Jila Bakers and Confectioners

Review and recommendations

Tucked away inside a bungalow in the village of Camorlin in Loutolim, you will find this small family-run bakery with a staunch following of customers. Many tourists who wander around the Big Foot Museum in Loutolim find themselves refuelling at Jila Bakery. They are almost always out of the day’s fresh bakes by noon as regulars know to pre-order 24 hours before they set out to pick up. Jila is famous for its pastries – chocolate-coated profiteroles, tarts, apple strudel. Note that the ‘éclair’ – their top selling choux pastry is really a profiterole. Their rich plum cake and cashew brittle are both legendary. Savouries such as khara biscuits, cheese straws and rusks are popular too.

Founder, Jose Francisco Antao picked up skills from European pastry chefs when he interned at the Taj in Mumbai in the 1930s. He then did a stint at Parsi bakery and picked up other influences before returning to Goa to set up Jila in 1972. Today his grandsons and family members continue to make his secret recipes such as melting moments (a sort of macaroon) and angel wings (a heart shaped biscuit).