This highly regarded restaurant in the Old Town specialises in charcoal-grilled steak, using three-weeks-aged beef of local grass-fed cattle, and other grilled specialities like Svanetian trout using organic Georgian produce. You can pair these dishes with the restaurant’s selection of organic Georgian wines, which are served with an enomatic wine dispenser so you can try any you like without having to buy the whole bottle. Modern wooden interiors reflect the restaurant’s natural philosophy.

You’ll find Funicular Restaurant at the top of Tbilisi’s funicular railway on Mtatsminda, or Holy Mountain. Having been here since 1938, this panoramic restaurant has a history of hosting high-profile guests such as John Steinbeck. The popular dining spot has been featured in several cult Georgian movies and the dining room displays a famous mural painted in 1972 by the prominent Georgian artist, Koka Ignatov. Take in these surroundings and the terraced restaurant’s far-reaching views while sampling fine dining plates including Georgian specialities.

Lolita restaurant sits across from Rooms Hotel Tbilisi in a gothic building said to have once been home to some of the country’s most prominent cultural and artistic figures. A bar, lounge and nightclub take up the upper floors of the stylishly furnished historic building, with dining space spanning its outdoor courtyard. Get a table here for Italian plates like pizza and risotto cooked in an open-kitchen and signature cocktails like the aged rum, pepper and jasmine creation, Lolita’s Perfume.

In 2018, the founder of Lily Vanilli Bakery London, Lily Jones, opened the second outlet of her popular cake shop here in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi. While it’s not quite classed as a restaurant, the bakery does serve excellent coffee, brunch, pastries and the founder’s famous cakes throughout each day and into the evening in an exceptionally pretty setting featuring touches of pastel pink. The café lies within the leafy Vake district of the city.

An old Georgian mansion turned popular restaurant, this celebrated dining spot near Vera Park stands out for its old world glamour and outstanding Georgian food — book a table in the traditional interiors decorated with plants and chandeliers, out on the covered terrace or in the garden. The restaurant garners continual praise for its menus of traditional Georgian dishes, which you can enjoy with excellent local wines.

Georgian culinary tradition meets modernity and new ideas at this restaurant by chef Tekuna Gachechiladze who has become known for her creative take on the nation’s cuisine. The produce of small local farmers helps set these twists on traditional recipes apart. The restaurant sits within the historic Abanotubani district, which is famous for its public baths.

Hotel Stamba fuses the character of the historic printing house it’s housed within with contemporary design and five-star luxury. The hotel’s sprawling restaurant, Café Stamba, continues this theme with its appealing design. Menus offering a modern take on classic Georgian cooking, as well as international favourites like ceviche and gnocchi, use fresh seasonal ingredients cultivated in collaboration with the Georgian Farmers’ Association. Combine dinner here with a drink at the hotel’s stylish Pink Bar and pick up some handmade chocolate and coffee at Stamba Chocolaterie & Roastery.

A local favourite, Kakhelebi serves hearty and authentic Georgian dishes, with a focus on the cuisine of eastern Georgia’s Kakheti region, in a homely setting. Fresh ingredients come in each day, including produce from the owner’s own farmland, bread is baked in an on-site bakery and they produce their own wine. The restaurant is situated on the outskirts of Tbilisi.

Take in the impressive river and city views of this restaurant featuring floor-to-ceiling glass, high up on the 31st floor of The Biltmore Hotel. The sophisticated modern restaurant offers a range of international dishes, from Japanese to Italian, but it’s the creative sushi that this restaurant has become best known for. Pair your meal with the restaurant’s choice of Champagnes and local and international wines or one of the Japanese sakes.

Shavi Lomi (or Black Lion), which is named after the famous painting of the same name by Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani, is housed in a historic building with dining tables positioned in a light-filled dining room, beneath the basement’s sweeping arches and in the adjoining garden. When the well-known chef Meriko Gubeladze opened this restaurant in 2011, her approach to reinterpreting classic Georgian dishes began what is now a widespread culinary trend of modernising traditional Georgian recipes.