The best bars in Goa

What it is: A nautical-themed rum bar right on the water in the fishing village of Dona Paula, built around sailor's-den camaraderie, model boats and striped wallpaper, and one of the deepest rum collections in the country. 

Why go: Between the treasure-map decor, the communal table at its centre, and rum-tasting flights that run from light and grassy to dark and funky, it's one of the most theatrical nights out in Goa and unlike a lot of theme bars, the cocktails back it up. Expect classics alongside curveballs like the Tiki Negroni and a drink simply called Walking Dead. The kitchen leans into fresh seafood and Goan home cooking, deliberately understated so it never competes with the rum-forward drinks list. 

Time Out tip: The real magic happens at sundown so make sure this is the first bar you hit on your pub crawl. If you can’t make it on time, stay past midnight for the bar's unofficial Titanic singalong which has become a Goa nightlife rite of passage. 

Recommended drink: The Old Cuban, or anything from the rum-tasting flight. 

Getting there: Located by Dona Paula jetty, a short but winding drive from the parking lot. GPS can be unreliable on the final stretch, best to make a reservation and let the bar send someone to get you.

Address: Dona Paula, Hawaii Beach, Dona Paula Rd, Jetty Rd, Dona Paula Jetty, Panaji, Goa 403004

Timings: Mon, Wed-Thurs: 3pm-midnight. Fri-Sun: noon-midnight.

Price: ₹1,800 for two

What it is: India's first vinyl bar, tucked inside a Portuguese-era house in Fontainhas, built around a handcrafted valve sound system, walls of records, and a working record shop next door. 

Why go: It’s an equal parts listening room and cocktail bar – you'll browse the shelves, request a track from the collection, and sip feni-based cocktails built on house-made bitters, tinctures and whatever's seasonal, all while the room revolves around the music rather than treating it as background noise. There's also a balcão and courtyard for when the main bar room feels too snug, and small, shareable food. Most dishes have an element of fermentation and practically everything from the bread to the condiments are made in house. The sourdough pizzas, tempura leaves, and aged beef tongue should be on top of your list. 

Time Out tip: Ask founder Buland Shukla (if he's behind the bar) to talk you through the in-house distillation process, it's a highlight most guests miss. 

What to order: Mango Sticky Rice, a house favourite among regulars.

Getting there: In the Fontainhas quarter, near the Hotel Mandovi. Parking is scarce in this old-town lane network. Arrive early and take a driver.

Address: Jukebox, H No. 49, Next to Audiophile Goa, near Maruti Temple, Fontainhas, Mala, Panaji, Goa 403001

Timings: Mon-Tues, Thurs-Sat: 12.30pm-3pm, 7pm-11pm. Sun: 10am-3pm, 6.30pm-11pm. Wed closed.

Price: ₹2,700 for two

What it is: A beach-shack-styled bar in Siolim from the co-founder of award-winning Bar Tesouro, serving spirit-forward cocktails and beer on tap. 

Why go: It's earned the nickname ‘five-star dive bar’ for a reason. Raw wood, corrugated metal, mismatched furniture, and string lights overhead give it the look of a beach shack that got lucky, but the drinks programme behind the bar has the technical rigour of a much more self-serious room. It sits on Asia's 50 Best Bars list while still functioning as a proper local hangout, which is the whole trick of the place. Food runs to shareable small plates - chorizo peanuts, smashed fried chicken, built for grazing over several rounds rather than a sit-down meal.

What to order: A classic boilermaker – Great State Ale Works beer with a spirit-forward shot chaser - or, if you'd rather stay in cocktail territory, the Watermelon Drink (ask the bartender about the name #IYKYK). 

Getting there: It sits on the quieter Siolim lane leading to Thalassa, opposite Vailanka Wine Store. Best reached by scooter or cab; street parking is limited in peak season, so arrive early or book a drop-off. It fills in gradually through the evening, so an early arrival gets you the quiet start before the later crowd rolls in.

Time Out tip: Order off-menu if you're a whisky drinker; the bar's own boilermaker pairings (a shot alongside a considered beer) aren't always listed. 

Address: Church Vaddi, Siolim (opposite Vailanka Wine Store, en route to Thalassa), Goa 403517

Timings: Thurs-Tues. 6pm-12.30am.

Price: ₹1,800 for two

What it is: A small-plates gastrobar opposite Panjim's Municipal Garden, pairing an inventive, Iberian-leaning tapas menu with an equally ambitious bar list, the name itself is Portuguese for ‘snack’.

Why go: It's proof that Goa's food scene has caught up with its drinks scene. This is a place built for slow, plate-by-plate grazing – Prawns a la Plancha, croquettes, patatas bravas – matched by cocktails with just as much thought put in, like the Smoked G&T. It's a compact, independent space, and the room has the warm, slightly chaotic energy of a proper neighbourhood spot rather than a polished restaurant. 

Time Out tip: Book ahead on weekends; this tiny, independent space fills up fast especially with the new settlers of Goa and doesn't hold walk-in tables after 8pm. 

Recommended drink: The Penicillin – smoked whisky, honey, and a gingery lime finish. 

Getting there: It’s in Central Panjim, easily walkable from the Latin Quarter. 

Address: Souza Towers, Dr. RS Road, Opposite Garcia de Orta (Municipal Garden), Altinho, Panaji, Goa 403521

Timings: Tues-Sun. Noon-1am.

Price: ₹1,400 for two 

What it is: Sadhana Dell’Arte is an art and community centre in Merces which houses the creative folks at Unbox Labs and a pet-friendly wine den, from Bar Outrigger's Arijit Bose. 

Why go:  This one's a bit away from the local bar circuit, but that’s why it makes it to the list. Come here for an evening that trades sea views for paddy fields, fairy-lit grounds, loose gravel underfoot, and a chill crowd, and dogs welcome at the table. It carries a lot of the same experimental spirit as Bar Outrigger, but in a more garden-party register, making it a good choice for a group that loves their wine and wants to enjoy a long night out. 

Time Out tip: One of the few truly pet-friendly bars on the North Goa circuit. 

Recommended drink: Ask for whatever wine is available by the glass. Unlike other bars that serve the token Indian wines, here you can find everything from a 19:59 Riesling to a Pasqua Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. 

Getting there: The front yard has been converted into a parking lot so there’s ample space to bring your car.

Address: Sadhna Dell Arte, Merces, Mersi Tem, Bambolim, Goa

Timings: Tues-Sun. 5pm-11pm. Mon closed.

Price: ₹1,800 for two

What it is: A backyard neighbourhood bar in the village of Sangolda, built into a century-old outhouse behind an old Portuguese home, serving bold Asian small plates alongside a short, punchy cocktail list with drinks named after popular songs. 

Why go: It's the kind of place that rewards a bit of a detour - original laterite stone walls, cane furniture, and fairy lights strung through a chikoo tree overhead, with a garden crowd that skews as local as it does visiting. The food menu takes clear inspiration from South and Southeast Asian street food including avo wanton tostadas, a Grumps-style som tam, and kimchi grilled cheese. 

Time Out tip: Come solo without hesitation. This is one of the few bars where a single seat at the counter gets you into the conversation.

Recommended drink: Mo Money Mo – absinthe, scotch, and sherry, served with a slice of Brunost cheese by Eleftheria. Best paired with the Typhoon Shelter Corn Cakes. 

Getting there: Set down a quiet lane in Sangolda that can feel like a dead end until the sign appears. Don’t worry about parking, they’ve got ample.

Address: House No. 58 B, Grumps Street, Behind Chogm Road, Sangolda, Bardez, Goa 403511. 

Timings: Wed-Mon: 7pm-midnight. Sat-Sun: 12.30pm-3.30pm. Tues closed.

Price: ₹2,000 for two

What it is: A 13-seat cocktail bar carved out of the front corner of Vaz Enterprises, one of Goa's oldest liquor supermarkets, in Anjuna. It’s the latest project from Donovan Vaz, who also built Firefly, Bar Tesouro, and SoGo. 

Why go: It's the only bar in Goa where the cocktail list is really just a starting point. Because it's built into a working liquor store, you can order any bottle on the shop floor as a tasting pour and if you end up liking it enough to buy the bottle, the tasting cost gets knocked off the price. It's a novel format: part bar, part guided tasting room, with the retail shelves visible right through to the bar counter. 

Time Out tip: There's no food menu beyond popcorn and olives, so eat before you arrive. This is a pre-game bar by design, meant to lead into dinner elsewhere. 

Recommended drink: No Sleep Club – a coffee-and-feni hit strong enough to make espresso martinis nervous. 

Getting there: Inside the Vaz Enterprises building on the Calangute–Anjuna road, through a separate entrance from the liquor store; easy to find by address, but worth calling ahead as seating is limited to 13.

Address: Treize, Vaz Enterprises, Padre Agnel Vaddo, Calangute-Anjuna Road, Gauvaddi, Anjuna, Goa

Timings: Mon-Sun. 4pm-11pm.

Price: ₹3,500 for two

What it is: A co-working office by day, cocktail bar by night, run out of the Nao Spirits (Greater Than gin, Hapusa) office in Panjim. 

Why go: It’s one of a kind. You ring a bell to be let in, and past that unmarked door is a ‘red room’ that runs almost entirely on gin- and rum-forward drinks made by the very people who distil the spirits going into them which means a level of technical knowledge behind the bar that most cocktail lists can only reference secondhand. It has the feel of an insiders' clubhouse more than a conventional bar, making it super popular with the locals.

Time Out tip: Order the Chai Break if it's on the menu. It's the most talked-about drink to come out of this place. 

Recommended drink: A Greater Than gin and tonic, made the way the distillers intend it. 

Getting there: The doorway is a tall, arched Art Deco-style entrance set into a deep red (almost oxblood) wall. Ring the bell and wait. 

Address: Ground Floor, Mayfair Hotel, Dr Dada Vaidya Rd, near Near Mahalaxmi Temple, Near Mahalaxmi Temple, Altinho, Panaji, Goa 403001

Timings: Mon-Sun: 7pm-1am.

Price: ₹2,000 for two

What it is: A dive-bar-meets-backyard-café in Uccasaim from the team behind Assagao institution Pablo's.

Why go: It's equally convenient (or equally inconvenient, depending on traffic) from Siolim, Aldona, or Sangolda  and its low-key no-frills setting is the appeal. There's no cocktail programme trying to impress anyone here. It's a place for a long, unhurried afternoon or evening spent working through whatever's freshest on tap with simple bar snacks to match. The backwater setting gives it a slower, more rural feel than most of North Goa's bar belt. 

Time Out tip: Go for the ‘always-interesting’ beer selection. This is a craft-beer-first crowd. 

Recommended drink: A crisp Kolsch to beat the Goan humidity. 

Getting there: Set inland in Uccasaim village; it has a merry security guard who’s happy to help you find a parking spot.

Address: House no. 58, Punola, Ucassaim, Bastora, Moira, Goa 403507

Price: ₹1,800 for two

Timings: Tues-Sun. 5pm-11pm. Mon closed.

What it is: A cafe-turned-cocktail-bar and performance space in Vagator, loved equally by Goa lifers and first-time visitors. 

Why go: It's a crossover spot with live music on Wednesdays and Saturdays, a laid-back crowd, and drinks that don't try too hard, which is exactly the point in a stretch of coast that can otherwise feel like it's performing for Instagram. It’s also known for its bar shifts from around the world. By day it runs more like a relaxed café; by night, the lighting drops, the music takes over, and it becomes one of the better live-gig venues in North Goa. 

Recommended drink: Afterglow with its Fruity, Tropical, and Beachy notes. Pairs well with candy flips as per the menu.

Getting there: Just off the Anjuna-Vagator cross-road. Easy to miss on a first pass so make sure you have your Google Maps on. On big gig nights, they have a cover charge.

Address: House No. 622, Near Julie Jolie Restaurant, Cross Anjuna, Chapora, Coutinho Vaddo, Vagator, Goa, 403509

Price: ₹1,200 for two

Timings: Wed-Mon. 7pm-1am. Tues closed.