All Hail the Lizard King In Arpora, Goa, A Beer-First Brewery We Love

This beer-first brewery offers a slower, more lived-in side of Goa–rock music, comfort food, and rituals you’ll want to return for.

There’s a version of Goa most people arrive expecting. Beach shacks, Bollywood nights, and loud rooms doing too much, too fast. Lizard King Brewing Co. quietly opts out of all that.

If you’re looking for a rave or a predictable party night, this isn’t the place. It’s not near the beach, it doesn’t chase trends, and it has no interest in being everything to everyone. What it offers instead is far more compelling: a space built for people who like their beer honest, their music unwaveringly rock, and their days (or nights) unforced. Somewhere else, Jim Morrison is smiling proudly.

Tucked away from the usual circuits, Lizard King Brewing Co. in Arpora (near Baga), feels less like a bar you stumble into and more like a room you’ve been invited into. The moment you walk in, the tone is set – dark wood, high tables, visuals on the brewing gear, rock posters, and a soundtrack that (thankfully!) never strays from its lane. 

Beer is the anchor here. The house brews are clean, confident, and priced so you can stay a while (₹180 a pint). No gimmicks, or theatrics. Just solid beer made for people who actually enjoy drinking it.

There’s also Lizard King’s Ritual Brew which is a constantly evolving, house-only beer brewed by instinct rather than formula. One week it’s smoky and experimental, another it’s dark and brooding. Ask what’s on tap, and order it. It’s very likely it won’t be on tap tomorrow. The ciders deserve their own mention too. Dry, grown-up, and refreshingly free of syrupy shortcuts, both the apple and mango versions are made for people who like flavour without the sugar rush.

The food here knows exactly what it’s meant to be. Not the headline act, but certainly not an afterthought.

Fish and chips arrive properly battered and comforting in the best way. The chicken-fried steak (yes, it’s steak. No it’s not chicken) is indulgent and unapologetic, best enjoyed with generous pours of gravy and cloud-soft mash. And this is a place that understands gravy. Not that usual garnish, but as something to be ladled, poured, and treated with respect. Even dessert follows the same thinking. The Eton Mess is messy, light, and quietly satisfying. It’s the kind you don’t plan to order, but always do. Favourites like pizza, sandwiches make up the rest of the menu, but don’t expect a specific cuisine here. It’s their favourite, and it’ll probably be your favourite too. Thursdays are for Beer, Bheja, and Biryani while Sundays are slower here and reserved for roasts, more gravy and fish and chips. Beers keep coming, and the room settles into something almost sacred.

Lizard King Brewing Co. is for locals, settlers, and travellers who like doing Goa differently. Walk in alone, and chances are you won’t leave that way.