Mahalaxmi Restaurant is Gokarna’s most popular foreigner hang out, partly because of the food and location, but mainly because of Satish, the owner and the nicest man in the village.

The restaurant is small, with three Formica tables crowding the concrete floor inside and another three under a narrow roof on the street in front. The stucco walls are decorated with wires and bookshelves, boxes of pasta, toilet paper, and random books behind the glass. The open entrance to the kitchen is half covered by a curtain, another door leads to a courtyard out back with a squat toilet and a cold water tap for washing the dishes, and there’s a sink out front if you want to wash your hands.

The menu is varied but strictly vegetarian, with Chinese and Indian standards, like noodles, Gobi Manchurian, and Palak Paneer, plus treats for travellers, like muesli and porridge, ice cream, toasted sandwiches, and wonderful 20 rupee fruit salads made of apple slices, bits of pineapple and papaya, cashew nuts, and orange quarters topped with a coconut sprinkle and served in a beer glass. There are strange concoctions like peanut butter and apple shakes as well as more homely dishes like pasta with homemade sauce, grated cheese, and a buttered bun (from 35 rupees for Indian pasta, an extra 15 for Italian).

The curd, sauces, humus, pesto, and cashew butter are all home-made by Satish, who worked as a chef at his main competitor Prima before opening his own place last year. When he’s not outside trying to attract more business, he floats between the tables making sure the food is okay, gives advice on bus and train times, and talks about his plans for the future: marriage, a rooftop terrace, and maybe even a few rooms for travellers upstairs.

Mahalaxmi is open from 7:30am to 10pm. You’ll find it just before the stream on the road from the centre of the village to the beach.