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Two of Tbilisi's Top Restaurants Make Strong Cases for Georgia's Cuisine
There are many reasons to visit the country of Georgia, as millions from elsewhere discover every year. Georgia is a truly beautiful place with much to offer to everyone from adventure-oriented athletes to those who simply enjoy seeing the sights.
Another staple of Georgia country tourism is the nation's cuisine, much of which draws on far-flung influences from throughout Europe and Asia. Georgia's location has long made it a multicultural melting pot, and its food reflects this fact in ways that visitors inevitably find delicious.
A Taste of Tbilisi Reveals Why So Many Consider Georgia's Cuisine One of the World's Finest
While every corner of Georgia harbors plenty of tempting dishes for visitors to discover, heading to the capital city of Tbilisi is probably the best, easiest way to get started. Home to around a quarter of the country's population, Tbilisi is a bustling metropolis with a decidedly ancient mien.
That same dichotomy runs through the best food served in Tbilisi, with restaurants that serve only traditional dishes quite often cropping up alongside avant-garde establishments. In every case, though, visitors will discover that locals appreciate and respect great food as much as anyone else anywhere in the world. Some of the restaurants that most often make this clear are:
Barbestan. Rightly known for many things today, Princess Barbare Jorjadze put together a cookbook that has been a staple of Georgian kitchens since its publication about 150 years ago. One of the modern era's earliest and most effective feminists, Jorjadze had a deep passion for Georgia's traditional cuisine. Her cookbook serves as a guidepost at Barbestan, a cornerstone of Tbilisi's culinary scene if there ever was one. There is likely no better way to become acquainted with traditional Georgian food than to dine a number of times at Barbestan.
Shavi Lomi. With its ten cozy tables keeping things intimate, Shavi Lomi invites diners to an exploration of a decidedly modern take on Georgian cuisine. Ever since opening, Shavi Lomi has been pushing the envelope with its creative updates to longtime favorites like saperavi, a stock made with wild plums that has been a standard accompaniment to roasted meats in Georgia for hundreds of years.
Many More Delicious Ways to Get to Know Georgia
As those who learn more online will see, there are dozens of other restaurants in Tbilisi that are just as much worth visiting as these two. Couple that with the fact that Tbilisi's culinary scene is really only the beginning when it comes to dining in Georgia and it should be clear that people who love food will find plenty to enjoy.