Hot, buttery bread with a salty cheese center, soft dumplings filled with herby soup, slow-roasted chicken with creamy garlic sauce, spiced beans cooked in a clay pot – Georgia is known around the world for its delicious and varied cuisine and love of food. As to be expected in such a country, Georgia has many world-class restaurants both in Tbilisi and in its diverse regions. Read on to find out which restaurants in Georgia you absolutely must not miss.

MENDZELI, ZUGDIDI

Since opening more than a decade ago, this restaurant has been renowned for its excellence and quirky interior design. The Gebzalia starter, cooked cheese in a yoghurt and mint sauce, is excellent, while for a main dish a variety of Migrelian and Georgain classics are offered including the Migrelian khachapuri, dishes cooked and served in clay pots and dishes well spiced in the finest tradition of this region. A trusted winemaker in Sagarejo ensures that the cellars are stocked with excellent natural wines.

PHEASANT'S TEARS, KAKHETI

As you might expect for one of the finest restaurants in Kakheti, the winemaking centre of Georgia, The Pheasant’s Tears has its own vineyard which produces wine with the traditional Georgian method of qvevri femementation. Wines are aged in buried clay vessels and matured in contact with the ripest selection of the grapes’ skins and stems. The menu varies seasonally as it is innovatively, yet simply cooked with local ingredients selected personally by the head chef, Gia Rokashvili, each day from the local farmers’ market. This is an essential stop for any gourmet’s visit to Sighnaghi. The sister restaurant, the Crazy Pomegranate, is set within the vineyard itself and offers an intimate dining experience for a maximum of ten people.

TBILISI FUNICULAR RESTAURANT

Perched high on Mtatsminda, the views over night lights of Tbilisi must surely be unrivaled as a backdrop to the perfect dining experience. As you step off the train that steeply ascends the mountain, take a moment to take in the to the iconic architecture of the Funicular Complex building which was designed by Georgian architects in 1938. The Funicular Restaurant is one of four dining facilities within the complex, and provides you with a vintage fine-dining atmosphere, with dishes based around those on the original menu of 1938 and classical Georgian offerings each with a little twist of modernity.

DIARONI, ZUGDIDI

‘A place for a feast’ is the meaning of ‘Diaroni’ in Migrelian and this restaurant certainly lives up to its name. The extensive menu caters for all tastes and whether you are looking for traditional Migrellian cooking or European dishes, you will find something to your liking here. The exposed brick archwork and modern woodwork help to create a wonderful atmosphere that you will be unlikely to forget. Migrelian classics to ask for here are ‘elarji’ and ‘gomi’, both based on cornmeal and cheese, and ‘kharcho’, a hearty stew with a walnut sauce.