Avanti

If you’re not Goan, and haven’t any Goan friend whose kitchen you can raid, Avanti is your next best option for home-style Goan food. Located along the river in the Latin Quarter in Panjim’s heritage district, this restaurant has been around since the late 90s, and is frequented by locals and tourists to this day, despite a slew of snazzy new restaurants promising a more indulgent experience. Perched on the first floor above a busy street, the restaurant is frill-free—basic wooden tables and chairs, plastic place-mats, simple cutlery—but scores with its food. Most regulars come here for the Shark Ambotik curry (a spicy mix of kokum, vindaloo and xacuttis generously loaded with shark meat), although the menu also offers a smorgasbord of fresh seafood including oysters, mussels, squid, fresh-water prawn, crab, pomfret and kingfish. To top it off, the prices are unbeatable. Owned by a Goan couple that knows their flavours, Avanti nails it every single time.