sandhu, who draws inspiration from the Northeast, where she spent most of her childhood. She maintains a three-pronged approach—healthy, clean, and sustainable—in her kitchen. Health-conscious guests can breathe easy here, with all food being prepared using olive oil, cold-pressed coconut oil, and ghee, a healthier alternative to refined oil. The restaurant even has a dedicated space on the menu for vegan dishes.
The rustic ambience is another factor that makes this restaurant a must-visit. It boasts bamboo and pottery craftsmanship, macramé chandeliers with soft amber lighting, ample green spaces, tables, and low seating options. The floating wooden cabanas by the Koi pond separate Bawri from the restaurant’s other venture, VietNom. The beautiful ambience and the flavourful dishes make dining at Bawri a feast for the eyes and the palate.
Gunpowder
This garden-style restaurant draws inspiration from South Indian cuisine, with dishes inspired by the flavours of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The menu features a range of dishes, from spicy Kerala beef fry to flavourful Andhra-style prawns. Diners at Gunpowder are spoilt for choice. In addition to dining indoors, the restaurant also features open-air seating enveloped by lush greenery with Goan architecture as the backdrop.
Housed in a Portuguese-style heritage villa, Gunpowder shares the space with the brand People Tree. Diners waiting for their table can spend their time browsing through a collection of art pieces, sustainable clothing and boho apparel, handmade jewellery pieces, and much more.
Ciao Bella
Ciao Bella shares every diner’s appreciation for quality Italian food. Equipped to seat close to 60 people, the restaurant offers a choice of four separate dining areas.
Run by Simona and Mario, the restaurant offers a small and concise menu of authentic Italian dishes that are sure to leave its diners impressed. The menu features a dedicated section for handmade pasta and a section for pizzas cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven, lending the pizzas a smoky flavour. With ingredients sourced from Italy to maintain its authenticity, try the homemade Sage & Butter Ravioli, Beef Carpaccio, Seafood Pasta, Black Tagliatelle with Salmon, and more. For dessert, be sure to try the crème brûlée, panna cotta, or homemade sorbetto—a dessert option for vegans.
Taupe by Titlie
Housed in a 150-year-old villa in Assagao, Taupe by Titlie shares a wall with Barfly, a cocktail-forward bar. This concept was conceived by partners at Titlie Hospitality—Tarun Sibal, Bipin Sibal, Shyaam Khurana, and Karrtik Dhingra.
Taupe, a colour spectrum encompassing greys, blues, and mauves like the shades on a butterfly (titlie), is the colour palette incorporated throughout the space. With minimalistic decor and verdant foliage surrounding the villa, the restaurant offers indoor dining space, patio seating, and an outdoor platform for more intimate gatherings.
The menu at Taupe offers regional Indian dishes with a contemporary twist. Try out the creamed burrata papdi chaat. The dish is accompanied by an achaar purée, amchur chutney, and jalapeños mixed in. Even the bread combinations are nothing short of interesting. The Malwani chicken sukka is paired with missi roti, the dal khurchan with biscuit bread, the tawa meat with phulka, and the prawn balchao with poie (a famous Goan bread). The menu also showcases a selection of pastas and pizzas for diners who are in no mood to experiment. The cocktails incorporate Goan flavours and are a must-try. Choose from Jamun Kokum Highball, the Parra Road Colada, Verde, and more.
Whether you are in the mood for or looking to explore traditional Goan fare or regional or global cuisine with a contemporary fusion, restaurants in Assagao provide a myriad of choices that promise a delightful dining experience.
