Tesouro

Review and recommendations

India’s best bar, Asia’s 4th best bar of 2022, how does a bar in Colva, South Goa, far away from a major metropolitan area achieve this stature? Owners, Arijit Bose, Pankaj Balachandran, and Donovan Vaz have created a true neighbourhood bar for those South side of the state where hospitality, service and the ambiance are consistent at any time of day. The bar feels both cosy and spacious with quieter seating upstairs and a lovely outdoor patio. Tesouro somehow manages to pull together urban Indian sophistication in a clearly Goan context.

A small selection of great, comfort food is on offer, but the place is really a shrine to cocktails and spirits. A dinner or entertainment venue this is not. In this ergonomically designed space, hierarchy is flattened in flavour of comfort and equality. Attention is paid to the comfort and safety of female clientele; conventional Indian subservience is thrown out the window as the team demonstrates every night with a sharply timed closing song – “Get the f**k out”.  

Charismatic bartender-owner Bose is the star of Tesouro or ‘treasure’ and serves as the main draw for customers, old and new. Cocktail afficionados love to mine Bose and his knowledgeable team for conversation over new flavours and unusual spirits. Cocktails are classified by theme – Goan, Sweet Sour, Herbacious, Mad Science, and Intense. No points for guessing which group their most ordered drink falls into. Sometimes poured into bottles for customers to take home, Midnight Brekkie is a mad sciencey blend of peanut butter gin with strawberry puree, watermelon juice, vermouth, and malic acid. A similar experiment makes a success of pairing tequila, butter caramel vinegar, Islay malt and sesame soda. Boldness characterises each category though for where else would you find Dukshiri feni in the same glass as vermouth, Campari, and cold brewed coffee.  Be prepared to have your drinks laced with parmesan air, garlic, sesame soda, miso, Sichuan pepper and even peat!