Boilermaker

Boilermaker proves you do not need leather banquettes or a hidden door to land in Asia's top ten. The room is loud, open-air, and deliberately unfussy, yet the beer program and cocktail list are built by two of India's most respected drinks operators. A night here feels like staying at a friend's place where someone always knows what to pour next. That ease is the point: susegad hospitality with world-class product behind the corrugated bar front. If you want one Goan bar that captures both the old shack spirit and the new cocktail scene, start here.

The address sits opposite Vailanka Wine Store on the Siolim road toward Thalassa, a few minutes inland from the coast. You walk into an open-air space with mismatched chairs, steel quarter plates, yellow bulb strings, and a long corrugated metal bar that reads industrial rather than polished. Counter seats face the taps and shakers; communal tables suit groups. The crowd runs young and local-heavy on weekends, with tourists mixed in during peak season. Service is warm and informal, though busy nights can slow the round. There is no dress code and no pretence: come as you are.

Start at the taps. Great State Aleworks pours IPAs, lagers, and Goa's first Scotch ale brewed with smoked malt, plus seasonal brews like the Gondhoraj witbier and kokum Hard Sun. For cocktails, Why Did The Onion Blush? pairs gin with lychee, red onion, green chilli, and yoghurt in a serve that sounds savoury and drinks clean. Apple Of My Eye is a whisky highball with red apple and bajra soda. Biso Manana Karamel twists an old fashioned with overripe Moira bananas and local feni dukshiri. Brainfreeze mixes feni with jamun, and Siolim Salsa brings tequila, grapefruit, pineapple, gochujang, and jalapeño. Bar bites like Lal Bhaji Melt and pickled cucumbers in balchão are built to match the pours.

Boilermaker is at Church, Vaddi Siolim, opposite Vailanka Wine Store, on the road toward Thalassa. It opens daily from 18:00 to 00:30. Reservations are recommended on weekends and in peak season: book through Zomato or call +91 92260 49851. Budget about ₹2,000 for two with alcohol. Siolim is easiest by taxi or scooter from Mapusa or the northern beach belt; there is no metro. Arrive close to opening if you want a counter seat without a wait, or book ahead for a table after 21:00 when the room fills.

The name comes from the classic boilermaker, a shot of whisky chased with beer, and Bhonsle and Balachandran extend that pairing into a full drinks program. Twelve taps anchor the room, with collaborations and seasonal brews rotating alongside core Great State Aleworks releases. Balachandran's Countertop team applies the same rigour to clarified watermelon serves, feni-based highballs, and sessionable savoury cocktails without losing the shack energy. The partnership grew from a meeting at Bar Tesouro, Balachandran's earlier Goan room that reached No.4 on Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2022, and Boilermaker was their answer to a Goa scene that had grown polished but lost its outdoor soul.

Boilermaker jumped from No.30 in 2025 to No.9 at the 2026 ceremony in Macau, and was named The Best Bar in India 2026, sponsored by Rémy Martin. The jury cited its susegad sense of place, the craft beer and cocktail crossover, and a menu that reads Goan without resorting to novelty. India placed three bars on the Asia list this year: Boilermaker in Goa, SOKA at No.18 in Bengaluru, and Bar Spirit Forward at No.31 in Bengaluru. For Goa, a shack-scale room in sleepy Siolim cracking the continental top ten is the headline result.