The Project Cafe
All-day cafe, bar and concept store in a century-old design villa
Assagao · Goa
About The Project Cafe
A design-led cafe and lifestyle store inside a 130-year-old Assagao mansion — all-day dining, good coffee, a pool and a retail space under a landmark Bismarckia palm.
The Project Cafe (its restaurant is also branded Bismarckia, after the striking Bismarckia palm on the lawn) is one of Assagao's most photographed addresses: a century-old Portuguese mansion, Amalia Villa, reworked into a design hotel with an all-day cafe, a bar, a pool and a curated lifestyle store. It's as much an experience as a meal — you come to sit in a beautiful space, drink good coffee (there's a Blue Tokai on site), browse the shop and graze through the day. The menu is broad and modern-global with a healthy, brunchy lean, sitting at a mid price point. It works for a long breakfast, a laptop-friendly coffee, or a relaxed lunch, and the setting makes it a natural spot to bring visitors. It's on the Mazal Waddo / Panchayat Road side of the village. For anyone considering putting down roots, this kind of design-forward everyday hangout is a big part of Assagao's pull — a market that's tightly held, with about 22 listings from only 3 developers, inside a North Goa cluster of roughly 130 second homes at a median of Rs 3.60 Cr (ceiling Rs 17 Cr, most price-on-request).
Highlights
The signature brunch plate in a menu built around all-day breakfast.
Genuinely good specialty coffee — a reason to linger.
Set in the 130-year-old Amalia Villa under a landmark Bismarckia palm.
A curated lifestyle shop and pool make it an experience, not just a meal.
Scrambled tofu, ricotta scramble and fruit bowls alongside the classics.
The Food
The food is all-day, modern and global, with a strong breakfast/brunch backbone: eggs done several ways (including eggs benedict on brioche), pancakes, French toast, porridge and fruit bowls, plus scrambled tofu and ricotta-scramble options for the health- and plant-leaning crowd. Later in the day it broadens into lunch and dinner plates and a seafood platter. Coffee is a genuine strength thanks to the Blue Tokai on site. None of it is fine dining, and prices are mid-range (around Rs 1,400 for two), but the cooking is solid and the point is the whole environment — cafe, bar, pool, store and villa — rather than any single dish. It's a place to settle in for a couple of hours.
What to Order
Come for breakfast or brunch and order the eggs — eggs benedict on brioche is the crowd-pleaser, and the pancakes and French toast are reliable. Pair it with a proper Blue Tokai coffee. The scrambled tofu and ricotta-scramble plates are good lighter/plant-forward picks, and the fruit and muesli bowls suit a health-conscious morning. If you're in later, the seafood platter is the more substantial option. Leave time to browse the concept store and take in the villa and its landmark Bismarckia palm — that's as much the reason to come as the plate in front of you.
The verdict
8/10Less a restaurant than a whole design-led hangout — cafe, bar, pool, store and heritage villa in one. The food is solid rather than spectacular, but the coffee is good and the setting is among the prettiest in the village, which is the real draw. Ideal for a long brunch, a coffee-and-laptop session, or showing visitors around. Fair mid-range value for what you get.
Homes near The Project Cafe
Villa Encanto
₹14.5Cr
Assagao
La Orilla
Price on Request
Assagao
La Morena
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Assagao
La Selva
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Assagao
La Cassinella
Price on Request
Assagao
La Delia
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Assagao
Distances are straight-line (haversine), approximate.
The market around The Project Cafe
Assagao is the leafy inland village tucked behind Anjuna and Vagator, long nicknamed the 'Beverly Hills of Goa' for its quiet lanes, old Portuguese houses and design-led villas. It has become one of North Goa's most sought-after second-home addresses — village calm within a few minutes of the coast, the restaurants of Anjuna, and Mapusa's market. Avacasa currently lists 22 homes across 3 developers here. Most Goa homes are marketed price-on-request; across the wider North Goa cluster, listed prices run to a median of about ₹3.6 crore (up to ~₹17 crore at the top).
Boutique villas and restored houses along quiet inland lanes.
Closer to the cliffs, flea market and nightlife.
Where to Eat
Frequently asked questions about The Project Cafe
Both — it's a boutique design hotel in Amalia Villa with an all-day cafe, bar, pool and lifestyle store that are open to non-guests.