The Burger King of Saligao
The quaint little village of Saligao, has in recent years turned into a bustling spot, filled with tourists as well as locals, thanks to the recent beautification done by the government, the Carpet of Joy installation by the Museum of Goa as well as the usual attractions like the Mae de Deus Church and Florentine restaurant with their famous Chicken Cafreal. However, this is the story of one man along with his food truck who has also played a key role and contributed to putting Saligao on the map over the last decade.
Mr. D’souza’s burgers are very well known to the people of Saligao and also neighbouring places like Calangute, but is still very easily missed by loads of people. Mr. Augustino D’Souza, also known as The Burger King of Saligao in his hometown, used to work in Dubai, prior to starting out with his on-the-go burgers. Thanks to his experience in the the F&B sector, working with 5 star hotels and international supermarkets among many others as well as his love and passion for local Goan food, Augustino decided to start serving some of his burgers in mid-2007, close to the roadside, near the fields. A small stall with a couple of chairs and a whole lot of determination. Fast forward to 10 years later and Mr. D’Souza’s burgers that is now located on the opposite side of the road from where he initially started and in a food truck, just before the lane that goes into the Iconic Mae de Deus Church, is now a household name in these parts and the go-to place for people of all ages for an evening snack or dinner.
Mr.Dsouza serves a wide array of goan-style homemade burgers as he strives to keep the Goan food culture alive and strong with his modern twist to it. He serves up Goan classics like Pork sausage, beef chili, fish cutlet and more in the compact form of a burger. He also has his own special creations like the Spicy Chicken burger which includes beautifully marinated chicken in a spicy-tangy sauce made with chilies, tomatoes and onions and also makes a chicken cutlet burger which has thinly sliced fillets of marinated chicken, coated in breadcrumbs and fried till crispy. Fish, Beef, Pork or Chicken, the meat of your choice is stuffed into a hot, toasted poe that's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside which is then topped with a bit of shredded cabbage. The great thing about these burgers are Augustino tries as much as possible to avoid using oil in the preparation of them. The burgers are an absolute bargain at just Rupees 50 each. Big and filled with meat, a taste reminiscent of the food that we all grew up eating and the kind of food served during local feasts or weddings.
In his spare time, Agostinho loves to be actively involved in giving back to the community, he gives swimming classes in Candolim and is also very active in football at the grassroots level as he provides coaching to small children and is involved in the organizing of local football tournaments. He is also a frequent sight at most of the local football matches and is always in good voice, cheering and motivating the ambitious players. He also hopes to start his own restaurant in the future where he can accommodate large groups of people easily and serve a wider range of dishes to his customers.
The food truck opens at 5:30pm and runs on till 10 pm, but make sure you get there nice and early as on most days, everything finishes by around 9 to 9:30 pm and sometimes even earlier on weekends.
The food truck opens at 5:30pm and runs on till 10 pm, but make sure you get there nice and early as on most days, everything finishes by around 9 to 9:30 pm and sometimes even earlier on weekends.