The most established of the Om Beach shack cafes, Namaste Cafe has been a fixture for backpackers since the 1990s. It sits right on the sand with a palm-leaf roof and hammocks strung between posts, serving the standard Gokarna menu of banana pancakes, hummus, pasta, fresh fish, and chai from early morning until late. The filter coffee is particularly good.
In the evenings the cafe fills with travellers from the guesthouses up the hill, and the atmosphere is sociable without being rowdy. It is one of the few places in Gokarna that serves cold beer — not something you will find in the temple town itself. The sunsets from the beach in front are reliably spectacular.