Your Vegetarian Friends Will Love This Community Cafe (They Even Have A Shop)

We were sick of the usual vegetarian grub in Goa and then, we stumbled upon Little World in Palolem, South Goa and everything changed. Here lies a quaint chai cafe (with a tiny store and lots of kitsch) that doesn’t treat vegetarian/vegan food as an afterthought – and their fake bacon should tell you that.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, honestly. Yet, the story behind the making of Little World is pretty compelling. So, turns out this cafe belongs to a popular chai whiz who once ran a hole-in-the-wall tea shop. His chai and omelettes were kind of like local legends and as loyal customers made a beeline for his eats year after year, he decided he’d open a cafe one day. Soon enough, with the help of his two brothers, the chai man had the help and finances he needed to realise his dream.

Cut to now: Little World grew into a community cafe right on Palolem beach road. They’ve also got a shop, a little garden, a bar and an experimental vegetarian food menu at the heart of it all. Their cute patio has a few tables along with a garden swing. If outside’s too hot for you, park yourself at the chill floor seating with lots of cushions inside. And, when the sun goes down, move over to the bar swings.

Now, back to the food. We ordered a chai latte, a deconstructed sushi salad and a tiramisu cheesecake, all of which we’d bet our money on. From the usual eggs and poha and masala chai to savoury pancakes waffles, sandwiches (Mexican, Greek and chana), smoothies and juices, the variety of veggie food here is rather impressive. It’s their dessert section though that takes the cake for being truly experimental. You’ll find amazing things like Dark Chocolate & Rose Brownie and Lime Cashew Cheesecake. OMG, yum!

We wish they'd at some point host cooking classes to teach us unconventional vegetarian dishes. Aside from that, it's a pretty sweet place. 

Make sure you pick up their masala tea packet (it’s where everything began, you know) or peanut butter, chutneys, jams, muesli or whatever it is that’s your jam.

Their tiny store has jewellery, macrame watches, dreamcatchers and a small space for people to teach small things, sitting on the floor. When we went, two people were learning macrame (it’s a community cafe, you guys).

P.S. We left the store with a wrist watch for INR 300 and two pair of earrings for INR 400 each. So, we’re in a happy place for now.