Where to eat in Georgia

8000 Vintages

A wine bar and shop with one of the widest selections of Georgian wine in the city: bottles are chosen at blind tastings. Sommelier-led flights and a cheese board make it an easy place to get a feel for local wines in one sitting.

Opening hours: 11:00-01:00, Mon-Sat (please confirm)

Picked for its cellar of Georgian wines chosen at blind tastings and its sommelier-led flights.

Barbarestan

A fine-dining restaurant in a historic house on Aghmashenebeli. The menu is built on the cookbook of a 19th-century Georgian aristocrat - forgotten recipes given a modern plating. One of the city's best-known dining destinations; book a table ahead for dinner.

Opening hours: roughly 13:00-23:30 (please confirm)

Picked for a menu drawn from a 19th-century Georgian aristocrat's cookbook, with forgotten dishes reimagined.

Café Leila

A vegetarian café in the Old Town with Eastern touches and painted interiors: meze, falafel and seasonal plant-based dishes. Calm and atmospheric - one of the oldest vegetarian spots in town.

Opening hours: 11:00-23:00 (please confirm)

Picked as one of the city's oldest vegetarian cafés, for its meze, falafel and plant-based plates.

Café Littera

A restaurant set in the leafy garden of the Writers' House, led by chef Tekuna Gachechiladze. A modern take on Georgian cuisine in an atmospheric courtyard - one of the city's favourite spots for an unhurried dinner.

Opening hours: 12:00-00:00 (please confirm)

Picked for Tekuna Gachechiladze's modern Georgian cooking in the Writers' House garden.

Café Stamba

A café inside the Stamba design hotel (a former printing house): a great breakfast and brunch, modern Georgian cooking and specialty coffee in a striking interior. A popular pick for a slow morning and photos.

Opening hours: 08:00-00:00 (please confirm)

Picked for breakfast and brunch in the striking former-printing-house interior of the Stamba hotel.

Coffee LAB

A specialty coffee shop and roaster on Kazbegi: house roasts, good coffee and breakfasts, and a comfortable spot to work with a laptop. One of the city's standout coffee places.

Opening hours: 09:00-23:00 (please confirm)

House roasting and solid breakfasts - a coffee stop for people who care about the bean

Dezerter Bazaar

A large food market near the railway station: spices, cheeses, churchkhela, tklapi, nuts, fruit and vegetables. People come here for edible souvenirs, lobiani and the atmosphere of a real market.

Opening hours: 07:00-17:00 (busiest in the morning; please confirm)

The city main food market - for spices, churchkhela and edible souvenirs

Keto and Kote

A restaurant in a mansion on the hill above Vera, tucked down a side lane: a terrace with a view, modern Georgian cooking and wine. People come for the atmosphere and the panorama - best booked ahead.

Opening hours: 14:00-00:00 (please confirm)

A terrace with a panorama over Vera and modern Georgian cooking - a place you come for the view and the mood

Kiwi Vegan Cafe

Georgia's first vegan café, just off Freedom Square: tofu shawarma, Mexican-style potatoes and homemade lemonades. A friendly place and a hub for the vegan community; prices are easy on the wallet.

Opening hours: 12:00-23:00 (Sun from 13:00; please confirm)

The country's pioneering vegan café and a gathering point for the Tbilisi vegan community.

Machakhela

A popular chain of affordable Georgian restaurants with branches all over the city: khinkali, khachapuri, mtsvadi and other familiar dishes, with an English menu available. A handy choice for a first taste of Georgian food.

Opening hours: varies by location (some open 24/7); please confirm

An affordable chain with an English menu and branches citywide - ideal for a first taste of Georgian food.

Salobie Bia

A modern home-style Georgian café in the center: lobio in a clay pot, khachapuri and seasonal vegetable dishes at reasonable prices. Easy to drop into between walks along Rustaveli.

Opening hours: 12:00-22:30 (please confirm)

In the list for its signature clay-pot lobio and affordable home cooking on Rustaveli

Shavi Lomi (Black Lion)

"Black Lion" is a trendy spot with a modern take on Georgian cuisine: unexpected pkhali, signature sauces and a seasonal menu in a cozy courtyard. Popular with locals and visitors alike.

Opening hours: 12:00-02:00 (please confirm)

A modern take on Georgian cooking - inventive pkhali and a seasonal menu in a cozy courtyard

Shawarma Haifa

A popular shawarma joint on Aghmashenebeli: filling, cheap and open late into the night. One of the city's favorite street-food spots for a quick bite on the go.

Opening hours: 12:00-05:00 (please confirm)

Hearty shawarma on Aghmashenebeli, cheap and open late - a reliable after-midnight fix

Vino Underground

A cult natural-wine bar in an old cellar in the center: rare, often little-known bottles from experimental Georgian winemakers, plus light snacks. A favorite of natural-wine lovers.

Opening hours: 14:00-23:00 (please confirm)

An underground natural-wine bar with rare bottles from experimental winemakers

Fishlandia

A fish restaurant next to Batumi's fish market: pick fresh fish and seafood and have it cooked right there. There's outdoor seating and a sea view - one of the city's top spots for fish.

Opening hours: 10:00-22:00 (please confirm)

Pick your own fresh fish by the fish market and have it cooked on the spot, with seaside tables

Guinness by Sinori

An Irish pub in the heart of Batumi old town, five minutes from Europe Square: proper Guinness, food, live sport and live performances.

Opening hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 14:00-02:00; Fri-Sat 14:00-03:00

Proper Guinness on tap, live sport and live music in the old town - a format Batumi rarely offers

Old Boulevard

Georgian cuisine in the center, a short walk from the Old Boulevard: classic dishes, generous portions and live music in the evenings. Handy after a stroll along the seafront.

Opening hours: 09:00-23:30 (please confirm); live music in the evenings

Generous portions of Georgian classics and live music a step from the Batumi seafront.

Pirosmani (Batumi)

Affordable Georgian home cooking: khachapuri, khinkali, mtsvadi and Adjarian dishes in a simple, cozy setting. A good choice for a hearty meal without the tourist markup.

In the list as affordable home cooking without the seafront tourist markup

Porto Franco (Batumi)

A Georgian restaurant in Old Batumi, best known for its Adjarian khachapuri (top marks from food guides). A wide choice of starters, including vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Opening hours: 09:00-23:00 (please confirm)

In the list for its top-rated Adjarian khachapuri and a solid range of vegan dishes

Retro (Batumi)

One of the city's go-to spots for the boat-shaped Adjarian khachapuri: variations with cheese and meat, right by the seafront. A longtime favorite with locals and visitors alike.

Opening hours: 10:00-00:00 (please confirm)

In the list as a longtime seafront favorite for boat-shaped Adjarian khachapuri

SushiMan

Premium roll delivery in Batumi: fresh Norwegian salmon and a big choice of sets for groups. Delivery and takeout in the heart of the Old Town.

Opening hours: Daily 12:00-00:00

Checked in person: fresh Norwegian-salmon rolls, a big choice of sets

Lilestan

An atmospheric Imeretian restaurant in central Kutaisi: regional dishes, Imeretian wine and live Georgian music in the evenings. A good base for getting to know the west of the country.

Opening hours: 11:00-23:00 (please confirm)

Imeretian classics and regional wine paired with live Georgian music in the evenings.

Palaty

A popular bar-restaurant in the center of Kutaisi set in a historic building: Georgian cuisine, wine and cocktails, live music and a bohemian vibe. A great spot for an evening out.

A bohemian bar-restaurant in a historic building: cuisine, cocktails and live music at night.

Papavero (Kutaisi)

A popular bar-restaurant in the center of Kutaisi: Georgian and European cuisine, a bar and a relaxed atmosphere. A handy spot for dinner and an evening out in town.

Opening hours: 10:00-00:00 (please confirm)

In the list for pairing Georgian and European cuisine with a bar right in the city center

Toma's Wine Cellar

A family wine cellar serving homemade qvevri wine and Imeretian home cooking. One of the warmest and most highly rated spots in Kutaisi - it's small, so booking ahead is best.

Opening hours: 15:00-23:00, closed Tue (please confirm)

A family cellar with homemade qvevri wine and Imeretian cooking - intimate and warm, book ahead

Nazuki in Surami (roadside bakeries)

A famous roadside stop: along the highway through Surami, dozens of bakeries make nazuki - a sweet spiced bread with raisins, cinnamon and cloves baked in clay tone ovens. Buy it warm right by the road - a classic snack on the way to the sea.

An iconic Tbilisi-Batumi highway stop for warm nazuki straight from the clay oven