On our trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan in July 2026, Dan and I took the Culinary Backstreets Tbilisi food tour on our first full day in Georgia. The tour, Old Town and Beyond: A Tbilisi Silk Road Feast, runs about seven hours and costs $125 per person. We did this because (1) we love to eat and drink and (2) it would give us some historical background and recommendations for Tbilisi. We booked with Culinary Backstreets (not sponsored), the same company we used for our Culinary Backstreets food tour in Izmir in 2023. This post reviews our tour in detail, including what we ate and drank. For how we spent the rest of the week, see our 5-day Tbilisi itinerary.
Tbilisi, Georgia!
Where Our Tbilisi Food Tour Began: Abanotubani
Our tour began at 10:00 a.m. in the Abanotubani district at the southeastern edge of the Old Town of Tbilisi. This district is historically home to many of Tbilisi’s bathhouses, which are fueled by Tbilisi’s hot sulfur springs. We met right in front of the most photogenic bathhouse, Chreli Abano (or the Orbeliani Baths). Yes, this is the blue Persian-style building that many think is a mosque. We also saw the rooftops of other old bathhouses in the area. While the bathhouses had nothing to do with our tour, it was interesting to see.
The Orbeliani Baths.
The roofs of ancient bathhouses.
Stop One: Tea and Khachapuri at Tbilisi’s Last Teahouse
The first stop on our food tour was only a block or so away from the bathhouses, and it was at Tbilisi’s last remaining chaikhana, or traditional teahouse, Sabir Chaikhana. With its very colorful entrance, Sabir Chaikhana seems almost out of place. But no, it’s not; it is a beloved local teahouse in the area.
Teahouses have historically been common in the Abanotubani district but now, given that the neighborhood has been gentrified and is popular with a young crowd, Sabir Chaikhana is the sole remaining one. Locals ensure that it remains operational. Our guide reminisced about visiting this teahouse many times with friends and family.
Sabir Chaikhana teahouse.
Entering the Sabir Chaikhana.
A cool painting in the teahouse.
Sabir Chaikhana teahouse serves only one type of tea (a loose leaf Ceylon), along with sugar. We drank the tea piping hot with a square of sugar. It was very tasty, despite it being hot outside. It reminded us of the tea culture in neighboring Azerbaijan, which we experienced later on this trip.
Tea at Sabir Chaikhana.
While Sabir Chaikhana only serves tea, that doesn’t mean our guide didn’t bring in anything else. And indeed, she did! She brought freshly made khachapuri that was still warm and flaky. Khachapuri is Georgian cheese bread; the name joins khacho (cheese curds) and puri (bread). She also brought tklapi. Tklapi is a thin Georgian fruit leather made from pureed, sun-dried fruit. It reminded us a lot of the old US after-school treat, Fruit by the Foot.
Fresh khachapuri.
Tklapi with the khachapuri.
Stop Two: Shoti Bread From a Real Tone
From Sabir Chaikhana, we walked through a quiet part of Old Tbilisi, passing many old buildings that have been many things over the years, having strikingly different purposes before, during, and after Communism. As our guide was born and raised in Tbilisi, she knew tons about Tbilisi and its history. It was very interesting.
We passed some trees with grapes. They are not edible, at least at this time.
After passing some really interesting sights, we came upon our next stop, a Tone. A “tone” is a traditional Georgian bakery, and this one is a true hole in the wall. We came for the Kakhuri shoti, a popular Georgian bread that is slightly hard. Shoti is a canoe-shaped white bread baked on the walls of a tone, a deep clay oven. It was freshly prepared in the Tone and sold for 1.50 GEL (or about 60 cents in USD).
The Tone. No idea what any of that says.
The interior of the Tone. Look at that old oven!
Our Kakhuri Shoti.
We sampled the Kakhuri Shoti on the street. We also knew it was legitimate, as two locals came and purchased their own Kakhuri Shoti right after us.
The locals visited just after us.
While not part of the tone we visited, we passed another one that had a sign advertising alllllll the different types of khachapuri in Georgia. There are so many! In New York, we frequently order an Adjarian (Adjaruli) khachapuri, which we thought was simply “khachapuri”. Imagine our surprise when we realized how many different khachapuri there are in Georgia!
So many different types of khachapuri in Georgia.
Stop Three: Pkhali at Café Leila, the Prettiest Restaurant in Tbilisi
Our third stop took us down one of Tbilisi’s most touristy streets, Ioane Shavteli Street. This street is filled with charming restaurants and bars, as well as street vendors selling things such as paintings and souvenirs. Here, we walked to the end of the street to Café Leila. Café Leila is a beautiful cafe set in a stunning painted interior. According to our guide, it used to be a candy store, which I can totally see. The menu is vegetarian, and serves Georgian food vegetarian style.
Beautiful Café Leila.
I loved the ceilings.
And the plates!
At Café Leila, we started with a bowl of pkhali. Pkhali are Georgian vegetable spreads, usually blended with walnuts, garlic and herbs, and they are very popular in Georgia. Our bowl included several, including ones made of beet, carrot, eggplant, spinach, and walnut. The bowl also included some type of wild green that was delicious, as well as Georgian cheese and Café Leila’s famous cornbread. I really enjoy pkhali, and these were excellent. As were the greens!
For dessert, we were treated to kaklucha, also known as Orbeliani’s Candy. This is a rare 19th-century Georgian sweet. Café Leila is one of the few places that still makes it due to its candy store roots. Kaklucha is a round treat made of walnuts and caramelized sugar. It has a hard outer shell, a creamy inner filling, and a crunchy walnut core. One is more than enough, and it’s delicious. I only saw this dessert one other time in Georgia, and it was at another restaurant owned by the same group as Café Leila (Khash Khash).
Orbeliani’s Candy.
A chair inside Café Leila.
And another up close of the wall.
We also passed a few interesting sights leaving Café Leila.
Hand-painted art for sale on Ioane Shavteli Street.
The Gabriadze Clock Tower.
I liked this one.
Berikaoba Sculpture Group, representing the Georgian Folk Theatre of Masks.
I kept seeing these signs for wine ice cream. I wanted to stop, but never did. Guess I will have to go back!
Stop Four: Churchkhela at a Tiny Tbilisi Bazaar
From Café Leila, we stopped by a tiny bazaar, or farmers market, in Tbilisi. This was an old-school spot, with the proprietor selling homegrown vegetables and greens and homemade cheese, nothing more. Our guide knew the proprietors. They let us smell all of the fresh greens, which smelled so, so good. My very favorite was the purple basil, which is apparently common in Georgia but I had never seen it!
The local farmers market.
Purple basil!
Tomatoes! Georgia has the tastiest tomatoes.
Cheese section.
In addition to smelling the vegetables and greens, our guide purchased churchkhela for us to try. Churchkhela is a string of walnuts dipped repeatedly in thickened grape juice and dried. It is a traditional Georgian snack, and before it is cut up, it looks a lot like a candle. I tried churchkhela a few times on this trip, and it is really tasty. I wish I could have found some to take home!
Churchkhela!
Stop Five: Khinkali at Café Daphna
From the farmers market, we walked a bit further to a restaurant that looked nondescript from the outside. However, once inside, it looked like a restaurant Wes Anderson might have designed. Think lots of pink, black and white drawings on the wall, very chic, very hip. I loved the vibe of this restaurant, which happens to be called Café Daphna Tbilisi (there is a second location in Batumi). We came here for one thing, khinkali!
Pink and white theme at Café Daphna.
Café Daphna is serving Wes Anderson.
Khinkali are large twisted Georgian dumplings; you hold the knot, sip the broth, then eat the filling. They come from the mountainous regions of eastern Georgia and are possibly Georgia’s best-known food outside of Georgia. Unlike many Asian dumplings that I am familiar with, Georgian dumplings are larger, thicker, and twisted at the top into a handle of sorts. Whatever the filling, skip the utensils. Instead, grab the khinkali by the top, bite it, drink the juice and then eat the filling. Kind of weird, but it tastes incredible.
We began our meal here with a bit of local Georgian beer and a shot of chacha. Chacha is a Georgian brandy distilled from grape pomace, much like Italian grappa.
Georgian beer.
Georgian beer and chacha.
Next, we were served a plate of khinkali, including beef and pork, potatoes and cheese, and mushroom fillings. All were excellent. The drawn butter in the center is for use on the potato and cheese dumplings. Basically, you take a bite, pour drawn butter directly into the dumpling, and then take another bite, and repeat. Super healthy. Incredibly delicious.
Khinkali.
Another view of the khinkali.
Stop Six: Shkmeruli at Sofia Melnikova’s Fantastic Douqan
Departing Café Daphna, we walked through town to our next stop, passing some interesting statues and street art along the way.
Georgia has an interesting history and relationship with Russia.
Pretty street art in Tbilisi.
We arrived at our destination a few minutes later, Sofia Melnikova’s Fantastic Douqan. Great name. This café-restaurant is located in a breezy courtyard covered by grape vines. There is a lot of local love and history here, and you can feel it by entering the courtyard. This is the type of place with a purple moped on display, and lots of cats hanging around. A very cool environment.
I would note for anyone visiting, as of mid-October 2026, Sofia Melnikova has moved to 33 Mazniashvili Street, very close to Fabrika. Same menu and staff, new location.
The pretty courtyard at the old Sofia Melnikova’s Fantastic Douqan.
A cute cat on site.
The purple moped branded for Sofia Melnikova’s Fantastic Douqan! I have to imagine this made the move.
Sofia Melnikova’s specialty is traditional Georgian fare, things you would find at home. Here, we tried shkmeruli. Shkmeruli is chicken cooked in a garlicky milk or cream sauce, and it is a classic Georgian dish. The sauce, even without the chicken, is absolutely incredible. Very, very tasty.
The shkmeruli was paired with fresh bread, which was incredible dipped in the sauce, and a glass of a red fruit drink made with fresh fruit. This whole meal was completely delicious.
The full meal at Sofia Melnikova’s.
A closer look at the fruit drink.
From Sofia Melnikova’s Fantastic Douqan, we left the very old part of Tbilisi and moved to what seemed like a more modern part of town. We walked on wide sidewalks under green trees, and we passed a modern mall and Freedom Square.
Walking toward our final stop through a modern part of town.
H&M in Tbilisi.
Freedom Square.
Stop Seven: Natural Wine at Vino Underground
Our final stop was in this area of town at a wine bar named Vino Underground. And, true to its name, it was indeed, underground. The establishment sells well over 100 family-produced Georgian wines, most of them made in qvevri. Qvevri are egg-shaped clay vessels buried in the ground for fermenting wine, used in Kakheti and elsewhere in Georgia; UNESCO listed the method in 2013.
Qvevri on our wine tour through Kakheti.
At Vino Underground, the staff knew the winemakers personally and were passionate about the wines they served. Here, we learned about all different types of Georgian grapes and sampled four Georgian wines: two whites, an amber wine and a red. Our preference was, obviously, the red. Tasting wine from a country we knew little about reminded us of when we were surprised by Turkish wine.
All the Georgian wine types.
The cute wine bar.
A wine map of Georgia. They make wine all over the country.
Our first white. This was an 11.5% Tsitska.
Second white. An oak-aged Rkatsiteli.
The Amber that we sampled.
Finally, a 2024 red. This was a Saperavi.
Our tour ended after our wine tasting. All in, we thought this was a wonderful tour, and we had an excellent time. We would definitely do this tour again. If you are continuing on to Azerbaijan, compare it with our Baku food tour. More food tours we loved: Seville, Rome’s Trastevere and Istanbul’s Kadikoy.
STEAL OUR TRIP
Culinary Backstreets: We took the Tbilisi Old Town and Beyond: A Tbilisi Silk Road Feast. It cost $125 USD per person and included everything referenced here.
Sabir Chaikhana: 9 Mirza Fatali Akhudovi, Tbilisi, Georgia. 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Café Leila: 18 Ioane Shavteli St, Tbilisi, Georgia. Open 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Café Daphna Tbilisi: 29 George Atoneli street, 29 გიორგი ათონელის ქუჩა, Tbilisi, Georgia. Open daily 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Sofia Melnikova’s Fantastic Douqan: Stamba dead end, Tbilisi, Georgia 0108. Open daily 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
Vino Underground: 15 Galaktion Tabidze St, Tbilisi, Georgia. Open Sunday to Thursday 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.