The main street running through Gokarna's old town, Car Street gets its name from the temple car (rath) that is drawn along it during the annual chariot festival. It is lined with traditional two-storey wooden houses belonging to the Brahmin priestly community, painted in warm ochres and greens, with carved wooden pillars and deep verandas. The street feels largely unchanged from a century ago.
At ground level, small shops sell puja paraphernalia — incense, camphor, sacred ash, coconuts, ritual brass lamps. Brahmin-run vegetarian restaurants and cafes serve thali meals: rice, sambar, rasam, pickles, and coconut chutney on a banana leaf. These are some of the best-value meals you will eat in Gokarna, and the cooking is genuine home-style Karnataka food rather than tourist fare.
Walking Car Street is the best way to understand Gokarna's dual identity as both pilgrimage town and backpacker destination — the two communities coexist with minimal friction, though the town centre belongs firmly to the pilgrims.