Goa, India: The Name of This Place Should Be ... "WE HATE TOURISTS!"

The Mango Grove

Main Road (Opposite Newtons Supermarket)

Candolim Beach, Bardez, Goa, 403515 India

Phone: 982-323-9650

Prices $$$$$

We stopped here because the place had a nice covered patio and was relatively busy, usually a good sign. The man who "greeted" us, and I use that term loosely, grunted out what should have been a "welcome" and we were pointed, not escorted, to a table in the corner. The menu is large and diverse and being our first time here on the first day of a week long stay, they had the opportunity to earn our repeat business. As George Bush would say: "Not going to happen ... wouldn't be prudent."

I asked a couple very simple questions like "what kind of bread does this sandwich come on", but the server seemed quite annoyed, looking at me like he despises tourists and our ridiculous inquiries. We were not extremely hungry, so we ordered a couple of sandwiches, me a steak sandwich (200 rupees/$3.20) on a baguette, my wife a simple cheese sandwich, also on a baguette (150 rupees/$2.45), a Kingfisher beer (100 rupees/$1.60), and a mineral water (30 rupees/50 cents). He returned about 10 minutes later to tell us that there were no baguettes (at 1pm) and that we could have our sandwiches on local (pita) bread. Looking forward to a sandwich on some decent bread for the first time after more than two months in India, I was disappointed but we decided to stick around having already received our drinks.

My sandwiches (there were two because the bread was so thin and small) barely had any meat on them, a little lettuce, some grilled onions, a couple of thin slices of tomato and were accompanied by six (6) french fries (or chips as they are called here and in the UK). My wife's sandwiches had a negligible amount of melted cheese on them, so it was basicly a pita bread and lettuce sandwich ... YUM!

The meal was cheap enough, but the value was poor and many menu items are a bit more expensive than many places in India. Granted, this was also New Year's Day in a party town, so they may not have been at their best after a long night, but we were not impressed in the least and will choose from the many other restaurants in Candolim for our next dozen or so meals. Maybe they will appreciate our business.

CombatCritic Gives The Mango Grove 3 Out of 10 Bombs ... After a 2 Bomb Deduction For a Crappy Attitude ... More Bombs Are Better!

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