The Goan staple diet consists of rice and fish curry along with pickles and fried fish. This can be found on many of the beach shacks. The Goan cuisine is a blend of Portuguese and local flavours. Many dishes such as prawn balchao and Kingfish in Garlic have distinct Portuguese flavour.

Dishes such as Vindaloo and Xacuti (pronounced Cha'cuti) will be familiar from Indian restaurant menus, and are originally Goan dishes.

Priyatu Mondal's Restaurant, Morgim. Wow. Voted among top beach shacks in the world by The Guardian. great French and Continental food and view, though poor service when owners are absent. very expensive  edit

After Seven Restaurant - reviewed favorably in Frommers, Rough Guides, Uppercrust - well known for steaks, seafood, pastas

Montego Bay Goa (Morjim)- full fledged restaurant serving Continental, Indian, Seafood and the local Goan Cuisine [18]

Cavala, Baga - Beautiful authentic Goan food in a charming setting. Also great entertainment is often featured!

Martin's Corner, Betalbatim

Pentagon, Majorda - round the corner from Martin's Corner, just as good but not as pricey

J & A's, Arpora

Stone House, Candolim - garden bar and rest - great cooking lovely atmosphere

Caji's Place, Colva-Near to The Oceanique Resort, the best steaks in Goa, also known for its fresh and spectacular curries. English fish and chips night on thursday, plus normal menu. Large, new, circular bar where you can watch all the live English Premier football or just chill with an ice-cold beer. Meet great people (locals and tourists) and enjoy the laid back atmosphere.

Dominos Pizza, Margao 0832-2713888, 2713660-61 Shop No.11-12, Durga Apartments,Louis Miranda Road , Near Saaj Hotel , Margao - 403601

Tato's in Margao and Panjim for good Pau Bhaji.

Posh, at Nerul, near the post-office, opened in November 2007 for brunch and dinner, a sister concern of After Seven Restaurant, Calangute, serves International cuisine, British Colonial and Goan Food

Most beaches have shacks that serve surprisingly delicious meals, specially sea-food and they'll usually consult you to see how you like your food. Don't miss the shack eating experience. You'll want to go back and do it again. Most fancy hotels and restaurants serve terrible foods, it is best to eat at local places, ask a taxi driver where these would be and don't let him take you to any fancy restaurants as they receive commission. For a taste of the local flavour with clean facilities but low prices go to Caji's Place, Colva.

But if you're looking for taste, and not ambience, here's where you could seek. Caution -- some of these places are really rough, though tasty:

Aflatoon 'Hotel', near the masjid alongside Alankar cinema in Mapusa. Be prepared to share tables with the scruffiest of characters and dig into tasty mutton biryani (Rs 40), beef biryani (Rs 20), soft parathas (Rs 5), seekh kababs (Rs 10) and the rest...This is Muslim-style food.

Goan-Nonveg fast-food joints (they run out of adapted handcarts) at Santa Cruz (near the church) and Miramar (adjoining Clube Gaspar Dias). Meat-based sandwiches for Rs 10, tasty and easy-to-carry. Real home-style food at down-to-earth prices. No wonder one outlet at Miramar sells 800 bread a day! You can also get similarly delicious Goan cooking at the roadside in Agaciam (just before the bridge) or sausages ('choris-pao') at the Agaciam market.

Ajanta, near the Old Panjim Bus Stand, just before you new bridge over the Pato creek. Typical Pernem-style Goan food. Simple, tasty fish-curry-rice. Spicy too. Riceplates are Rs 20-25. The special dishes (chicken, occasionally crab) are fiery hot and spicy.

Alisha, opposite the new Goa legislative assembly. Both these above come from the cuisine of Hindu Goa (there are some variants among this too, depending on region, class and caste).

Sarovar. What can you get for Rs 25? Two parathas, butter-milk, three curries, curd, rice, a sweetdish, pickle... Naturally crowded in the afternoons. Even more naturally, the waiters can be quite friendly since at this value-for-money it hardly hurts to give a five rupee tip (great by local standards) each time!

Generally, almost every Udupi or 'Kamat' restaurant in the state. This cuisine finds its origin outside Goa's borders, along the south Karnataka coast. But, what the heck, the food maintains its standards and taste, that even some among the local Christian population (who's diet is or has been actually non-vegetarian) have developed a taste for this. Standard meals average Rs 20-30.

The lone 'shack' (at the time of writing, 2003) on Siridao beach. This fishing village is tucked away off the Panjim-Margao highway, just before the Agaciam-Cortalim bridge. Fish dishes, it's speciality naturally.

Hotel Mangalore, by the roadside about a kilometre away from Canacona's main tiny town, Chaudi. Don't get misled by the term 'hotel', this is a roadside eatery. It's close to Char Rasta, literally, Four Roads, the point where they meet. Not to be confused with another restaurant of the same name, that lies closer to the petrol pump. The 2002-end prices were pegged at 'deluxe fish c. rice' (the 'c' is for curry) at Rs 80, a semi-deluxe version for half that price, and a 'local' equivalent for one-fourth. Obviously chicken is its specialty.

Check the fish preparations of the restaurant that's under the bridge at the Cortalim end. Traditional Catholic Goan style, good value for money.

Cafe Prakash, a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Panjim. Near the Azad Maidan close to the ferry jetty. Nothing exceptional here, except that some of us local journalists consider it to be the "unofficial" press club of Goa each evening (lots of gossip!) and you could dwadle over a cup of tea (Rs 3) for three hours. No questions asked!

Ernesto's, in Panjim is a good place for portugese cusine. It serves by far the best steaks I've tasted and is relatively inexpensive. It is on the second floor and it has just a neon indicator spelling out the name of the place, which is not very visible during the day. Look out for the Vasco da gama club.

Sagar Kinara Restaurant, near Colva Beach. If you are bored of Goan food, try something different. This is a place for authentic & tasteful north-Indian vegetarian cuisine.

Titos Courtyard, Multicuisine restaurant on Titos Lane. Specialises in seafood and is one of the oldest restaurants established in 1971.