Customer Reviews on Martins Corner

8/8/2019 Customer Reviews on Martins Corner

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Customer Reviews On Martins Corner

When you are back from Goa, every one asks whether you had your food at Martin's. There

are quite a few restaurants in Goa, which serve authentic Sea Food. But, it must be the best

out of it. That's why it is the choice of Sachins, Vengsarkars, Kapils etc.

Food is simply great. The variety, the amount of choice you have makes you realy feel

special here. Food tastes good and great. I must recommend the Crab for all thos who take

it. Even Prawn preaparations are delicious.

Atmosphere is electrifying, but a bit too noisy. Almost gives the feeling of an open Bar.

Music is normally very loud, although enjoyable. That makes people tned to talk louder and

atmosphere always remains on high decibel.

Every taxiwallah knows it and after having food there, I know why people ask whether you

have visited Martin's or not.

------ RKM1964

On my Birthday me and my girlfriend went to the restaurant and had a wonderful time out

there and the music was very soothing and the seafood was splendid. well overall it was a

Wow Experience !!!!

----- Payas & Anjali

The place was nice, ample parking space and lovely live music. In fact there was some extra

space as well if people would like to dance. You could also request your preferences. Food and

Service was also great. Well worth every penny, in fact may be a little more.

------ Bala

Visited this restaurant twice in the one week we were at Goa. Good for sea food and for goan

preparations. Service can be lethargic, depending on who is serving you. Must haves are : King

Crab, Tiger prawns, prawn curry & rice. Try out their reachado sauce preparation - immenselyspicy, but great taste.

------ Hrca



Come to Martins for a gourmet delight, a special evening, a drink, a grin, great

entertainment nightly and the best service in south Goa.

Try the garlic prawns, the great fresh lobster, crab and prawns and dont forget to round off

the meal with the great cake and icecream delights.

------ Madaboutindia

Though a little out of bounds from Covla, we are fortunate to have visited this place once

for dinner. Quite crowded but had a electric charm. Never expected to be so big. We

ordered one Lobster Peri Peri (Rs 2400 a kg) and Pork sausage chilli fry (Rs 120). Both are

excellent to say the least. Along with it we also ordered garlic butter naan and its simply

delicious. We heard before going thats its an expensive place but to our surprise we found

this restaurant really affordable. Barring a few exotic dishes all the other menus are really

quite cheap. Drinks are also much cheaper than what you get in the hotels. Service though

slow are quite commendable. Live music was on and it was a really great evening for us.

The dinner was concluded with a fantastic sweet dish which I still remember and think Ishould have ordered one more. Overall it was a wonderful experience and thanks to all the

people who are associated with this great restaurant.

----- Sri

Visiting this place since last five years. Went there yesterday (Aug 2010) with colleagues

and told them that becasue I love the palce, I have new company to show this legendary

place. They took care more and gave us timely service within an hour becasue we had a

flight to catch.

But above all, what great food.. dont waste time trying the North Indian or chinese food asthe best things are local. Try the fish, prawns, chicken xacuti, balchao and wash it down

with the best chilled draught Kingfisher beer. Everyone of us were filled to the brim and

smiling like cats with new whiskers. We ate like prisoners freed yesterday and ordered some

many stuff and yet paid only Rs.3000. They even gave us free shellfish in coconut which

was divine.

----- Mayukh

As always we drive all the way from Calangute to Betalbatim just to enjoy the out of this

world food. The Caldin curry that I had for lunch yesterday was simply divine. Even the

pickles there are awesome. Kismur and Para are divine and so is the huge spread of the

fresh catch of the day. They always have the best sea food spread almost all year round.

The simple one many band man Francis who plays on sunday afternoons is awesome. He

keeps playing all through the lunch session on his Bongo and mouth organ. Keep the place

lively. Food along with music..... in Goa. Ahh I wish I could stay there a lot more longer.

------ Krantatki



My son and I visited Goa in mid June 2010. A friend took us out for Dinner, as we wanted to

sample the local Goan Cuisine. Since we were staying in Colva, he recommended Martin's

Corner. The place is amazing. Great Ambience, with just the right crowd - not very crowded,

nor was is it empty. There was a LIve band playing soft numbers. Martin himself was

present, taking care of guests...

We had the Calimari, and Grilled Pomfret. Food was really really good. Beer was served

correctly chilled, and service was also discreet.

I recommend this restaurant to all people who want to taste Goan Cuisine.

----- Praavin Gupta

Near to Colva Beach in quite a secluded place. Were told that it's a favorite joint of Sachin

Tendulkar & Sanjay Dutt.

Ambience, Karoke & food was simply superb.

----- Saran

the best sea food i have ever had. the king crab was suberb.the lobster was great as well.

by the way the king crab is sachin's favorate as well as described on their menu. the

location could have been better and the facilities as well. as it is open restaurant there are

mosquitos that get inside. but the food is as tasty as it could get.

------ ggkChochin

Must visit in Goa, with great prices and ambience. Better in the evenings.

Good dishes are the prawn curry ( though with only 3 prawns), crab masala and the martins

special steak.

----- Singh

Awesome home style goan food at reasonable prices and a decent live band (Karaoke too).

Been there few times and always loved the fried calamari, tiger prawns and vindaloo!!

Enjoy!!

------ Kris

Lets be clear - Martin's Corner isn't the place for a quiet romatic dinner for 2 and silver

service and it's not on a beach with a nice view. It busy, it will probably have a few kids

running around, no need to dress up too much, dishes are best shared and it has a dude on



a keyboard banging out the best of the 1980s. And I love it.

I must come to Goa about 4 times a years and whenever I'm south, I come here and never

disappointed. So few restaurants in India have any kind of buzz. This does. The King crab

and whole fish preparartions are great. The Goan pork dishes that I have tried as starters

have been nice, but the seafood is the focus.

I think the various comments on this place being expensive, probably depends what you are

comparing it against and how far you travel. Our bill normally works out at around Rs1500

($30) a head with starters, more seafood that we can ever eat and more drinks than we car

to remember. If you're staying at the nearby Hyatt then this is a welcome change and

much,much cheaper. If you're going to be travelling from a beach shack then sure it's

pricer, but can you honestly say the seafood quality is the same at the beach shacks and

that they will actually have said seafood, even if it's on the menu? I think not.

On the poor service, all I can say is that's never been our experience.

As a package, I love this place and have and will keep coming back.

----- Penfold Mumbai

Martin's Corner the best place in south Goa to feast on some delicious Goan food. If your in

Goa you must visit this place. If your lucky you could event get a glimpse of your favourite

Bollywood stars. Service is excellent and the food offers good value for money.

----- Brian Aguiar

We were really looking forward to going to Martin's Corner having heard so much about it.

However, despite it's reputation it was the worst restaurant we have been to in this area of

Goa.

The food was ok but nothing special. The worst thing however was the service, Dreadful.

Once we had ordered we were simply ignored. In the end after waiting for ages for someone

to at least come and speak to us, clear our plates etc I went up and asked for the bill so we

could leave.

There are far better restaurants in this area of Goa. The shacks on Betalbatim beach are

fantastic whilst Alberts in Betalbatim is in a different league to Martin's Corner. Brilliant

service, lovely staff and great food. We also really like Mickey's in Colva for again fantastic

staff and a really friendly atmosphere.

------ Maz UK



It's getting harder and harder to find good rava-fried mussels ("shenaneo") in Goa these

days. The number of authentic Goan restaurants is declining, and those that are left often

leave mussels off the menu because they're too expensive these days. Thank god then for

good old Martins Corner. They've been serving Goa's best rava-fried mussels since time

immemorial and they continue to do so. I was looking for my favourite dish and having a

tough time finding it. Florentine's in Saligao has also discontinued the mussels. So I trekked

all the way down to Martins from North Goa, and wow was the drive worth it! The mussels,

prawns, squid and kingfish are as delectable as ever and are served up in Martins' usual

bustling atmosphere with friendly service under the supervision of Bonnie, the ever-smiling

owner. A good wine list with lots of Sula wine and a good beer selection to wash down the

terrific fare. If you want to do authentic Goan food in Goa, it's still difficult to find a place

that will top old favourite Martins Corner!

------ GoaBum

Visited it for my honeymoon and stayed at their own guest house.

While guest house was just about okay the food at Martin's Corner is over hyped. Better

food is available else where in Goa for a fraction of price.

Waiters totally ignore you if you dont have a white skin and if you havent booked

beforehand for dinner better forget it. You dont get to sit even if they have vacant space.

The karoake there can be done without and the ambience is not too good.

All in all, a over hyped, expensive and avoidable place.

----- Yashwin

A suggestion made by a friend to visit this place in Goa turned out to be a nightmare

instead. The food was not palatable and the service was really poor. There were too many

Indians and locals yelling in the restaurant spoiling my intended quiet seafood experience

with my family on the beach.

----- Nomaderic

At first i really liked the place as they have authentic goan food. even till date they have

amazing food, but there are a few things iv observed lately. the quantity has reduced

drastically. the staff are partial when it comes to customers. they give special preferance to

foreigners, where as most of the time i see indians give them more business.



----- Lloyd

We were on our first wedding anniversary to Goa and staying at the Renaissance Goa

Resort, so on the special night I asked the friendly hotel staff if they could recommend a

good restaurant we could go to and they recommended the Martin's Corner. After long taxiride we reached this beautiful hotel which is quite close to the Majorda Resort.

We found a nice corner for ourselves and started to order, we decided to blindly follow the

chef's recommendations by going for the seafood platter, which took us the good part of 2

hrs to finish between the two of us, but it was outstanding and 7 Michelin stars would have

been less for the fare. The platter included prawns, crab, calamari and the fresh fish of the

day ( we got lucky with pomfret) all prepared in exquisite Goan flavors.

Along with the food there was amazing cocktail on order and a live band belting out our

favorites in fact they played out our special song "Lady in Red" ....

So all in all I would recommend going there to everybody who visits Goa, I make sure I did

the same on my last 7 visits.

-----Dax Abraham

Trust me this one of the best place to eat where Goan Food in South GOa is concern. Try

their batter fried calamari and the Lobster Thermidor, and the all time favourite prawn curry

rice. The ambiance is also nice and inviting and you can spend a good 2-3 hours drinking

and eating. We go almost daily for dinner when we stay in South Goa. You can't just miss

the great food here!! :)

------ Dillkush

Martin's Corner was reputedly the best restaurant in Goa. Situated close to the lovely

Betalbatim beach, and with an easy and casual, though smart atmosphere, it was a hot spot

for famous visitors, film stars and is still so for local dignatories. However, it relies in its

previous image now rather than quality of food and service. The food is still "OK" although

not the standard of freshness of fish that it was previously renowned for. The service now

seems tired and lacking in attention, where before it was friendly and attentive. As withmany establishments that do well and create a good image for themselves, this restaurant's

time is passed and food quality and service have slipped. It is still freqented by local

politicians and dignatories who seem to get the main attention of the staff. Everyone else

gets less than satisfactory service. A great shame because previously this place was a

delight.

------- Wolfrace



Yesterday my family went to this restaurant based on the recommendations of friends and

reviews. We consider this place a rip off and not at all worth recommending for the following

reason.1) Ambience average and a little loud but still acceptable.2) Waiter and service slow

and very poor. No help in selecting or recommending dishes or specialities. 3) About the

actual food, Goan dishes we ordered were pomfret caldin and prawns Xacuti. Both were not

great in taste and portions were very small. The caldin gravy too sweet loaded with green

chillies. Also a salad ordered called prawn cocktail was literally served in a cock-tail glass

with 3-4 small prawns with a few cabbage leaves dipped in thousand island dressing. Fish

fingers and all other starters the portions were measly quantities.4) After this we decided

not to spend any more money on expensive by weight sea food lest we were cheated

further.

Restaurants inn mumbai serving sea food and Goa Portugesa are far better.

----- Vhjokhi

Hi, I had been to martins corner with my friends on one of our friends birthday , I am from

North Goa I heard a lot about martins corner, and what I had heard was absolutely right. It

is in the interiors and close to the Betalbatim beach which is one of the famous beach in

south Goa the speciality of martins corner is sea food which i liked. The quality and quantity

of the food is good but a bit expensive not much its good to go there once in a while. Its a

place where you can be with your family and friends and on special occasions its has live

entertainment shows. Which you can enjoy on weekends with your family.

About the food its very tasty the service is also good and the location is okay as its in the

interiors a bit difficult to get there. But once you be there the pain taken to reach there pays

off. Even famous personalities like our master blaster Sachin tendulkar also visits this place

you might be the lucky one to dine in his company. Do make it a point to visit martins

corner if you get a chance to do so.

----- Siddharth

Beaches of Goa resemble the curves in the body of a beautiful woman! Sensuous, beautiful

and inviting!

Anything regarding Goa is special - Beaches, Cuisine, Bebinca (Layered Pudding), Churches

---

After heavy water sports - I was resting on beach side resort of "Calangute" sipping warm

coffee - tides were kissing my feet - There I got the idea of driving to South Goa! I have



explored North Goa to the nth degree - Baga, Vagatore, Aguada, Calangute, Sinquerim -----

-- Now what?

I took a round at Panjim city and started driving to Airport Side --- Didnot take the turn to

Dabolim - straight road lead me to Margaon! My friend Matthew Marchon, gave me the idea

of explorin "Martins Corner" near Betal Batim Beach.

(Statutory Warning - In Goa, "M" alphabet in the end of any word is silent - So, Pronounce

Panjim as Panji, Betal Batim as Betal Bati --)

I spend a lot at Souza Lobos at Calangute and was skeptic about this place! But once when

I reached there ----- Oooops, the experience is worth writing a review and here I am with

you to take you through Martins Corner

Route Map - Well, I have mentioned in before. Its 7-10 KM away from Margaon! If you want

to explore South Goa, you can drive up to Palolim Beach (According to me - the best beach

in Goa) and then drive back to Colva / Betal Batim Beach side and anyone can direct you to

Martins

Brief History

A very humble start with a few benches by Late Martin Pereira and his wife Mrs.Carafina

Pereira. They have limtied their cuisine to authentic Goan delicacy. Now, the show is

managed by Carafina and her sons.

Speciality -

I have been to this place twice during noon and hence didnot enjoy their musical evening.

But I have something great worth sharing with you!

a) Value for money - It is not very expensive like other famous restaurents around Goa. You

will never feel like spending more here for sure

b) Ambience - The ambience is so colourful and they have made use of the possibilities of

building the restaurent with bamboo.

c) Cuisine - It is quite extensive. You will find Indian, Chinese and Goan specialities.Ofcourse I have not tried Chinese but what ever I have tried in Sea Food was awsome!

One of the most sought after dish here is Crab Stuffed with Spices which is named as

Sachin¶s Delight as Sachin Tendulkar is crazy for this dish! He was so carried away by this

restaurent and had popularised this a lot inviting his celebrity friends and he is a voluntary

brand ambassador for Martins¶ Corner.

Some other dishes which I recommend for you are



1) Snapper Reicheido 2) Pomfret Caldin 3) Goan Fish Curry in Surma 4) Chicken Cafreal

(Portugese speciality) 5) Prawn Balachao 6) Fish Mol (this is pickled fish) 7) Tiger Prawns

8) Snapper

Also, if you dont want to venture into much adventures, do opt for the following

a) A humble starter with Tiger Prawns and King Fish Fy

b) Plain Rice & Goan Fish Curry

c) If you eat beef, opt for Beef Fry as side dish / starter

d) Butter Roti with Chicken Cafreal

d) Hygiene - This is another major plus point which I want to mention - The restaurent is

under the personal supervision of Mrs.Carafina and "being hygiene" is a religion for them! I

have personally checked their kitchen and interacted with Chefs and arrived at this opinion!

Summary

Inshort, let me just plan a small package for you!

Plan for a full day in South Goa - Drive upto Palolim and explore nearby beaches during

forenoon and plan to reach Betal Batim by 1.00 PM. Have your lunch in Martins and if time

permits go to Colva Beach and Betal Batim Beach (nothing so great in these beaches) andhave a gentle drive to Panjim / North Goa!

I am sure - if you go there after reading this, you will remember me for ever!

----- Hermit

I have been going to Martin¶s Corner much before it became famous. My father discovered

the place. Simple but quaint in terms of ambience, its actually an old bungalow which hasbeen extended into a restaurant.

I love the live music they have and the place is always full, with a mixed crowd of desis and

foreigners. They have a fairly big menu with Indian, Chinese, Continental and Goan.

Although I have tried their Indian and Continental fare, I prefer their Goan food. Their Fish



Curry rice is one of my favourites. Among the starters I like their Chicken 65, its absolutely

yummy.

The service is slow, but then its a place for susegad people who have come to chat and

relax. So don¶t expect quick Udipi style service or for that matter smiling waiters:)

In fact the last two times I went there, we were served by a very grumpy looking waitor.

Yet in the photos displayed in a corner, the same guy was beaming while posing with

celebrities:)! I had a good laugh looking at that.

The food is reasonably priced.

If you are looking for a relaxing evening with some live music I¶d certainly recommend

Martin¶s Corner. But do book your table in advance, especially on weekends.

------ Poonam

Excellent place to go for food n drinks. Value for Money kind of a place. You can safely visit

with kids, family or friends. Large floor area to cover larger groups. Live Music sets the

mood for a pleasant evening. Very close to Colva beach. Easily approachable location.

Frequented by celebrities from Sports, Movies etc but maintaining affordable price line.

Authentic Goan Food is a specialitity here though its a multi-cuisine restaurant. Restaurant

service is fairly good. Excellent food choice is there for everyone. And they serve choicest

wines, cocktails, liquears and other beverages from all over the world. Energetic people can

shake a leg or two with ongoing live music. Added attraction is Martin¶s Comfort, a hotel

managed by the same group. Your Goa stay, drinks n dine requirements are met here in

toto. Go ahead and indulge in this most happening place in Goa. Your Goa visit is not

complete without visiting Martin¶s Corner at Betalbatim . Wow.

------ Mooksha

A tranquil setting welcomes you far away from the hustle and bustle of the speeding

vehicles and the blaring of the horns. A silence which recharges the mind and body as one

sits facing the seas to refresh oneself eagerly waiting for ones favourite sea food to flow on

to the table.

After hard day in office we decided to savour the delights at Dominic restaurant, a

restaurant in Benaulim four kilometers from the Margao town and on the coastal village of

Benaulim. The restaurant is situated fourth from right from the main parking slot at

Benaulim village.

The restaurant holds regular musical evenings with local music, Reggae, pop, jazz dished

out by foreign and local musicians. It is advisable to book your table if a musical evening is



slated for the evening to avoid disappointment of not having a vintage point of viewing the

sea waves.

Owner Dominic Alfonso has seen many a season flow, many a struggle. A struggle which

stated some sixteen years back when he first started his Dominic shack at Benaulim.

Sixteen years down the line when Benaulim craved for attention from the tourist world. A

far cry from the current situation to yesterday years. Today the Village beach is busting with

tourists and lot of beach shacks.

Domnic has grown richer in experience and knows the taste buds of the tourists having

talked his way through the tastes of the foreign tourists over the years. With the feed back

off the years behind him he has come out with an exquisite blend of taste in consultation

with his cooking staff. A taste which gels well with foreign tourists of different countries.

Dominic¶s restaurant has had been an English people¶s favourite hunt over the years and in

the last couple of years the Russian have been licking their fingers with the taste sea food

served on the plate.

Dominic makes sure that the customers have a look at the fish they want to select for their

meal. The staff making sure that the different varieties of fish are displayed to the

customers and the finer points of cooking are disseminated in detail. Lobster, Snapper, King

Fish, Pompfret all come in various shapes and sizes.

Finally the fish comes grilled or masala loaded in whichever way you want you fish to be

done. The snapper and the baby king fish is loaded either with masala or grilled. Fish

Rexato where in fish is stuffed with the choicest spices taking care not to make too spicy for

the foreign guests is one of the Dominic features which differentiated it from the rest of the

beach shacks.

The Goan dishes too are hot cakes with the tourists with King fish curry and Goan fish Curryare the most sought after dishes here. Vinidalo eaters too are in for a treat, beef, prown and

pork vinidalo is on the menu. Vinidalo for the unknown Domnic explains is prepared with

Vinegar and Coconut as the major ingredients.

Then you add Xacutti. Xacutti in both chicken and beef is on offer at Benaulim shack.

Vegetarians also have some thing for the food plate. Vegetable stuffed Capsicum is one

which foreign tourists like to eat on a regular basis in their stay at Benaulim.

With an ambience which is appealing Dominic is sandwiched as the fourth shack on the left

hand side of the Benaulim beach. With a smiling face and customer care the utmost priority

at Dominic it is worth the price to drive to Benaulim to have a bite of the choicest sea food.

----- Armstrong Vaz



I went to Martins Corner for the first time in Dec 2005 and I was simply delighted with the

food !!! as a fond foddie , i must say that for any traditional Goan Dish, Martins corner is the

place to eat at«.!!!!

The food was simply amazing.....the pork dishes were almost like they were home cooked !!

We had a few cocktails to begin with, and they are served so artistically....even the musicwas playing , and the karoake......ppl were dancing to the music making the whole

experience much mre fun.....!!

The portion sizes are reasonable , althou they tend to put a whole lot of onion in their food

....:( thats the bad part...

the menu is sufficient to satisfy everyones taste buds....

We had a few cocktails to begin with, and they are served so artistically....even the music

was playing , and the karoake......ppl were dancing to the music making the whole

experience much mre fun.....!!

----- Jenny

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Customer Reviews on Martins Corner