At 9% of the populace, India has the highest number of vegans in the world! Goa has come aboard with this choice, with many restaurants across the state thoughtfully curating dishes on their menus to cater to this lifestyle preference. Here’s a list of vegan gems to try on your next visit.
Amavi, Calangute
Chef Sumera, partner Amavi, derived a menu tailored to address the challenges faced by her lactose-intolerant niece. An inspiring story, her flavours are built from the ground up. The Smoked Tomato Tart with roasted cauliflower and vegan cream is a visual and sensory delight laced with peppery nasturtiums and tapenade. Created as an ideal daytime dish, the lightly smoked tomato has a dusting of spice to contrast against a cool cauliflower cream and tapenade with the heat of the nasturtiums rounding off on one’s palate.
Zest, Palolem
This café on the laidback beaches of Palolem is a traveller’s delight. Beautifully curated with a wholesome menu, it’s a relaxed setting to enjoy all day long, especially after a yoga session. The vegan pizza with homemade cashew cheese and vegan pepperoni is a delight. One has multiple options of toppings to choose from and building one’s pizza is an experience in itself.
Sublime, Assagao
In the heart of Assagao, lies Sublime. Run by Chris - Chef & owner, his curations are known far and wide. With Aline Roser from Karma Kitchen, they have designed a sublime dish - Vegan Bolognese and Chorizo with seitan and vegan parmesan. A gastronomic indulgence to the senses, one does a double take seeing vegan chorizo! Rest assured, the flavours are on point and quite close to the real thing.
La Plage, Mandrem
Paris in Goa is what many consider this tropical beach establishment to be. Cool, swaying trees, cabanas, and thatched roofs make for a relaxing surf-and-sand vibe. Order the vegan foie gras followed by crisp vegan burgers with seitan, and end with a dairy-free chocolate ice cream.
Sakana, Anjuna
Located in the heart of the bustling road from Anjuna towards Chapora, Maria, the owner, greets you with a welcoming smile in this idyllic garden setting Japanese restaurant. Always innovating and keeping up with new trends, her food is consistent and speaks volumes via fresh produce. The vegan yakitori chicken is her latest ode to a healthier, meat-free lifestyle, along with the gluten-free chocolate pudding to end the meal on a sweet note.
Grand Hyatt, Bambolim
Chef Aline Roser of Karma Kitchen along with Chef David has curated indulgent offerings ranging from meatless chorizo to vegan yogurt for dessert. The menu expands to their famous wicked liquid brunch which has Vegan Tacos with vegan chorizo, toddy vinegar, and pickled cabbage with fresh plum tomatoes and avocado.
Thalassa, Siolim
A hotspot party destination with scrumptious offerings from Greece, Mariketty Grana brought Greek cuisine to Goa. Thalassa is an oasis overlooking the expanse of the river, opening into the sea ahead. Head there for a sundowner and relax as you enjoy the vegan gyros with a vegan gourmet French mayo. Served piping hot with French fries and a wholesome salad this is a dish that will have you request a repeat.
Antares, Vagator
A destination on every Goa traveller’s list, Antares Restaurant & Beach Club has a reinvented menu that’s holistically focused on meat-free meals apart from the crowd favourites. Ashish Dev Kapur - partner, has tied up with Aline Roser from Karma Kitchen to bring to light reinvented classics of French cuisine in the form of a vegan Cordon Bleu with vegan bacon jerky. A riot of flavours emulating the French classic in the heart of Vagator, this is one dish that is highly recommended.
Karma Kitchen, Siolim
Aline Roser is the French chef bringing to light many vegan dishes in Goa. She presents a select menu of vegan dishes from Siolim from an independent café as well as plays consultant to many restaurants around Goa. The core value system encompasses no sugars and no added preservatives to ensure wholesome produce makes its way to the end customer. A must-try is the Mini Vegan Burger with vegan bacon and cheddar, with a made-in-house, plant-based burger patty.
Nolan
Known as Mr. Nobody, Nolan wears many hats. An investment banker by profession, he quit the corporate world to pursue his passion for food & travel. In his current avatar he's an independent writer having bylined for numerous national and international publications. A columnist, he contributes to Goa Garnishes for Upper Crust Spotlighting gems of food and drink across Goa for his readers. He is also the recipient of the Gourmand Best in the world for Historical Recipes for his pictorial documentation in The Culinary Heritage of Goa. An intrepid traveller and award-winning photojournalist, his works have been exhibited across multiple art galleries in India and abroad. He spends most of his time divided between sampling various gastronomic offerings and his unending quest for new and far-flung places to discover. As a juror, he is present for CulinaryCulture with Vir Sanghvi for India's Top 30 Chefs. In the nightlife fraternity his views are tallied for INCA Awards as well as 30 BestBars in India as Jury member from Goa. A passion for mixology and his cooking skills he's the culinary curator for his giveback passion project to Goa with The Poder Chronicles- an ode to the humble breadman. He is also the Culinary Curator for Mahindra Open Drive, a charitable initiative by the Mahindra group for a multitude of social causes. His pride and passion lie with his motorcycles and he is an avid sneaker-head and graphic novel buff. A recipient of the Karmaveer Puraskar from the United Nations with Rex is the second highest civilian honour showcasing his love for social causes he's pursued for over a decade.
