EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Vagator boasts an eclectic batch of restaurants , with wildly varying menus and prices, and an equally dramatic turnover of chefs. Western tourists tend to stick to the pricier ones lining the road through the village, while Indian visitors frequent the more impersonal, cheaper places down on the beach itself. The bar to head to for a sundowner is Nine Bar (formerly Ram Das Swami's ), on the cliff-top above Ozran beach, where alternative Goa struts its stuff, accompanied by a wall of techno. When it closes (at 9pm), everyone makes their way over to the Primrose Café , which offers much the same atmosphere, without the views.

Alcove , next to Ram Das Swami's , above Ozran beach. This unsightly cliff-top complex enjoys the best location for miles, with spellbinding sea views through the palms. The food is also a cut above the competition, and the service slick. Try their fish dish of the day, washed down with a cocktail.

Baskin "31" Robbins , near Primrose Café . Thirty-one flavours of melt-in-the-mouth American ice-cream. The nut crunch is to die for.

Le Bluebird , on the road out to Nine Bar . Tucked away in the most appealing corner of the village is Vagator's famous French-run restaurant, which serves classier-than-average Continental food at traveller-friendly prices. Seafood is their strong point, but they offer a better range of veg dishes than you'd find in a real French restaurant, as well as crêpes, Bordeaux claret and champagne (around Rs2000 per bottle).

China Town , next to Bethany Inn . For the past few seasons, this small roadside restaurant, tucked away just south of the main drag, has been the village's most popular budget place to eat, serving particularly tasty seafood dishes in addition to a large Chinese selection, as well as all the usual Goa-style travellers' grub.

Dipti's , on the Mapusa road. Extraordinary magic-mushroom plastic art meets Ajanta-mural decor is the hallmark of this cosy bar, which serves a full Indian-Goan-Chinese-Continental menu. It's also a friendly place for a quiet cocktail.

Jolly Jolly Lester , halfway between the village crossroads and Big Vagator beach. Not to be confused with Julie Jolly's , near the Primrose Café . This one's smaller, offering a better selection of inexpensive seasonal seafood, salads and tasty Western-style veg dishes.

Nine Bar , above Ozran beach. Boasting a crystal trance sound system, this cliff-top café enjoys a prime location, with fine sea views from its terrace through the palm canopy, where Nepali waiters serve up cold beer and the usual range of budget travellers' grub to a generally spaced-out clientele. They've recently enlarged the place to accommodate a dance floor and chill-out area.

Primrose Café and Restaurant , on the southern edge of the village. Goa's posiest café-bar livens up around 8pm and serves tasty German wholefood snacks, light meals and cakes, as well as drinks.

Tibet O-Live , east side of the village, on the main road. Run by a team of friendly young lads from Darjeeling, this place shuttles between Manali in the summer and Goa in the winter, and has earned a strong reputation in both for its ultra-tasty, inexpensive pizzas. They also serve mouth-watering fried momos (the spinach and cheese ones are best).

Tin Tin , west side of the village, near the cliff-top car park. The kind of theme bar that makes you wonder why you ever left home: large and lavishly decorated, and crammed with a mainly young package-tourist clientele, hence the higher-than-average prices, which the expat British co-owner justifies with a popular "big portions" policy. The menu is exhaustive, but best bets are the dishes of the day chalked on boards.