Tertulia Bar and Restaurant by Otherworlds: A Celebration of Goa’s Outdoor Living and Communal Spirit

Located in the vibrant heart of Panaji, Goa, the newly completed Tertulia Bar and Restaurant by Otherworlds reimagines traditional Goan architecture with a contemporary, immersive twist. Spanning 6,500 square feet, this 2023 project blends the rich cultural ethos of Goa with innovative spatial design, creating a venue that transforms effortlessly from a relaxed daytime café to a lively evening hotspot.

Designed by Arko, the founder and principal architect of Otherworlds, and beautifully captured through the lens of Suryan // Dang, Tertulia is more than a restaurant — it is an experience that breathes new life into the concept of community-centered architecture.

Reinventing the Balcao: Goa’s Beloved Porch

At the heart of Tertulia’s design is the reinvention of the balcao, a traditional Goan porch characterized by thick curved walls, colorful concrete finishes, and built-in seating. The balcao is a vital social space where neighbors meet, conversations flow, and daily life unfolds in a relaxed rhythm. However, the original villa lacked this defining element. Recognizing this, Otherworlds envisioned the island bar as a modern balcao — an open, inviting space that seamlessly connects the indoors with the vibrant streetscape outside.

By breaking down parts of the villa’s external walls, the architects created a welcoming porch that embraces a curved, olive-green island bar. This bar encourages interaction by positioning seating towards each other rather than a wall, fostering spontaneous connections. Floating above, a sculptural library structure crafted from metal and fluted glass doubles as a chandelier, enhancing the bar’s atmosphere by day and night.

Organic Forms and Tropical Immersion

Drawing inspiration from Goa’s tropical landscape and organic natural forms, Tertulia is designed to evoke the sensation of dining under a lush, overgrown canopy. A lightweight bamboo structure floats above the courtyard, punctuated by vast elliptical skylights that allow dappled sunlight to filter in. The gentle interplay of light and shadow creates a susegad ambiance — a nod to Goa’s famously relaxed lifestyle.

The slender columns supporting the bamboo canopy are adorned with whimsical, leaf-inspired lights fabricated from bent metal sheets, adding an ethereal, almost dreamlike quality to the setting. The intention was to mimic Goa's outdoor lifestyle, where people spend most of their time in nature — reading, dining, relaxing — and to create a place that feels at once intimate, expansive, and alive.

Celebrating Serendipity and Community

True to its name — Tertulia, derived from the Catalan word for a friendly gathering — the restaurant is designed to celebrate chance encounters and communal dining. Outdoor seating wraps around coconut trees, with green concrete benches creating natural meeting points for guests to engage in conversation. This fluid, organic layout fosters a sense of belonging, making every visit feel like a homecoming.

“In Goa, life happens outdoors. We wanted Tertulia to mimic that rhythm — to feel natural, joyful, and familiar,” says Arko. The design encourages serendipitous moments — a wave across the bar, a new conversation over lunch — that turn fleeting visits into lasting memories.

Materials and Local Craftsmanship

Embracing local materials and traditional techniques, Otherworlds crafted Tertulia with a sense of impermanence and organic evolution. The bamboo canopy, a material widely used across Goa’s coastal architecture, embodies the idea of seasonal transformation. Meanwhile, the hand-cast green pigmented concrete floors reference the traditional balcao finishes found in Goan homes.

A standout feature is the inventive use of terrazzo, created by embedding broken green and white marble pieces into the concrete, forming elliptical motifs that mirror the skylight shadows. These textural, imperfect surfaces imbue the space with warmth and character, enhancing the feeling of an environment shaped naturally over time.

For woodwork, the project uses Matti wood, a durable, richly figured local hardwood known for its resilience and rustic appeal.

A Space that Transforms with Time

Tertulia was designed to adapt to the rhythms of the day — a serene daytime refuge that transforms into a vibrant evening lounge. This dual identity reflects Goa’s easy blend of laid-back lifestyle and spirited social gatherings. By rooting the design in the tactile, sensory experience of outdoor living, Otherworlds has created a restaurant that feels timeless, authentic, and intrinsically Goan.

Through the innovative reimagining of the balcao, the celebration of organic materials, and the creation of spaces that encourage communal engagement, Tertulia is not just another restaurant — it is a living, breathing extension of Goa’s culture.

All Photographs are works of Suryan // Dang