Delicious FOOD in Tbilisi
Food Scene
Stamba Hotel
0108 Merab Kostava StLolita
7 Tamar Chovelidze StAnother totally unique dining experience in Tbilisi, Bina N37 is set inside an apartment on the 8th floor of a residential building in the city’s north. To get inside, you have to take the lift up and knock on the door, as if you were a guest of the family.
The rooftop terrace holds a few dining tables plus the family’s cellar. Very cleverly, they have emptied out their pool and filled it with sand, nesting 43 clay Qvevri full of Saperavi and amber wine inside!
For food, there’s sea bream dressed simply and fried to perfection, plus a handful of Megrelian dishes, including kharcho and elargi.
BINA N37
Another totally unique dining experience in Tbilisi, Bina N37 is set inside an apartment on the 8th floor of a residential building in the city’s north. To get inside, you have to take the lift up and knock on the door, as if you were a guest of the family.
The rooftop terrace holds a few dining tables plus the family’s cellar. Very cleverly, they have emptied out their pool and filled it with sand, nesting 43 clay Qvevri full of Saperavi and amber wine inside!
For food, there’s sea bream dressed simply and fried to perfection, plus a handful of Megrelian dishes, including kharcho and elargi.
Wine Factory No. 1, a wine production plant built at the end of the 19th century and relaunched in 2017, is one of Tbilisi’s premier dining precincts. There are a dozen or so eateries to choose from – my pick is Shushabandi, which occupies the loveliest dining area plus a covered outdoor area, and channels old-world opulence perfectly.
The menu here puts a fine-dining spin on all the classics: Chicken with bazhe walnut sauce and elarji, Veal tashmijabi, apkhazura (meatballs with barberry), creative salads (Imeretian cheese with green adjika sauce) and yummy corn breads (I love the mchadi with mint).
16 lokal ang nagrerekomenda
Shushabandi•შუშაბანდი
1 ვასილ პეტრიაშვილის ქWine Factory No. 1, a wine production plant built at the end of the 19th century and relaunched in 2017, is one of Tbilisi’s premier dining precincts. There are a dozen or so eateries to choose from – my pick is Shushabandi, which occupies the loveliest dining area plus a covered outdoor area, and channels old-world opulence perfectly.
The menu here puts a fine-dining spin on all the classics: Chicken with bazhe walnut sauce and elarji, Veal tashmijabi, apkhazura (meatballs with barberry), creative salads (Imeretian cheese with green adjika sauce) and yummy corn breads (I love the mchadi with mint).
Shavi Lomi
28 Zurab Kvlividze StIf you’re planning to visit Turtle Lake or the Open Air Museum of Ethnography, Rachis Ubani is the perfect place to stop off for lunch. The sweeping city view from the veranda cannot be beat.
Food is home-style and tasty; this is my favourite eggplant with walnut in Tbilisi. Much of the menu is dedicated to specialty cuisine from Racha region, so shkmeruli and lobio with ham are both must-trys. The BBQ mtsvadi is also very good.
Sitting on the balcony of the wooden cottage surrounded by trees, you feel totally immersed in nature. Even if you’re not visiting the nearby museum, it’s worth taking the cable car up just to try the food and escape from the city for a few hours.
7 lokal ang nagrerekomenda
Rachis Ubani
Kustba RoadIf you’re planning to visit Turtle Lake or the Open Air Museum of Ethnography, Rachis Ubani is the perfect place to stop off for lunch. The sweeping city view from the veranda cannot be beat.
Food is home-style and tasty; this is my favourite eggplant with walnut in Tbilisi. Much of the menu is dedicated to specialty cuisine from Racha region, so shkmeruli and lobio with ham are both must-trys. The BBQ mtsvadi is also very good.
Sitting on the balcony of the wooden cottage surrounded by trees, you feel totally immersed in nature. Even if you’re not visiting the nearby museum, it’s worth taking the cable car up just to try the food and escape from the city for a few hours.
Georgian House • ქართული სახლი
Located inside the Wine Factory No. 1, Veriko is one of the top restaurants in Tbilisi for casual dining and very popular among the local lunch set. I love eating on the breezy covered balcony here in autumn.
Veriko is a touch more expensive, but I think the tasty food and friendly service is worth it. Portions are generous, too. The creamy shkmeruli is delicious and the homemade kupati sausage with plum sauce and elarji is packed with flavour.
50 lokal ang nagrerekomenda
Veriko
1 Vasil Petriashvili StreetLocated inside the Wine Factory No. 1, Veriko is one of the top restaurants in Tbilisi for casual dining and very popular among the local lunch set. I love eating on the breezy covered balcony here in autumn.
Veriko is a touch more expensive, but I think the tasty food and friendly service is worth it. Portions are generous, too. The creamy shkmeruli is delicious and the homemade kupati sausage with plum sauce and elarji is packed with flavour.
Everything about this place is pure elegance and refinement, from the silverware to the tablecloths and the coiffed waiters.
The concept is very interesting: Chefs here take their flavour cues from Barbare Eristavi-Jorjadze, a Georgian duchess, poet and feminist who in 1914 published a seminal Georgian recipe book titled Complete Cooking. Fast-forward a century, and Barbarestan recreates her best-loved recipes using fresh, seasonal ingredients.
The dining room is set inside an old butcher’s shop (you can still see the old meat hooks on the walls). Choose from intimate basement dining or an airy upstairs room made to look like Mrs Jorjadze’s home office (natural light, indoor plants and Caucasian carpets aplenty).
205 lokal ang nagrerekomenda
Barbarestan
132 Davit Aghmashenebeli AveEverything about this place is pure elegance and refinement, from the silverware to the tablecloths and the coiffed waiters.
The concept is very interesting: Chefs here take their flavour cues from Barbare Eristavi-Jorjadze, a Georgian duchess, poet and feminist who in 1914 published a seminal Georgian recipe book titled Complete Cooking. Fast-forward a century, and Barbarestan recreates her best-loved recipes using fresh, seasonal ingredients.
The dining room is set inside an old butcher’s shop (you can still see the old meat hooks on the walls). Choose from intimate basement dining or an airy upstairs room made to look like Mrs Jorjadze’s home office (natural light, indoor plants and Caucasian carpets aplenty).
Strada Marjanishvili
5 Kote Marjanishvili StSet in a beautiful apartment on the sloping streets of Old Tbilisi, high above the sulfur baths and old Meidan market, Sofiko (formerly known as Ah, Turpav-Turpav and before that, Meama) offers incredible views from its twin terraces, which are perfectly aligned with Sameba Cathedral just over the river. It’s a steep walk to get up to this restaurant, but it’s worth the climb.
This restaurant takes inspiration from the bohemian ‘Old Tiflis’ of the 19th century. The menu is true to classic Georgian flavours with some European-style techniques thrown in. Everything from the table settings to the porcelain bowls and the creative presentation is on-point.
Classics such as kuchmachi, ojakhuri and tolma with matsoni sauce (a personal favourite) fall under the ‘Ethno’ menu. Mains include trout with lemon, short ribs with adjika, pork in white wine sauce, and duck with mulberry. I particularly like the dessert selection, which includes pelamushi (a sweet made with wine jelly, similar to churchkhela) and korkoti, a traditional treat made from wheat, raisins, honey, nuts and cognac.
Sofiko
8 Dzmebi Zdanevichebi StreetSet in a beautiful apartment on the sloping streets of Old Tbilisi, high above the sulfur baths and old Meidan market, Sofiko (formerly known as Ah, Turpav-Turpav and before that, Meama) offers incredible views from its twin terraces, which are perfectly aligned with Sameba Cathedral just over the river. It’s a steep walk to get up to this restaurant, but it’s worth the climb.
This restaurant takes inspiration from the bohemian ‘Old Tiflis’ of the 19th century. The menu is true to classic Georgian flavours with some European-style techniques thrown in. Everything from the table settings to the porcelain bowls and the creative presentation is on-point.
Classics such as kuchmachi, ojakhuri and tolma with matsoni sauce (a personal favourite) fall under the ‘Ethno’ menu. Mains include trout with lemon, short ribs with adjika, pork in white wine sauce, and duck with mulberry. I particularly like the dessert selection, which includes pelamushi (a sweet made with wine jelly, similar to churchkhela) and korkoti, a traditional treat made from wheat, raisins, honey, nuts and cognac.
Having opened in 2022, Tamara is a welcome addition to the Old Meidan area and a top choice for traditional Georgian in a fine-dining setting.
Tamara is owned by Gastronome, a premium grocer, so you can bet the produce is all of the highest quality. Everything is true to traditional flavours but with a little spin in the minimalist presentation. I loved the nadugi cottage cheese cones with truffle and pomegranate, and the mxlovana (flat pie) loaded with fresh herbs and aged cheese.
Tamara Restaurant
6 Samghebro StreetHaving opened in 2022, Tamara is a welcome addition to the Old Meidan area and a top choice for traditional Georgian in a fine-dining setting.
Tamara is owned by Gastronome, a premium grocer, so you can bet the produce is all of the highest quality. Everything is true to traditional flavours but with a little spin in the minimalist presentation. I loved the nadugi cottage cheese cones with truffle and pomegranate, and the mxlovana (flat pie) loaded with fresh herbs and aged cheese.
The name ‘The King & The Bird’ is a nod to the city’s founder, King Vakhtang Gorgasali, and his falcon. The homely decor and the location inside an old corner house is classic Tbilisi.
This restaurant launched at the end of 2021 and has become known for its unique take on khinkali – miniature dumplings served in a deep clay dish with unique toppings.
The King & The Bird
Revaz Tabukashvili StreetThe name ‘The King & The Bird’ is a nod to the city’s founder, King Vakhtang Gorgasali, and his falcon. The homely decor and the location inside an old corner house is classic Tbilisi.
This restaurant launched at the end of 2021 and has become known for its unique take on khinkali – miniature dumplings served in a deep clay dish with unique toppings.
Iasamani (‘lilac’ in Georgian) is set in a historic house in Tbilisi’s oldest neighbourhood, Sololaki. The combination of crisp white table linens and peeling paint on the walls is so utterly ‘Tbilisi’, I can’t think of a dining experience that better sums up the local food scene.
The curated menu highlights seasonal produce and changes regularly.
10 lokal ang nagrerekomenda
Iasamani • იასამანი
33 Lado Asatiani StreetIasamani (‘lilac’ in Georgian) is set in a historic house in Tbilisi’s oldest neighbourhood, Sololaki. The combination of crisp white table linens and peeling paint on the walls is so utterly ‘Tbilisi’, I can’t think of a dining experience that better sums up the local food scene.
The curated menu highlights seasonal produce and changes regularly.
Kakhelebi (Beliashvili Street, Dighomi Massive) in specialises in dishes from Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region, where the owners hail from. Much of the fresh organic produce (and meat) comes from their farm, while house wine is made from grapes grown on their 1955-established vineyard. Traditional puri bread is baked on-site.
31 lokal ang nagrerekomenda
Kakhelebi
41 Akaki Beliashvili StreetKakhelebi (Beliashvili Street, Dighomi Massive) in specialises in dishes from Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region, where the owners hail from. Much of the fresh organic produce (and meat) comes from their farm, while house wine is made from grapes grown on their 1955-established vineyard. Traditional puri bread is baked on-site.
Purpur Cafe • Muraberia