11 best restaurants in Georgia worth trying

I occasionally read comments, questions and suggestions on travel related groups on Facebook. As I value opinions of other travelers and bloggers, these groups are great source of information and inspiration from bucket list places to foodie experiences to mindful traveling (you can now join our mindful traveling community). Recently I noticed that many people asked where others tried the best food during their travels. It tackled my curiosity to find out that so many replied: Georgia.

So I went. Verdict? Georgian food is really good and so different from cuisines of other countries I’ve been to. I went to many different places and ate almost every dish that was available on the menu list. Some restaurants were so good, that i went there not once, not twice, but three times. From the two-week-long trip I prepared for you a list of some favourite restaurants in Georgia that I think are worth trying. Once you’ve been there, please let me know what you think. In no particular order, here it goes…

Subjective guide through restaurants in Georgia

1. Palaty (Kutaisi)

Homey with live music, friendly staff and mouth watering dishes. This is Palaty. I guess many people noticed quality of this place as on out first night it was fully booked and we had to reschedule.

2. Fan Fan (Batumi)

After reading tons of great reviews about Fan Fan we gave it a try. This bizarrely decorated space is a rather interesting choice for a dinner or just a drink. After initial disappointment that it lacked variety of local dishes (most dishes are international) we chose a Georgian board, which contained a set of small portions of typical dishes, which a perfect introduction to Georgian cuisine. I would go back to Fan Fan just for that.

3. Heart of Batumi (Batumi)

We arrived at the restaurant, that was fully packed. It surely looked like a popular choice for many locals. Friendly staff quickly figured out how to accommodate us and shortly after we had a table. This small restaurant with a homey feel serves probably the best food in Batumi (according to my humble and subjective opinion). Everything we tried (that was probably way too much) was absolutely amazing and it was difficult to find the match elsewhere in Georgia.

4. House of Bread (Tbilisi)

Close to the business of the touristic area of the city, you can find this charming restaurant, where the locals hang out. House of Bread has a lovely terrace, tasty dishes and a good selection of wines at reasonable prices.

5. Wine Bar (Kutaisi)

As the name suggest this place is for wine lovers. It also serves a few dishes, which were really good. However, this place is for you if you want to chill, listen to live music, try great wines in a wine cellar bar.

During our evening, we had a chance to listen to this Polish young pianist, Artur, who traveled to Georgia to play.

6. Check In Garden (Mtskheta)

Check in Garden is located in the heart of the old town and looks rather modest from the street. You can fave a dinner or a drink inside in cooler weather while listening to live music or a romantic evening in the back garden with a river view. The food there was nice, not exceptional, but good enough, because the surrounding and the atmosphere make up for it.

7. Ornament Express (Mtskheta)

While in Mtskheta and want a fancy dinner place, Ornament Express is the place to go.

8. Cafe Tourist (Borjomi)

It might not look welcoming on the outside, but the elder couple running this place surely will make you feel like home. They do all the work, from cooking to serving. The ‘restaurant’ looks like their own living-room with its quirky decor, but it’s one of the cleanest places we’ve been to. The home made, traditional Georgian food is so tasty there, that we went back three! times. No other restaurant in the whole Borjomi could match the food in Tourist Cafe. And if you speak a little bit of Russian, the lovely couple will tell you stories.

9. Khareba (Stepantsminda-Kazbegi)

It is just a normal restaurant, that serves excellent food. As you might realize while visiting Stepantsminda, that everything is tourism oriented, which sometimes results in higher prices for lower quality. Khareba is not one of those places. The service was great and the dishes were really tasty. Besides, you can watch the cooks making khinkali, and other dishes of course.

10. Fabrika (Tbilisi)

We’ve been told, that Fabrika is “where the young people go to meet”, so it was time to check it out and see what’s happening there. It actually an old fabric accommodated to have a hostel and various restaurants and cafes. It is now a modern place with a cool vibe. I really recommend it.

11. Pasanauri (Pasanauri)

A little village called Pasanauri is on the way to Kazbegi. We heard long before that the best khinkali are made there, so it was only natural to plan a lunch stop there before reaching Stepantsminda, right? The oversized Georgian dumplings were just excellent and truth to be told, we did not eat better ones in any other places in Georgia.