Georgia has one of the most extraordinary food cultures in the world — a 4000-year culinary tradition shaped by the Silk Road, Persian influence, and the country's extraordinary agricultural diversity. This tour takes you through the real Tbilisi food scene: the wholesale market, the neighbourhood bakeries, the family-run khinkali restaurants, and one of the city's most celebrated restaurants.

Tour Route

10:00 — Dezertirka Market

The Deserter's Market (Dezertirka) is Tbilisi's largest and most authentic food market. Named for the deserters who first sold produce there after World War I, it spreads across several city blocks in a maze of stalls selling every ingredient in Georgian cooking. We taste: sulguni and imeruli cheese, spiced ground walnut paste (satsivi), sun-dried fruit leather (tklapi), churchkhela (walnut strings dipped in grape must), and the extraordinary variety of tkemali plum sauces. I'll explain the ingredients and their place in Georgian cooking.

11:00 — Khachapuri Bakery (Retro Bakery)

Khachapuri is Georgia's national bread — a cheese-filled pastry that exists in many regional forms. At Retro Bakery on Aghmashenebeli Avenue, one of Tbilisi's oldest bakeries, we try three types: Imeruli (round, kefir dough, tangy suluguni filling), Megruli (double-layered with extra cheese on top), and Adjarian (boat-shaped, open, with an egg and butter melted on top). You eat the Adjarian by tearing off the bread edges and dipping them in the molten filling.

12:00 — Khinkali Restaurant

Khinkali are Georgia's dumplings — twisted-top parcels of spiced meat and broth, eaten by holding the knot, biting a small hole, drinking the soup first, then eating the filling. At the restaurant on Gudiasvili Street (open since 1964), we eat the proper way with the proper etiquette I'll teach you.

13:00 — Spice Market and Pkhali

A walk through the spice sellers to pick up blue fenugreek (utskho suneli), marigold petals (imereti saffron), and mixed khmeli-suneli spice. Then a tasting of pkhali — vegetable balls bound with walnut paste, beetroot, spinach, or green bean varieties.

14:00 — Barbarestan Restaurant

We finish at Barbarestan, one of Tbilisi's most celebrated restaurants, which specializes in 19th-century Georgian recipes from the cookbook of Barbare Jorjadze (1833-1895). The menu includes dishes that disappeared from Georgian cooking for generations and have been revived from her original recipes.

Included

  • Private guide (Timur)
  • Dezertirka market tasting
  • Khachapuri at Retro Bakery (3 types)
  • Khinkali lunch
  • Pkhali tasting
  • Barbarestan restaurant experience

Not Included

  • Restaurant bills (food and drinks)
  • Souvenir purchases

Frequently Asked Questions

What food will we eat on the tour?

Khachapuri (3 types), khinkali dumplings, pkhali vegetable bites, market tastings (cheese, churchkhela, tklapi), and a meal at Barbarestan restaurant with 19th-century Georgian recipes.

Is food included in the price?

Market tastings and bakery tastings are included. Restaurant meals (Khinkali and Barbarestan) are paid by guests directly — budget approximately ₾60-80 per person for both.

Is the gastro tour suitable for vegetarians?

Georgia has an exceptional vegetarian tradition — pkhali, adjapsandali, lobiani, and many khachapuri types are meat-free. The khinkali restaurant also offers mushroom and potato khinkali.