What does a hippie magazine have in common with a cocktail bar?
In Goa, a lot.
In 1975, Anjuna beach in Goa was transcendent with hippies. Many of them left a mark on the village’s history, and even culinary scene. One of them, “Tarot” Ray Selby wrote his name into posterity by starting a magazine, Stoned Pig. Peppered with stories and information (prices of local products, current exchange rates), it became a community magazine releasing full-moon editions. It had rules – how to be an effective beach-goer, wrote about community issues, it gave recipes – collect seaweed from rocks, and use it with vinegar or place in soups. It also features Poetry, and articles on zen shared space with advertisements and tarot readings.
Today, 50 years later, Stoned Pig has been resurrected. This time in Anjuna, in a shack once owned by a hippie. It still brings together community, but in a different manner.
Stoned Pig is now a bar.
Southern chicken wings
A new tide
From the stable of Slow Tide, the popular restaurant by Neil D’Souza on Anjuna Beach, Stoned Pig offers drinks that are inspired by and dedicated to the hippies that roamed the region.
It occupies a glass-walled room overlooking the beach. The glass windows offer views of a changing landscape, as dusk falls into night and moonlight casts shadows on the waters. Inside, you cannot hear the waves but there is music – not meant for dancing and at a volume that allows for conversation.
The vibe is relaxed. The bar, which sits in one corner, is prone to sudden, short, boisterous bouts of energy. The room is low-lit – this is a red light that is not ideal for photo shoots and Instagram reels. It is a space that is not trying too hard – a few paintings on the walls, books on a shelf and curios: it could be your eclectic neighbour’s (spacious) living room.
Here, a community has come together: supermodel Lakshmi Menon designed the space, celebrated designer Savio Jon created the uniforms, and collector Chiki Doshi sourced collectible pieces that pepper the space.
Stoned Pig’s menu is meant to mimic the once-popular magazine. Inside, besides the food and drink options are ads and artwork that once graced the magazine.
Much like the space, the food does not try too hard. It is there for support, to serve a function. Abhishek Deshmane, who is part of the core team of Slow Tide, curated a short list of bar bites. Expectedly, the menu is meaty, offering crispy chicharrónes, a tamarind-heavy inji puli pork bao, spicy Coorg chilli pork, and gooey ham and cheese croquettes. Small plates, high on flavour. Southern chicken wings get a lift from a sticky sweet sauce. Saltiness from the dried mackerel para enhances the briny taste of olives. Succulent shrimp nuggets are likely to become everyone’s favourite midnight snack.
The focus, expectedly, is on the drinks.
Riffing on the familiar
“This is a proper cocktail bar. We have 24 drinks that are riffs on the classics,” says Sujan Shetty, chief cocktail officer, Slow Tide. “You will find your drink here.”
There is no extra drama, flourishes or fuss. As with beauty, it is what is on the inside that matters. The bar team, led by Shetty, has created a menu that shows some skill (and Goan ingredients like kokum, chorizo, and jaggery), adding their own twists to highball, negronis, and martinis.
Bloody Batanga
It may be out of season, but the Holy Nog still hits the spot – a rum drink that smells and tastes like eggnog and is perfumed with vanilla. Local dukshiri (coconut feni infused with sarsaparilla root), and anantmool, bring out the bitterness of coffee in the Espresso. Bloody Batanga is like a Cuba Libre with tequila and vodka, and mellowed down by tomato. The Banana Pandan is a tropical and aromatic whiskey highball, with lingering sweet vanilla and coconutty notes. Much like Slow Tide’s fabulous signature Acid Eric cocktail, Banana Pandan could well be Stoned Pig’s standout.
The drinks deliver on their promises, though some better than the others. Picano leans more towards the pisco and lime of a chilcano than the expected piquancy of a picante. Frozen Guava suffers from an excess of ice. The Passionfruit Muskmelon Highball leans too much to the fruitier and sweeter side.
Be aware, food portion sizes are small – these are bar nibbles, not meals. For something more substantial, there’s always Slow Tide right next door.
Stoned Pig is a fun new addition to Goa’s bar scene, backed by good cocktails, a vibe that would appeal to millennials and a great view (especially on full moon nights).
₹2,500 for two. Open 7pm – 1am, closed on Wednesdays. At Anjuna, Goa. For more details, call 8055255277
Published – February 20, 2026 01:08 pm IST