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Goa am Isartor is a well-known Indian restaurant with very delicious and, above all, authentically flavored Indian dishes. I went there for dinner a while ago with a companion on a rather spontaneous evening, as I had often noticed the restaurant when I was in that area and it had been on my list for a long time. Goa has been a fixture in Munich for many years and is a very popular spot for Indian food in the city.
The atmosphere at Goa is typical of "German" Indian restaurants :-). I've already mentioned in another article that Indian restaurants, as we know them here in Munich, for example, bear little resemblance to an Indian restaurant in India. The garish walls, heavy curtains, pictures of Bollywood dancers, the Taj Mahal, and Buddhas and elephant figurines on windowsills, as well as the often terrible Indian music in the background, are staged more to create the desired European "India touch" for Europeans than to reflect what it actually looks like everywhere in India. I've even eaten at Goa itself – "Nothing doing!" is all I can say. Not a single Indian elephant figurine in sight. 😉 As for the Goa restaurant, which has a full glass front, it does indeed have orange walls, cream-colored tablecloths and napkins, upholstered chairs, a few pictures on the walls, a small bar area, and overall the typical Indian ambiance we're familiar with here.
As soon as we entered, a friendly Indian waiter approached us, asked about our reservation (which we had made by phone beforehand), and showed us to a table for two that was located relatively centrally in the restaurant. We were presented with the menus immediately after being seated. The restaurant has about 15 tables, all already set, and is relatively small. Especially when it's full—which it was during our visit—it feels too cramped in my opinion. This might have been partly due to our table, as I had many guests sitting behind me, the waiter had to keep walking behind me, bumping into my chair, and it was also quite noisy. Our table for two was also almost completely pushed up against another group table, making it difficult to have a conversation without being disturbed. What I'm trying to say is: a quiet, comfortable meal is rather unlikely in the evening, as it's usually crowded and quite loud. The food, however, is still delicious.
Okay. We turned our attention to the menus, and I already knew – as is usually the case at Indian restaurants 😉 – what I was going to order. I opted for vegetarian biryani (€10.90) – definitely worth trying! – and to drink, a mango lassi (€4.50) – also a must-order if you've never had lassi before. My companion had a lychee juice spritzer (€3.20) and, on my recommendation, ordered a vegetarian thali (€12.40) with garlic naan bread (€2.50) as her main course. The vegetarian thali was excellent – a large portion, plenty of rice, and very delicious sauces. If you haven't tried thali yet: you absolutely must! The vegetarian version is also incredibly diverse and customizable.
Most Indian restaurants – including Goa – offer thali for two people (vegetarian or with meat) with about 6-7 different small sauce pots, which can usually be mixed and matched (e.g., Palak Paneer, Mutter Paneer, Malai Kofta, Chicken Tikka, etc.). It comes with rice and, upon request, naan bread. The thali at Goa is definitely one I would order again and can recommend. My biryani was also delicious. Biryani is a rice dish with vegetables, almonds, and raisins. Goa also offers this dish with various meats. When ordering, I specifically told the waiter that I didn't want my dish spicy (I mean, really, not spicy at all! ;-)). When it was brought to me and I tasted it, it was unfortunately much too spicy – a phenomenon I experience with most Indian restaurants in Munich, because the definition of "not spicy" differs significantly between Germans and Indians. 🙂 The waiter came, politely asked if I was enjoying my meal, and I mentioned that it was too spicy for me. Immediately and without me even having to ask, he readily brought me a new biryani. The excellent service at Goa was noticeable from the start and I was also very pleased with how my main course was handled. So I didn't mind too much that it took two tries. The dish itself was delicious, a very generous portion, and I would definitely order it again.
Otherwise, the menu offers a variety of soups, salads, meat dishes, numerous vegetarian options, desserts, and more. Goa also offers a lunch menu with an extensive selection. Each lunch menu includes a choice of either a soup of the day or a small mixed salad. Prices for all dishes range from €5.90 to a maximum of €7.90 at lunchtime.
The restaurant is quite well-known, so I definitely recommend making a reservation. I know quite a few Indian restaurants in Munich (e.g., Ganesha, Samrat, Swagat, Dhaba, Jaipur, Surbahar, Kerala, Satluj, etc.). Of all the restaurants I know, Goa is one of the better ones in terms of food and service, but in my opinion, it's less inviting in terms of ambiance. While it's comfortably furnished and many details have been added to make it appealing to guests, I didn't feel entirely at ease there – partly due to my seating position. Perhaps it's better in the summer when everything is brighter and more cheerful, or at lunchtime.
My companion and I paid €36 including tip and were given some mini chocolate bars as we left by the friendly waiter, who unfortunately asked us to leave after about 1.5 hours because new guests had arrived or made reservations. 🙂 We would have liked to stay longer, but at least it was a charming way of handling it, and he apologized several times. Card payments are accepted. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and from 5:30 pm to 11:30 pm. I definitely wouldn't advise against it; in fact, I'd say you should try it. As for the food – which is still the main part of a restaurant visit, even if it's not everything – there was nothing to complain about. Enjoy your meal!
I'll be back: In terms of food, yes, but in terms of atmosphere, I'd rather try a new Indian restaurant.
Place visited: Goa
Address: Thierschstraße 8, 80538 Munich
Website
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