Panjim Inn
Panaji (Panjim), Goa
Breakfast is included and served in the ground floor restaurant, while lunch and dinner are available in the balcony restaurant at the front of the Inn, or as room service from the same menu.
Breakfast (7.30am – 10am) comes in the form of a buffet that could be described as winningly nostalgic or disappointingly dated depending on which side of the bed you woke up on. Expect cornflakes, juice, instant coffee, tea, turkey sausages, baked beans, fruit, puri bhaji and an egg station offering a variety of omelettes.
The lunch and dinner service (10 am – 10 pm) is a far superior affair, with some wonderful dishes coming out of the kitchen. The versatile Nepali chef at the helm has been trained, among other things, in the art of home-cooked Goan food by the family owners of the hotel.
The balcony restaurant is one of Panjim Inns’ great selling points, but only recently have they expanded their menu to complement the earlier snacks with the substantial and tasty dishes that pull in not only hotel guests but travellers staying at other hotels plus some of the city’s well-heeled residents.
Food is complemented by a wide-ranging selection of drinks and a decent cocktail list; both domestic and imported spirits sit cheerily in the nearby antique drinks cabinet.
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Menu
The menu for the day and night remains the same, and there’s a specials board with fresh seafood at daily rates, to be grilled or fried and prepared in a sauce of your choosing.
Otherwise, the menu is split between Goan dishes such as squid chilli fry, basa fry, prawn curry, the house special of sambarachi kodi (an excellent Goan curry cooked with fresh prawns in coconut milk extract and tamarind), cafreal, vindalho and fish curry rice, ‘continental’ dishes like fish and chips, chicken steak, chips, roast chicken and pasta, and north Indian favourites such as dal fry, palak paneer, aloo gobi and veg biryani.
Dining nearby
Viva Panjim, a cheerful and atmospheric Goan-Catholic restaurant that’s great value for money, is right round the corner, while Horseshoe, a 5 min walk on the Rua de Ourem, serves refined versions of rustic Goan-Portuguese dishes, the smoky Pork Feijoada being a highlight. Near the Cathedral, George is a more local, hearty affair with meats and seafood. Further into town, Ritz Classic is a favourite, with a famous seafood thali that’s amazing value. For a decent dosa (surprisingly hard to find in Goa) Navtara is reliable. If you’re after north Indian food, Delhi Darbar comes recommended while Taj Vivanta and the JW Marriot are good bets to hide from the world while indulging in some 5-star international food. Baba, a short drive south-west from Fontainhas, off the end of the Rua de Ourem, has genuinely authentic Italian food, with pizzas that are a real draw. Panaji also has a delightful culture of small, unpretentious old-style cafés serving quality samosa and puri-bhaji. Café Real, Café Tato, Café Prakash and Café Central are all highly regarded.
Also check out our guide to eating in Goa.