The Best Restaurants for Georgian Food in Tbilisi

Restaurant Pasanauri is one of the best places to eat khinkali, Georgian meat dumplings. The restaurant has two locations in the city, one of which – on Maidan Square – is open 24 hours. Come here for an authentic Georgian experience: the interior is filled with rustic wooden tables, separated by thick dividers for intimacy. Black and white pictures of old Tbilisi by Robert Capa adorn its walls, while a unique installation of a Georgian supra hangs on its ceiling.

Shavi Lomi was one of the very first restaurants to offer traditional cuisine with a modern twist in Tbilisi. This cozy spot is adorned with vintage tableware, old carpets, and utensils that Georgians have used for centuries in their households. If you’d like to taste a bit of everything, order Gobi – a big plate of various Georgian pkhali, mchadi (cornbread), pickles, and cheese.

Amra is a cosy restaurant in Tbilisi which offers delicious Abkhazian cuisine, including a regional version of khachapuri called achma, something akin to a cheese lasagna. If you’ve already had your fill of all the khinkali and khachapuri while visiting Georgia, you can also try other Abkhazian dishes, a rare find in the capital.

Mapshalia is a hidden gem of Tbilisi, where you can eat delicious, home-cooked Megrelian cuisine. Mapshalia is more like a tavern than a restaurant and is often full. Come here to try elarji, a cheesy corn meal dish, ostri, a meat stew, or kupati, Georgian sausage.

Restaurant Tsiskvili is another popular venue for trying Georgian food. Located outside of the city center, the restaurant also puts on traditional dance shows for a full experience of Georgian culture. The menu choices are diverse and they also serve some European meals and vegetarian options besides the local cuisine.

The authentic, original khinkali was made from lamb. It’s rare to find a place serving it in Tbilisi, and Zakhar Zakharich might be the only one. Moreover, the dough of the khinkali here is handmade compared to other restaurants in town, so that the dumplings are stickier and fluffier.

If you want to sample different varieties of khachapuri, then head to Sakhachapure #1. With a reasonably priced menu and large portions, this khachapuri place serves some of the tastiest meals in town. However, if you are not up for khachapuri, they serve other food as well, like pizza, soups, salads, and desserts.

Restaurant Dadiani is another spot with delicious Megrelian cuisine. Unlike Mapshalia, it’s a bigger restaurant with a more diverse menu. It is also bit pricey, but the experience here is definitely worth it. Their elarji and gebjalia – rolled cottage cheese and herbs – are staples that attract many visitors.

Barbarestan, or At Barbara’s in English, is another very popular place in town that gets booked out almost every day. What makes the restaurant so popular? It’s run by a family with 10 children, who have revived recipes from a famous, 19th-century cookbook written by chef Barbare Jorjadze. Come for the friendly family atmosphere, stay for the authentic Georgian cooking.

Lobio, or black bean stew, is another Georgian favorite. Salobie Bia serves this meal with mchadi and marinated vegetables for extra deliciousness. However, if you have eaten enough lobio during your stay in Tbilisi, they have plenty of other Georgian classics you can try.