Georgian cuisine is one of the main reasons to visit Tbilisi. The cuisine overview covers the key dishes — khinkali, khachapuri, satsivi, badrijani — but the short version is: order everything, pair with Georgian wine, and eat more than you planned to.
The best areas for restaurants are the old town (Kala and Shardeni Street), the Abanotubani district around the sulphur baths, and the Marjanishvili and Vera neighbourhoods on the left bank. The tourist-facing restaurants on the main streets are generally reliable; the more interesting places are one or two streets back from the obvious routes.
Okros Satsmisi (Golden Fleece) on Erekle II Street in the old town serves traditional Georgian cooking — the megruli khachapuri (double-cheese Mingrelian version) is excellent — in a good-value, no-frills setting. The terrace tables are busy on warm evenings.
Barbarestan on Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue serves Georgian cooking based on recipes from an 1874 cookbook by Princess Barbare Jorjadze. The menu changes seasonally and the cooking is more refined than the average Georgian restaurant without losing its authenticity. Booking is advisable.
Shavi Lomi (Black Lion) in the Vera district is a popular neighbourhood restaurant with a long menu of Georgian classics, a good wine list, and a garden terrace. It attracts a mixed crowd of locals and travellers and tends to stay lively late.
Budget 20–50 GEL per person for a full meal with wine. Georgian portions are large. Wine by the glass is available everywhere at good value; a bottle of house Saperavi in a mid-range restaurant costs 20–35 GEL.