4 Best Restaurants in Goa, India

At this popular fine-dining restaurant, dishes are "re-visited, re-interpreted, and re-invented" with infused flavors, and all the food is beautifully plated. As the name suggests, A Reverie has a dreamlike, elegant ambience: the space is painted in warm earthy tones, but there are stylish overtones of bling; it's accented by dimmed lounge areas, crystal chandeliers, and wrought-iron decorative furniture.

In the tranquil, slow-paced old village of Raia is one of the best restaurants in the state, set in the late chef Fernando's country house. Now run by his wife, the restaurant serves classic Goan and Portugese-Goan dishes, and there's live music Thursday through Sunday.

Smack-dab in the middle of Panjim, this Goan institution is indisputably the best place in town for home-style Goan food---and as most of the regulars are locals, the kitchen doesn't hold back on the spice. The menu is vast and enticing, so either visit as part of a large group, or when absolutely ravenous (but yet able to wait for a table; the service is brisk so the wait shouldn't be too long).

Rugged Vagator Beach is the seductive backdrop for Mariketty Grana's popular whitewashed Greek restaurant, which is on top of a low cliff overlooking the rocky shores of Little Vagator. Thalassa's vibrant chef re-creates authentic food from her native Corfu, often served against a backdrop of live music and beautiful sunset views. Thalassa also has fairly reasonably priced rooms on offer---book them well in advance.