This Garden Cafe In North Goa Serves Breakfast & Bliss All Day Long

North Goa is packed with places where you can dance your heart out and scream at the top of your lungs, yet still not beat the noise of music. But on the days you don’t want your eardrums to be hit by the shock button and would rather just relax amidst nature, where do you go? Enters: Cafe Lento.

Cafe Lento is an all-day breakfast and espresso bar with a story behind its birth that you shouldn’t skip, because trust me, it’s not your regular “for the love of this, I did that.” It took nearly two years for Dishant Pritamani of Luna Hospitality and Ayaz Busrai of Busride Studio to design and conceptualise a place that’s now inching toward the “sought-after” tag among both tourists and locals. It wasn’t converted into a naturalistic space; nature was always there from the very start. The interiors were then repurposed around it to create a dining destination that feels organic.

Lento, in Portuguese, means slow. And the place truly slows you down — through greenery, tranquillity, good food, and everything in between. The calm settles into all your senses, and you’ll find yourself never wanting to leave. Look left, right, or even up, and all you’ll see is nature.

The cafe was created with the idea of fostering community and connection; the tables here are meant to encourage listening to conversations while you share great food, of course! The interiors are made of bits and pieces that were rejected once and then brought back to life, and beautifully so. The patterned tiles, the windows, and even the iconic blue trumpet vine have been repurposed. The upholstery complements the earthy, natural tones admirably.

The food menu is courtesy of Chef Jyoti Singh, and each dish reflects his travels and memories. Every bread (90% of it being sourdough) is made in-house and has evolved into variations like milk bread. Then there’s the brioche — equal parts fluffy and eggy! The omelettes come generously stuffed with crab meat and are served with a rich crab sauce. The burgers, meanwhile, are made with juicy patties that have just the right amount of crunch. Okay, hold on, if I start listing every dish and how Singh elevates them to perfection, I’ll end up writing a novella, and also end up very hungry. But I can’t skip mentioning Morning Bakes. All their sweet treats are buttery, crumbly, and layered with luscious flavours!

Coming to the drinks, coffee here is loved, respected, and treated with care. They have a special Lento brew, a medium roast with beans from Salawara Estate in Karnataka, blended with Arabica and Robusta, making for a truly great cappuccino. And the avocado shake is basically a meal in disguise.

Timings: 9 AM - 6 PM, closed on Wednesdays

Location: Next to The Second House, Muddavaddi, Saligao

Social Media: Cafe Lento

Pro-Tip: 20 Best Coffee Places In Goa To Check Out