Anjuna is one of the most popular coastal villages in North Goa. From gaining popularity in the 1960s as a thriving hub of hippie culture to the 2000s when it became a hotspot for electronic trance parties, Anjuna has changed drastically through the decades. Today, it boasts of posh hotels, restaurants by the hundreds, and a booming real estate market. It acts as a launching pad from where many of Goa’s tourists begin their exploration of Goa. A few things that have continued to remain popular in Anjuna over time are its beautiful beach, the flea market, and the little pockets of Goa’s village charm that hopefully will not disappear at the rate at which Anjuna is developing.
Note – If you’re new to my blog, I write about things I’ve tried, loved, and would recommend. While Anjuna has hundreds of things to do, places to eat at, and things to see, here’s my guide to Anjuna with tried-and-tested finds:
Where to Stay in Anjuna
Casa Boutique Hotels has a stunning property in Anjuna that is cloaked in greenery and exudes charm, both inside and out! Every room is tastefully done up and the property almost bursts at the seams with antique furniture and art. This pool resort has around 8-10 rooms and suites, and each one is done up differently. From 4-poster beds to work desks to cute little sit-outs and tons of tropical plants, you’ll fall in love with this Instagrammable hotel. There is a restaurant on the premises, offering Goan, Indian and Continental food, and the service is extremely warm!
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Laguna Anjuna – This resort positions itself as a ‘vintage country house,’ that encapsulates the essence of free-spirited Goa. What sets this budget resort in Anjuna apart is the fact that you are surrounded by lush greenery – insects, small animals, and everything that comes with being in the wilderness. The pool is one of the biggest you’ll see in a hotel of this stature, and once in it, the foliage around will make you feel like you are, in fact, in a lagoon. The rooms are spacious and are built using natural materials, making the room naturally cool once you enter. While the resort could use quite a bit of upkeep, those who tend to prefer well-manicured gardens, prompt service, and plush rooms over rustic stays should pick another hotel.
Places to Visit in Anjuna
Anjuna Beach – One of the most popular beaches in Goa, Anjuna beach was once a hippie paradise and later became known for psytrance as well as rave parties. The beach is easily accessible with scooters and cars and the road to the beach, like most, is lined with shops selling beachwear, footwear, cheap clothes, and knick-knacks. The beach has a lot of rocks jutting out from the sand and extending into the water, but much of the shoreline has soft, golden sand you can take a stroll on, or lay a blanket down and enjoy the sunset. You will find a lot of beach shacks along Anjuna beach and plenty of watersports such as parasailing, jet-skiing, and banana boat rides for thrill seekers of all ages.
Visit the Anjuna Flea Market – Happening every Wednesday, the flea market was once one of the popular things to do in Anjuna. The items you find here today will be available in many markets in Goa and they are 2x the price, so bring along your bargaining skills. Don’t expect a market like those in Mapusa and Panjim. Over here, you will find only a dozen-odd shops, and you will be lucky if you go home with a haul from this market.
Where to Eat in Anjuna
You’ll be hard-pressed to walk a few hundred meters without finding some sort of eating joint in Anjuna. Restaurants in Anjuna, Vagator, and Assagao are mushrooming left, right and center. I often wonder how all of them manage to survive. Nevertheless, here are some of the best places to eat in Anjuna.
Bakeries in Anjuna – It’s been quite a while since my last visit to Cafe Cotinga, but during every visit, their desserts stood out. Try their Banoffee Pie and cheesecake and you can’t go wrong. Two popular cafes among tourists in Anjuna are Babka and Artjuna. While the prices and offerings at Babka largely deter Goans from visiting, tourists often flock to this little cafe for the bakes, their coffee, and for a photo op outside the pretty exteriors. Artjuna appears to be a rite of passage among tourists in Goa and manages to please almost every visitor with its Israeli and Mediterranean food. This Anjuna cafe is a popular spot for digital nomads to work out of, and they also have a lifestyle store on the premises.
Indian Food – Why would North Indians travel to Goa to eat North Indian food, you ask? If you find out, let me know! Angry Sardar and Kourm are two great Indian restaurants in Anjuna. Find Butter Chicken, Seekh Kebab, Tandoori items, Biryani, and the usual suspects on both menus. While Angry Sardar is the bigger and more colourful (not to mention, more livelier) of the two restaurants, I prefer Kourm, for Indian food. Here, butter, ghee, and cream don’t overpower the taste of everything you order. Instead, you can taste the subtle flavours, the quality of meats, and the spice mixes made in-house. I also personally love a little takeaway restaurant called Mabrouk in Anjuna, for its fabulous kebabs – do try them out!
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Best Burgers in Goa – Like Artjuna, Burger Factory features high on the list of tourists’ agendas – and with good reason. The burgers are arguably the best in Goa. Pass by this popular burger joint anytime during open hours and try to spot an empty seat – I dare you.
World Cuisine – Mahe, located in a stunning black Goan house, attempts to do justice to India’s coastal cuisine. Every dish highlights local ingredients but is elevated with a global spin. O’Aido is a much more relaxed, al-fresco restaurant that endeavors to do Portuguese-, or rather, European-inspired Goan food. I’d highly recommend the honey-glazed pork ribs, but you can also order their stuffed poees for a filling snack/meal. Lastly, the ever-popular Bomras, an iconic Burmese restaurant, has moved base from Sinquerim to Anjuna, finding a home opposite the equally popular Cream Choc gelato store.
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Restaurants with Field Views – From field views to sea views, Anjuna’s restaurant scene spoils you with choice. Baba au Rhum and Prana Cafe both offer breezy field views and are located side by side. Baba au Rhum is usually crowded and offers great breakfasts, an all-day menu of pizzas, burgers, and salads, as well as delicious bakes – croissants, bread and so much more. Prana Cafe is a more upscale restaurant that focuses on fresh food made with quality ingredients. You’ll find big bowl meals, salads, and sandwiches as well as delish small plates and smoothies. If you’d like one of the coveted tables by the fields, reserve a table in advance.
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Restaurants by the Sea – Finding a beachside place that doesn’t only get hype because of the view, but also because of the food, hospitality and vibe is a rare thing in Goa. Lush By The Cliff is one of those places – an enthralling sundowner spot in Anjuna that’s beautifully created in levels so you can enjoy these purple-y skies and salty breeze, wherever you’re seated. The food is a mix of Indian, Chinese, and Continental – I mostly tried the Indian food by coincidence, and especially enjoyed the butter garlic crabs and cheese-stuffed mushrooms. I’d recommend both in a heartbeat!
Sweet Treats in Anjuna – Cream Choc at Mazal Vaddo and Giani at Starco Junction are two of the best ice cream spots in Anjuna. Cream Choc has top-quality gelato and is often buzzing until the wee hours of the morning. While Gianni Ice Cream Anjuna is also open until 4 AM with an array of flavours and offerings that easily triple that of Cream Choc, it has yet to catch on in popularity.
Cafes in Anjuna – Babka and Cafe Cotinga also fall in the category of cafes in Goa, but Felix serves the best coffee of the lot, in my opinion. Felix Goa is a cafe, contemporary restaurant, bar, and co-working space all rolled up in one. So whether you want to start your day with an American/European breakfast, drop in for coffee/smoothies, have a light bite like sandwiches or enjoy a global-inspired lunch and dinner comprising of steaks, pork ribs and the like, you’ll find this place to fit the bill. If it’s a cloudy day, the garden area is a nice place to relax, and in the sweltering heat, the indoor section (in a Goan house) is comfortable.
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Pan Asian Food – Roboto is one of my favourite Pan Asian restaurants in Goa offering Japanese cuisine in a youthful, classy environment. A high-quality, high-value Japanese restaurant in Anjuna, Roboto has everything you need for it to become your next go-to spot for date nights, family meals, and dinners with friends. The indoor and outdoor sections are quite contrasting, but each space offers a comfortable, casual, and warm space to dine in. If you like South East Asian flavours, they are impeccably done and I’m sure you’ll be pleased no matter what you try.
Sunday Brunch – Looking for Sunday brunches in Anjuna? Your search will lead you to Westin Goa once more, this time to the wonderful Spice Traders. One of the things that make this brunch in Goa unique is that it offers only Pan-Asian cuisine – one of my personal favourites! Live counters dished up sushi, satay, flavourful salads, Thai curry, and live roast fish and chicken counters. To compliment that is a menu of baos, dumplings, Pan Asian starters, a handful of main course options, and desserts.
Fine Dining – Thyme & Ash, a place after my own heart! Located in Westin Goa, Thyme & Ash’s menu is a breathtaking assortment of artfully composed plates, and the attentive service elevates the experience even further. An excellent option for a special occasion and a must-do for food connoisseurs visiting Goa. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a restaurant that’s unafraid to push the envelope and I am so thrilled that food like this has finally made its way to Goa.
Best Breakfast – An absolute must-do in Anjuna is to visit Orange Boom Anjuna for breakfast. Running since 1989, this cheerful restaurant specializes in breakfasts and is only open from 7 AM to 3 PM. Get eggs your way, a variety of English and American breakfast options, juices, smoothies, muesli, toasts with your choice of toppings, coffee/tea and so much more. Not a Sunday goes by without my family planning a visit here – even though we go just 2-3 times a year.
I hope you found this guide useful! I will update it with things like stores to shop at, co-working spaces, and more, as and when I try them out.
You may also like to read my epic guide to Panjim here. Do let me know what place you’d like me to write a guide on next! Until then!
Indian tourists like Anjuna Beach for its beautiful landscape, enchanting sunset view, the flea market, restaurants and club and love to hang out here. The foreign tourists get pestered by the beach vendors asking to check their jypsy shops and find it disturbing that Indians keep taking the photos of the white western women.
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*sigh* it’s unfortunate, Anshumali, but true.
Things are slowly changing though. I don’t think that Caucasians and Europeans are as exotic a sight as they once were. But it will take a few more years to see a massive difference.