The Samgori market in the eastern Samgori district is a vast covered bazaar where Tbilisi's residents do their serious food shopping. It is not a tourist attraction in the conventional sense — there are no souvenirs or crafts — but as an immersion in the daily commercial life of the city it is unbeatable. The stalls sell everything: fresh produce, dried fruit and nuts, spices, churchkhela (the walnut-and-grape-juice sweet), cheese, meat, and household goods.
The spice section alone is worth the trip: Georgian cuisine uses a distinctive range of spices — khmeli-suneli (dried herb blend), adjika (spiced paste), saffron, dried fenugreek — that are available here in bulk at very low prices and make excellent souvenirs. Reach Samgori by metro (Samgori station is the eastern terminus of the line).