What to Eat in Tbilisi: Georgian Dishes + Where to Try Them
Georgia is a treasure trove when it comes to food, and after spending a month in Tbilisi, I really believe that one of the best ways to experience the culture is to do its cuisine justice.
But if you don’t know Georgian at all, you might be a bit overwhelmed with all the dishes and names (I certainly was), what to try and prioritize, and the sheer number of restaurants that all seem to have ratings online. So, I aim to simplify things for you in this guide — here I explain the main foods I tried, what they actually are, where my partner and I had versions we liked, and what I’d order at some of our favorite restaurants.
This is based on my own meals over the course of a month in Tbilisi rather than an exhaustive ranking of restaurants in the city. There are some dishes, though (especially khinkali, khachapuri, and tomato and cucumber salad) that we ate at enough different places to have pretty strong opinions about where we liked them best.
If you want a ready-to-go itinerary with some of these food places built in, see my itinerary for Tbilisi in 3 days.
Must-Try Georgian Foods in Tbilisi
If you only have a short time in Georgia, I’d prioritize trying khinkali, khachapuri, tomato and cucumber salad with walnuts, mtsvadi, and badrijani nigvzit.
Khinkali
Khinkali are Georgian dumplings made from twisted dough wrapped around a filling, and probably one of the most emblematic foods of the cuisine. The most traditional versions are filled with seasoned meat and broth, but you’ll also find versions with mushrooms, cheese, potatoes, and other fillings.
Most khinkali are boiled, though some restaurants also serve fried khinkali. The fried version has a crispier exterior and is worth trying, but I’d definitely start with the classic boiled version.
The way to eat khinkali is non-obvious, and eating it the wrong way risks losing one of the tastiest parts — the broth. The traditional way to eat khinkali is to pick one up by the doughy knob at the top, turn it upside down, bite into the side, and sip the broth before eating the rest. This way, you don’t spill broth onto the plate. The thick knob at the top is generally left behind rather than eaten.
You can also stick a fork through the top if you don’t want dough all over your fingers. I also find khinkali easier to handle after they’ve sat for a minute or two and the outside is slightly less wet.
Where I liked them: Café Daphna
I’d say every place I tried khinkali had yummy versions, but Café Daphna was by far my favorite. I went back several times during my stay, and they were consistently excellent: hot without being overly wet, never broken, with chewy fresh dough and a particularly rich broth inside.
I liked both the classic meat and mushroom versions — the mushroom one is so unique and extremely flavorful, and it might actually be my favorite khinkali.
Also try: Khinkali Bar for fried khinkali.
Khachapuri
Adjarian khachapuri at Khinkali Bar.
Khachapuri is Georgian cheese bread. It’s Georgia’s national dish, but there isn’t just one version. Different regions of Georgia have their own styles, and they can look and taste pretty different.
Some of the main versions you’ll encounter include:
Adjarian khachapuri: The famous boat-shaped version filled with cheese and topped with butter and egg. You mix everything together while it’s hot and tear pieces of the bread off to dip into the center.
Imeretian khachapuri: A round, closed bread with cheese baked inside. It looks almost like a thick pizza from the outside.
Megrelian khachapuri: Similar in shape to Imeretian khachapuri, but with additional cheese melted over the top.
Lazuri khachapuri: A particularly rich version in a similar family to Megrelian khachapuri, with additional dairy and a stronger, richer cheese flavor.
Meskhetian khachapuri: A specialty from the Meskheti region made with thin layers of dough and cheese, giving it a flaky, layered texture that’s quite different from most other types of khachapuri.
Where I liked it: Café Daphna
Cafe Daphna serves the latter three listed above (not the Adjarian one), and I tried all of them. My favorite was the Lazuri version, which had the strongest flavor and a deep-dish structure with such a decadent ratio of cheese (melted, gooey, liquidy, stringy, and just amazing) to bread.
Also try: Khinkali Bar or Khinkali Collection for Adjarian khachapuri, especially if you want to try it alongside classic and fried khinkali.
You can also get khachapuri in bakeries, which are numerous in Tbilisi and always smell fresh and amazing. There, the portions are usually smaller, more like something you eat for breakfast or a snack than a formal part of a meal. I particularly liked the Meskhetian khachapuri at Bakery Underground, in the underground walkways below Freedom Square.
Mtsvadi
Mtsvadi is Georgian grilled meat cooked over an open fire or charcoal. Pork is especially common, although you’ll also see other meats.
It’s generally served very simply, maybe with just some red onions over the top, which means the quality of the meat and grilling matter a lot.
Where I tried it: Deda
I only tried mtsvadi at Deda, so I can’t compare their version with restaurants all over Tbilisi. But the pork mtsvadi at Deda was excellent, and I have no notes. Just juicy, tender, with a perfect amount of char. I’d happily go back again.
The restaurant also has a grill right in the center of its atmospheric courtyard, so you can see the action before eating your serving right off the grill.
Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Walnuts
A tomato and cucumber salad sounds almost too basic to include, but it appears on menus everywhere and ended up being one of the things we ordered most often.
The basic version usually includes tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, herbs, salt, and sometimes a little oil. Georgian herbs do much of the work here, so even the simple version tends to be much more flavorful than you might expect. The good versions also let the fresh ingredients shine.
The version I especially like comes with a walnut dressing or walnut paste, which makes the salad richer without making it heavy. The salad is pretty much the perfect accompaniment to the heavier dishes like khinkali and khachapuri.
Where I liked it: Deda for the classic walnut version
Our favorite walnut version was the one at Deda, which worked very well alongside the mtsvadi.
Café Daphna serves a less traditional variation with hazelnut paste and cheese chips. It was consistently very fresh and ended up being one of my favorite salads we had in Tbilisi.
Badrijani Nigvzit
Somehow, despite ordering this multiple times, I apparently never took a photo. You’ll have to trust me on this one.
Badrijani nigvzit is fried eggplant rolled or folded around a seasoned walnut filling, often served with some herbs and pomegranate seeds on top for that burst of juicy freshness.
Despite the eggplant being fried, the versions we had weren’t particularly greasy or crunchy. The frying mostly softens the eggplant and brings out its flavor, while the walnut filling gives the dish its richness.
It’s an easy appetizer or side dish to order alongside heavier Georgian foods.
Where I liked it: Khinkali Collection
Honestly every time I've ordered this dish, I've liked it. Khinkali Collection is just where I've ordered it the most.
More Georgian Dishes to Try in Tbilisi
Lobio
Lobio is a Georgian bean stew, often served in a clay pot.
It’s hearty and filling, and commonly served with things like cornbread and pickles. The tartness and freshness of the pickles work particularly well with the rich beans and keep it from feeling too heavy.
Where I liked it: Salobie Bia
Salobie Bia is a good place to try lobio (and other stews and soups) if you want a meal built around soups, stews, and other Georgian dishes beyond khinkali and khachapuri.
Kharcho
Kharcho is a rich Georgian soup or stew, usually made with beef. The versions I tried were warm, savory, and very flavorful. It's the kind of food that’s perfect on a cold or rainy day, or when you just want something soothing. As someone who likes beef stews, this one I particularly liked.
Where I liked it: Odjaleche House Restaurant
I tried kharcho in a few places, and this one had the most flavorful version in my opinion. The restaurant is set underground in a cellar-like space, which also complemented the warm, comforting feel of the soup.
Chashushuli
Chashushuli is a Georgian beef stew cooked with tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs, and spices. The sauce is rich and tomatoey, with lots of fresh herb flavor, while the beef is cooked until tender. Compared with kharcho, it’s more tomato-forward and less soupy, with tender pieces of beef coated in a thick, rich sauce.
To be honest, I only tried chashushuli once at a restaurant in Orbeliani Square that felt more touristy (and that I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend in general), but the version we had was quite good. It’s definitely a dish I’d recommend trying somewhere while you’re in Tbilisi.
Shkmeruli
Shkmeruli is Georgian fried chicken served in a rich garlic sauce, often made with milk or cream.
The chicken itself tends to be fried fairly lightly rather than heavily breaded, similar to how the badrijani nigvzit is done, so it doesn't feel oily or heavy. We also noticed that Georgian chickens are often smaller than the oversized chickens common in the U.S., with meat that feels a little firmer and bouncier.
The defining feature, though, is the garlic cream sauce, which, depending on where you go, can lean more garlicky or more creamy.
Where I liked it: Khinkali Collection
We also tried shkmeruli at Salobie Bia, but preferred the version at Khinkali Collection because the sauce tasted a little more balanced and less overwhelmingly garlicky.
Pkhali
Pkhali is an appetizer with different types of vegetables — oftentimes spinach, beets, green beans — mashed and mixed in with garlicky walnut paste and formed into balls. It's often served with some pomegranate seeds and micro greens on top. It often comes in a platter format where you can taste different flavors.
I really liked the freshness of this dish and to taste the different flavors (I particularly liked the beet version). Plus, it's just so visually appealing. If you want to try another quintessential walnut-based dish in Georgia, this is one to try.
I also tried pkhali platter only once, at the same restaurant in Orbeliani Square where we had the chashusuli. Pkhali is relatively easy to find, though, and places like Cafe Daphna serve them as well.
Georgian Street Food and Snacks to Try
Georgian Shawarma
Not a great pic but I was trying to show how it looks inside xD lots of filling and sauce, with a generous portion of meat.
Shawarma isn’t a traditional Georgian national dish in the same category as khinkali or khachapuri, but it’s something you’ll see around Tbilisi and was worth trying while we were there.
They’re famously large and usually come in a wrap format that combines Turkish doner styles with local Georgian flavors. The version we had included additions like pomegranate and pickled peppers, giving it a somewhat different flavor from shawarma we’ve had elsewhere.
Where we tried it: Tiflis Fast Food
The portions were enormous. One was enough for the two of us to share.
Churchkhela
Churchkhela is one of Georgia’s most recognizable sweets, made of strings of nuts that are dipped repeatedly into thickened grape juice and left to dry.
From its appearance, I was expecting it to be sticky and candy-like, but it's really not. The texture is fairly rubbery and the flavor is much less sweet, like congealed grape juice with no added sugar.
This one wasn’t personally a favorite for me, but it’s distinctive enough that it’s worth trying at least once. Badagi is a retailer dedicated to churchkhela, and there are a few locations around Tbilisi, so I’d try there.
Georgian Drinks to Try in Tbilisi
Georgian Lemonade
Pitcher of homemade mint lemonade at Khinkali Bar.
Despite the English name, Georgian lemonade isn’t lemonade in the usual lemon-juice-and-sugar sense.
It’s a sweet carbonated soft drink that comes in flavors like pear, tarragon, cream, lemon, and others. The drink was originally made with lemon essences, so the name stuck.
You’ll see bottled versions everywhere, while some restaurants also make their own house lemonade. I particularly liked the homemade lemon-and-mint version in Khinkali Bar, and in terms of commercial bottled versions, my favorite brand was Zedazeni, especially the pear flavor.
Borjomi
Borjomi is Georgia’s famous naturally carbonated mineral water. Descriptions online make the taste sound really intense and strange, but I personally didn’t find it to be that level. It does have a noticeably mineral, slightly savory taste though, so not like your “regular” carbonated water you might be used to.
You’ll see it in restaurants, convenience stores, and supermarkets all over Tbilisi.
Georgian Wine
Georgia is one of the world’s oldest wine-producing regions, so if you drink, wine is worth making room for even if you’re primarily coming to Tbilisi for the food.
What is qvevri wine? Qvevri are large clay vessels traditionally used in Georgian winemaking. They’re buried underground while the wine ferments and ages inside. You’ll see qvevri wines throughout Tbilisi, particularly at Georgian wine bars and restaurants focused on traditional winemaking.
Georgian grape varieties to know. Georgia has hundreds of native grape varieties, but two names you’re especially likely to come across in Tbilisi are Saperavi and Rkatsiteli. Saperavi is a red grape that produces deeply colored, often full-bodied red wines, while Rkatsiteli is a white grape commonly used for both conventional white wines and traditional amber qvevri wines.
Amber wine. Amber wine is made by leaving white grapes in contact with their skins during fermentation, giving the wine a deeper amber or orange color. The versions I tried were more fruit-forward than I expected, with a relatively light mouthfeel despite the stronger color.
Where we tried Georgian wine. Since neither my partner nor I are huge on wine, we didn’t specifically do a wine tasting, but we did occasionally order wine with our meals at restaurants. We particularly liked the homemade Saperavi at Chef Saradjeff and the amber qvevri wine at Cafe Daphna.
If you’re more into wine and want to do a dedicated tasting, 8000 Vintages is one of the best-known options in Tbilisi, with a huge selection of Georgian wines and guided tastings. DADI Wine Bar near Freedom Square is another option, particularly if you’re interested in natural wines from smaller Georgian producers.
Where to Eat in Tbilisi: My Restaurant Recommendations
Rather than treating these as definitive restaurant rankings, these are places where we had meals we genuinely liked and the combinations I’d order again.
Cafe Daphna
Best for: Khinkali and various khachapuri
Café Daphna ended up being one of the restaurants we returned to most often during our month in Tbilisi, not just because we were staying relatively close, but because the food was just excellent. The khinkali were consistently the best we tried, and it’s also an easy place to order several Georgian dishes together.
What I’d order for two:
Meat khinkali
Mushroom khinkali
Tomato and cucumber salad with hazelnut paste
Khachapuri
Amber qveri wine
Cafe Daphna's tomato and cucumber salad comes with hazelnut paste and cheese chips.
Deda
Best for: Mtsvadi and the setting
Deda is set in a courtyard inside a beautifully worn old building, with the grill right in the middle of the space and cats just roaming around. We came primarily for the grilled meat and thought the pork mtsvadi was excellent.
What I’d order for two:
2 pork mtsvadi
Bread
1 tomato and cucumber salad
1 pitcher of homemade lemonade or compote
The grill sits right in the middle of Deda's courtyard.
Khinkali Bar
Best for: An easy introduction to several Georgian classics
Khinkali Bar is a convenient place to try several dishes at once, including classic khinkali, fried khinkali, and Adjarian khachapuri. There are a few locations in town.
The fried khinkali are a yummy twist if you’ve already tried the traditional boiled version and want something a bit different.
What I’d order for two:
Classic khinkali
A few fried khinkali
Adjarian khachapuri
Badrijani nigvzit
1 pitcher of homemade mint lemonade
Salobie Bia
Best for: Chicken shkmeruli, lobio, soups, and stews
Salobie Bia is a good choice when you want to branch out from dumplings and cheese bread and try more soupy or stew-like Georgian dishes. It’s famous for its chicken shkmeruli, but I particularly liked the lobio.
The interior was probably one of the funkiest I’ve seen in a restaurant — you enter an abandoned-looking building, go downstairs past gated dark hallways, and find the restaurant in a large space that seems to double as a gallery, with paintings by local artists all over the walls and displays of pots, knives, and other objects bursting from the cabinets.
What I’d order for two:
Chicken shkmeruli
Lobio
A salad or other appetizer if hungry
Chef Saradjeff
Best for: Meskhetian food
Chef Saradjeff specializes in food from the Meskheti region of Georgia, a good palette change if you want to try dishes different from those you repeatedly see around central Tbilisi. It’s also conveniently located near Abanotubani, so it’s a good spot for dinner after the relaxing sulfur baths.
What I’d order for two:
Khinkali Apokhti (shaped more like ravioli, with Georgian ham inside)
Atria (a traditional Meskhetian pasta-like dish of served in a creamy sauce)
Homemade Saperavi wine
Atria (left) and apokhti khinkali (right) at Chef Saradjeff.
Questions?
Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment below or send me a message with any questions — I’m always happy to help when I can. And if you try any of these dishes or restaurants, I’d love to hear what you thought.
If you’re still planning your trip, check out my Tbilisi Start Here guide for all of my posts about the city, including transportation, sulfur baths, where to stay, food, and ready-made itineraries.
You may also like:
3 Days in Tbilisi — a ready-made itinerary that strings many of these sights into three geographically organized days
What to Do in Tbilisi — the main sights and experiences to prioritize, plus how I’d organize them while you’re in the city
