T'bilisi Restaurant Tips by ellielou

Dzveli Sakhil: big and loud and possibly kitsch

I wanted to go to this place because the Lonely Planet said that they had polyphonic singing there on weekend evenings. Well, I went on a Thursday, and there was music, but it really wasn't the stuff I wanted to hear. (Actually, when arriving and looking at the little stage, I thought there would be a little jazz band playing.....)

The place looked a bit touristy to me, but I kept reminding myself that there are really no touristy places in Tbilisi, even if the waiters were wearing some uniforms approximating traditional Georgian dress.

I wasn't thrilled with the music, but the food was another story! We also arrived a bit late, and didn't want a big meal, just a few starters. Apparently, this sort of 'light' eating isn't all the rage in Tbilisi, and we confused the waiter....

Favorite Dish: The lamb shish was delish. We also had a fantastic salad, and aubergine stuffed with walnut. In addition, a walnut dip (much like a walnut tahini or liquid-y walnut hummus) in which to dip our bread.

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: on the left side of the river.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Local

fresh bread

There are small bakeries offering fresh bread everywhere. In fact, you never really have to go far to get a large, cheap, warm, and delicious loaf. These little tiny bakeries are just part of the general Tbilisi cityscape, and the bread is just amazing, especially the salty, crusty ends!

As you can see in the photos, the ovens are clay circular things, without shelves, and the dough is just stuck to the sides of the 'oven,' which is wood.

I wish we had these little bakeries here....and that fresh, warm bread wasn't considered a 'speciality.'

Address: everywhere

Rating: 5

Theme: Local

Khinkali: straight forward Georgian

This is one of those huge Tbilisi restaurants, that you would swear would be for tourists, if they had touristy restaurants. This is the first place I ate, where people eat in cabins, in big parties, totally counter the the restaurant see and be seen ethos in so many other places.

As stated in another tip, people in Georgia bring their own homemade wine with them when going to dinner, so the wine selection is not good. The menu is in Georgain, but, luckily, we had a local with us to help with the ordering.

Favorite Dish: Khinkali, the name of the restaurant. This is a meat dumpling, that's eaten by grabbing the doughy dollop on the top, with either your fingers of fork, talking a bite, drinking out the juice, and then eating. They are good and filliing, and having about, say five of them, should fill you right up.

Although we had wine, it's traditional to drink beer with this Georgian speciality.

We also had my favorite, a tomato, cucumber, and walnut salad, complete with fresh herbs, shislik, a Georgian shiskabob, and, of course, delicious bread.

Comparison: about average

Directions: on left side of the river, where the other big restaurant are, and across from the weird amusement ride tv-tower type thing that rotates.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Local