01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Tbilisi.
Khinkali Kitchens
Tbilisi
Eat Tbilisi at lunchtime — khachapuri, khinkali and walnut sauces from the Georgian table.
Tbilisi Tastes
Tbilisi
Explore Georgian cooking between Persia and the Black Sea — khachapuri, khinkali and walnut sauces.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Khachapuri boat of molten cheese and egg, khinkali dumplings twisted at the top, walnut sauces on grilled fish, tarragon lemonade. Georgian cooking sits between Persia and the Black Sea.
04 The pantry
- Sulguni, brined string cheese for khachapuri
- Walnut paste, ground walnuts thick in sauces and salads
- Blue fenugreek, utskho suneli Georgian's defining herb
- Tkemali, sour plum sauce eaten with grilled meat
- Coriander, mountains of fresh herbs on every table
05 In the kitchen
- Shaping khachapuri Adjaruli into an open boat before baking
- Twisting khinkali dumplings closed with the classic peaked top
- Ageing churchkhela walnut strings dipped in grape must
- Grilling mtsvadi pork on vine cuttings for the vineyard smoke
- Pounding satsivi walnut sauce with garlic and fenugreek
06 Eat this first
- Khachapuri Adjaruli, boat-shaped bread with molten cheese and a runny egg
- Khinkali, twisted dumplings full of pork, beef and hot broth
- Mtsvadi, pork skewers grilled over vine cuttings
- Satsivi, cold poached chicken in a rich walnut and fenugreek sauce
- Churchkhela, walnut string dipped in reduced grape must
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Tbilisi.
Weather
Continental. Hot summers (30°C+ in July), cold winters (near freezing in January), and glorious spring and autumn windows.
Currency
The Georgian lari (GEL). Cards accepted in most restaurants and shops. Cash for taxis and markets. ATMs plentiful.
Language
Georgian (unique script and language). Russian widely understood, English common with younger locals in the centre.
Etiquette
Warm and welcoming. Georgian hospitality is famous. If invited to a supra (feast), don't refuse a toast. Modest dress at monasteries and churches. Head coverings loaned at Sioni and other cathedral entrances.
Getting around
The metro is cheap and covers the axis of the city. Taxis (Bolt, Yandex) are cheap and reliable. The Old Town is walkable but hilly, the funicular and cable car add character.
Prayer
Predominantly Georgian Orthodox. Cross yourself right-to-left, unlike Catholic left-to-right. Muslim, Armenian Apostolic, and Jewish communities also long-established.