On the road right in front of the main entrance of the Mahalasa Narayani Temple in Mardol, to the right as you exit the temple, stands Hotel Mahalasa. A small hotel, yet the crowd it attracts speaks volumes about the uniqueness of the food served here. While the dishes offered are quite typical of what you’d find in other Goan hotels, what sets them apart is the special flavour infused by the hotel’s cook, Mrs. Suparta Raju Naik.
This small eatery was initially established around 1987-88 by Mr. Raju Naik’s father, Mr. Gopinath Naik. Back then, it was just a modest shop selling items like lemon soda, kokum soda, and similar refreshments. Gradually, Mr. Raju Naik expanded the menu, introducing tea, coffee, milk, along with simple dishes like chana bhaaji (spiced chickpea curry), potato bhaaji, and pav (bread), slowly transforming the shop into a proper hotel.
In the early days, due to space constraints in the hotel and with their children still young, Mrs. Naik would prepare all the food at home and send it to the hotel. About ten years ago, as their children grew older, the hotel expanded, and a kitchen was set up on-site where Mrs. Naik began preparing the food directly. Initially, the menu featured just a few curries and pav, but over time, Hotel Mahalasa added specialties like buns and misal to its offerings. Freshly fried green chillies also became a popular addition. During the lockdown, with fewer customers, Mrs. Naik would prepare small batches of buns at home and send them to the hotel. These buns eventually became their signature dish.
After the lockdown, when things returned to normal, the hotel introduced a new concept: along with the regular two or three curries, a special dish was served every day. This included items like moong, lentil curry, salad Bhaaji, and even seasonal vegetables like alsande (long beans) during the appropriate time of year.
The hotel’s prime location outside the Mahalasa Temple and the delicious, homemade taste of Mrs. Naik’s cooking gradually drew in more and more customers. Initially, most of the patrons were devotees visiting the temple, but after the lockdown, even local villagers began frequenting the hotel. Later, the menu expanded to include dishes like puri bhaaji. The most popular dishes among customers are misal, batata vada, and the famous buns. The misal, in particular, is a favorite among customers from Karnataka.
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- Fried Chillies
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- Misal
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- Bhaji Pav
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- BatataWada
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- Buns
Some of the customers who come for temple visits request dishes without onions, which is why the batata bhaaji and batata vada served here are made without onions. Yet, the taste of these dishes remains exceptional.
In the evenings, after around 5 or 5:30 PM, onion fritters (bhaji) and potato slices (kapa) are prepared. The onion fritters are fried in a separate batch of oil, while the batata vada and other onion-free items are fried in a different oil. They only use fresh oil, and none of the dishes here contain artificial colors or preservatives.
Hotel Mahalasa opens at 7 AM. Mr. Raju Naik himself prepares the morning tea and bhaaji. From 9 AM until around 8 or 8:30 PM, the entire Naik family – Mr. and Mrs. Naik, along with their two daughters and son – work together to run the hotel. They have divided all the responsibilities among themselves, from preparing food and serving customers to managing the cash register and maintaining cleanliness.
So, if you ever visit Mardol for darshan (a pilgrimage) at the Mahalasa Narayani Temple, don’t forget to stop by Hotel Mahalasa to taste Mr. Raju Naik’s refreshing kokum soda and kokum sharbat, and savor all the delicious dishes prepared by Mrs. Suparta Naik, especially their famous buns and misal, which are loved by all their customers.
