The Best Kutaisi Restaurants for 2024: Imeretian Food & Wine
27 min readA definitive list of the best Kutaisi restaurants, cafes and wine bars where you can find traditional Imeretian cuisine, local wine, and more.
Kutaisi may be small, but it’s one of my favourite destinations in Georgia. Not least of all because it has a food scene to rival Tbilisi.
Charming bohemian interiors, live music most nights of the week, and home-cooked renditions of some of Georgia’s most beloved regional dishes – Kutaisi has it all.
Since moving to Kutaisi, I’ve been excited to try some of the new restaurants, cafes and wine bars that had opened up since my last visit.
Whether you’re on a short layover or spending a few days in Georgia’s cultural heartland, here are the best Kutaisi restaurants, cafes and bars to try.
Planning a trip? Check out my Georgia Travel Guide, Georgia itinerary & Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan itinerary.
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What to eat in Kutaisi: Imeretian cuisine
Before I give my recommendations for where to eat in Kutaisi, I first want to make some suggestions on what to eat in Kutaisi.
Kutaisi is the biggest city in Western Georgia’s Imereti region, which is known for its fresh produce, fragrant herbs, and distinctive local cuisine. Be sure to visit the wonderful Green Bazaar when you’re in town to see what fruit and veg is in season.
Meat is eaten less frequently in this part of Georgia, and khinkali dumplings do not traditionally appear on the menu (although many restaurants still serve them).
Vegetables and herbs are king in Kutaisi and most dishes are designed to highlight simple flavours and super-fresh ingredients. There are lots of vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes on the menu.
When in Kutaisi, I recommend you give the following Imeretian specialty dishes a try:
- Pkhali: Georgia’s famous vegan-friendly appetiser has its origins in Kutaisi, where thrifty cooks learned to combine vegetables and wild greens with crushed walnuts and spices for an easy, protein-rich, vibrant and delicious meal. In autumn, look out for pkhali made with ekala, a unique spinach-like plant.
- Clay pan mushrooms: Cooking food in clay ketsi pans over an open fire is a unique technique used in villages in Imereti. Mushrooms (soko) are often prepared this way, sautéed until they’re soft and juicy and topped with melty cheese.
- Mchadi: Imereti is corn country, so you’ll always see mchadi cornbread on the menu. It pairs very well with pkhali and chicken in walnut sauce.
- Imeretian khachapuri: In this ubiquitous version of Georgia’s famous ‘cheese bread’, the salty soft cheese is fully enveloped in thin dough. It is round in shape, and a lot lighter than the Adjarian khachapuri you find in Batumi.
- Kuchmachi: This dish of liver, heart and gizzards cooked with walnuts and pomegranate is quite intense but tasty. In Imereti, kuchmachi is commonly made with chicken.
- Chicken in blackberry sauce: AKA tsitsila isrim-maqvalshi, this dish of whole-roasted chicken in a sweet-tart sauce is also very popular in Kutaisi.
- Imeretian cheeses: Cow’s milk cheeses (chkinti, kveli, sulguni) are very popular in Imereti and often featured on restaurant menus as part of a tasting board. This cheese is stored in brine and it can be very salty – it doesn’t sit well with my stomach so unfortunately I have to avoid it.
- Tkemali: This tangy plum sauce is commonly served with meat and potato dishes all over Georgia. I particularly like the green plum tkemali, which is a Kutaisi specialty.
Tip: Many restaurants in Kutaisi offer an Imeretian tasting board with a selection of different regional and seasonal dishes to share. The tasting board at Lilestan is my favourite.
Want to learn more about local cuisine and try your hand at cooking khachapuri? My friend Irma Laghidze offers culinary masterclasses in Imereti through her boutique company, Georgian Flavors. Read about my cooking class experience here, and enquire about making a booking here on the website.
What to drink in Kutaisi: Imeretian wine & more
After Kakheti, Imereti is Georgia’s second-biggest wine region. That means lots of local drops to sample at Kutaisi wine bars.
You can really taste the difference between wine produced in Imereti and wine from Kakheti. The climate in Imereti is more humid than eastern Georgia, which makes growing certain types of grapes easier.
Imeretian wine makers use different techniques, including less skin-contact time for their amber wines, which results in a lighter, fruitier taste.
Sparkling wine made from citrusy tsitska grapes and amber whites made from krakhuna grapes are popular in Imereti. Baia’s Wine, one of Georgia’s most popular export labels, is produced and bottled just outside of Kutaisi.
You can find Baia’s Wine at most bars and restaurants, and even visit the vineyard for dinner and a wine tasting (more on that later).
Kutaisi is a good place to try wines from Racha and Samegrelo, too. Two of my favourite Georgian wines, Khvanchkara and Ojaleshi – both semi-sweet reds – come from Western Georgia and are available at most eateries in Kutaisi.
You can also try local craft beer and apple cider made at Otia’s Ezo in Tskaltubo and served at Sisters restaurant.
Laghidze Water, a natural Georgian lemonade, was invented in Kutaisi in 1887. If you haven’t tried the popular tarragon or chocolate soda water yet, the stall inside the Kutaisi Green Bazaar is a great place to do it!
My top Kutaisi restaurants for 2024
To start, here are my top recommendations for where to eat and drink Georgian cuisine in Kutaisi. Most of these venues serve at least a few Imeretian specialties and all showcase delicious seasonal produce from the region.
Doli – my top pick overall (new for 2024)
Even before Doli Kutaisi opened in late 2023, I knew it would fast become one of my favourite places to eat in the city. That’s because the company’s other restaurants – Craft, Weller and Madre in Tbilisi, and Doli Telavi – are among the best in Georgia.
Doli shares a historic townhouse with Communal Kutaisi boutique hotel. The twin dining rooms are very cosy and dimly lit, with an original ceramic fireplace there to heat things up in winter. The ambiance here is always special, particularly in the evenings. Note the archival photos, maps and drawings on the walls – they all reference Old Kutaisi.
The Western Georgian kitchen is inspired by both traditional Imeretian recipes, and Megrelian flavours from the next region over. I have literally tried everything on the menu and I enjoyed it all. Highlights for me include the beef kharcho, which is extra saucy and goes perfectly with the house bread that is baked to order in a clay oven, the makali grilled meat (below right), the kebabi, and the kvari cheese dumplings. The khinkali here (a fixed plate of five) are also very good.
My favourite dish at Doli is the gobi, a massive sharing bowl filled with half a dozen different varieties of seasonal pkhali, Imeretian cheese and cornbread. It is terrific value and every pkhali is incredibly tasty.
To top it off, Doli has a thoughtfully curated wine list that spotlights both local and European labels, and a nice cocktail card.
- Location: 21 Galaktion Tabidze Street
- Hours: Daily from 3pm (brunch launching later in 2024)
- Contact & info: Facebook
Lilestan – best for an Imeretian tasting board
Lilestan is a gorgeous little bar-restaurant with a small open-air courtyard and a cosy dining room. The food, service and decor here are all consistently good, making it a great choice for a special lunch or dinner.
The menu features a generous selection of Georgian dishes, Imeretian specialties and European options. I really like their warm tarragon beef dish – it sounds strange, but it’s very tasty.
The salad section at Lile’s is particularly impressive, with lots of interesting flavour combinations (my favourites are the fresh grape salad with chicken and walnut, and the grilled pear salad with feta).
The real highlight is the selection of tasting boards – choose from Imeretian, Svanetian or Megrelian. Each one features hot and cold regional delicacies from the different parts of Western Georgia and is the perfect size for two (two very hungry people, that is!).
At night, the fairy lights go on, and the courtyard is a lovely spot to enjoy house and local wines and cocktails. If you have room, Lilestan’s chocolate brownie (more like a fondant cake with a gooey centre) is divine.
At Christmas time, they set up the little market booth and serve hot chocolate and mulled wine.
- Location: 11 Tamar The Queen Street
- Hours: Daily from 11am
- Contact & info: Facebook
Black Tomato Kitchen – best for creative Kutaisi cuisine
When the popular Black Tomato Hostel relaunched in 2023, the team simultaneously opened a restaurant at their new digs. The menu here is completely unique and inspired by their Sapichkhia location (Sapichkhia district being an old Jewish neighbourhood).
Black Tomato’s talented chef, Mashiko Zamtaradze, researched and documented heritage recipes from Kutaisi’s Jewish community before infusing her menu with traditional techniques and flavours. The cold matsoni (yogurt) Domkhali soup with herbs and turmeric and the Cholent stew (a slow-cooked beef dish prepared the day before Shabbat) are my favourite dishes here.
The setting beneath the fruit trees in a sunken courtyard is just lovely. There is also a small indoor dining area.
- Location: 24 Jacob Gogebashvili Street
- Hours: Daily from 3pm
- Contact & info: Facebook
Sapere – best for wine & small plates (new for 2024)
Also relaunching in 2023 after some time away, Sapere is a popular local wine bar with a fully fledged kitchen.
The team’s new location on Tbilisi Street in Sapichkhia suits their vibe to a T – from the heritage dining room complete with newspaper rails and framed cognac labels, to the outdoor courtyard accessed from the street via a wooden door suspended in its brick archway.
Sapere remains a natural wine bar first and foremost, with an excellent list of local Imeretian and regional wines available by the bottle or the glass. Food pairings include a mean pkhali on cornbread and a very tasty apkhazura meatball. For something more substantial, I recommend the gebzhalia, a cold cheese dish from Samegrelo, and the chikhirtma chicken soup.
- Location: 37 Tbilisi Street
- Hours: Friday-Wednesday from 2pm
- Contact & info: Facebook
Sisters – best for a beautiful interior, atmosphere & live music
Located in a historic blushing-pink building on the edge of Central Park, Sisters has long been considered one of Kutaisi’s best restaurants among locals and visitors alike.
A big part of the reason is that the vintage decor and styling here is second to none. This place epitomises everything I love about Kutaisi. The owners have done a beautiful job of paying homage to the old building, using antiques from their village in Lechkhumi to highlight the former bank’s parquet floors and soaring ceilings.
Folk ensembles or solo musicians perform here virtually every evening in summer, and on the weekends out of season. The party rolls on until 2am. If you want to see live music in Kutaisi (or partake in a spontaneous polyphonic chant), this is one of the best places to spend your evening.
Sisters is wildly popular (I always find it full) – but unfortunately, the quality of the food and the service has suffered a bit in recent years due to their success. Therefore I recommend coming here for a drink (and maybe a dessert) rather than for dinner.
Local wines (including Baia’s Wine) and craft beer and cider from Otia’s Ezo in Tskaltubo are served.
The entrance is a bit tricky to find: look out for the blonde wood doorway under the arches, then follow the stairs up to the second level.
- Location: 33 Paliashvili Street
- Hours: Daily from 2pm
- Contact & info: Facebook
Georgian Cuisine Magnolia – best for summer dining on the river
Not to be confused with the restaurant in Tskaltubo of the same name (or the other Hotel Magnolia near the Chain Bridge), this Magnolia is located on the lower level of Hotel Magnolia at the end of the Red Bridge.
This is one of my top choices for good old fashioned Georgian fare in Kutaisi: mtsvadi BBQ, stews and soups, khachapuri, and of course khinkali.
As well as traditional pork-beef dumplings, Magnolia do their own version of khinkali with buffalo meat. A Mingrelian specialty, they are light, soupy, and packed with flavour. Other dishes including the chicken mtsvadi are served traditional Imeretian style in clay ketsi pans. I love their cheesy lobiani, which fuses Georgian khachapuri and Imeretian bean bread.
Magnolia’s location right on the Rioni River is unbeatable. Choose from a cosy indoor space with rock walls or – my preference – the outdoor balcony overlooking the water. The cool breeze and roaring sound of the rapids makes this my favourite outdoor dining experience for summer in Kutaisi by far.
Because it is attached to a hotel, the service here tends to be above par. The Georgian folk music gives the restaurant a bit of a touristic feel – but hey, embrace it!
Prices are a touch higher than some other restaurants on this list, but still fair for what you get. Expect to pay 60-80 GEL for a generous meal for two people. Portion sizes are large.
- Location: 2 Davit & Konstantine Mkeidze Street (end of the Red Bridge)
- Hours: Daily from 11am
- Contact & info: Facebook
Toma’s Wine Cellar – best for a home-cooked meal
This is what everyone comes to Georgia for: To experience local hospitality, food culture and a supra, a traditional Georgian feast. You can eat at your family run guesthouse or hope to get invited to dinner by a local (actually not that uncommon). Or you can book a table at Toma’s place.
Located inside a house in a suburban part of the city, it doesn’t feel like a restaurant at all. When you arrive, Toma himself or a member of the family will greet you at the garden gate before giving you a short tour of the wine-making facilities in the basement. The family makes their own wine using grapes grown on a property 20 km outside the city.
There’s no menu at Toma’s. Dinner instead consists of a set four-course meal, served in one of two intimate cellar dining rooms. Toma is there to narrate every dish, explaining the different ingredients and cooking techniques.
Seasonal dishes are prepared by Toma’s mother and wife in the kitchen upstairs. Imeretian khachapuri is a mainstay. In summer, there will probably be a huge plate of jonjoli (pickled Colchis bladdernut, a flowering shrub found in Western Georgia) and eggplant with walnut, plus one or two meat dishes, salad, bread, and a selection of local cheese.
Half a litre of house wine (or a jug of compote), plus chacha is also included.
Toma’s is both small and popular, so it’s a good idea to make a booking in advance (just send Toma a Facebook message to reserve a table). The house is located on the other side of town, but a taxi from the centre shouldn’t cost more than 3-4 GEL when booked through Bolt.
- Location: Sergo Kldiashvili Street
- Hours: Wednesday to Monday from 3pm
- Contact & info: Facebook
Bikentia’s Kebabery – best local foodie experience
If you’re after a budget-friendly and tasty meal, there’s no beating Bikentia’s. A Kutaisi institution that long predates the arrival of fine-dining tourists, this is a working man’s lunch spot. Eating here as an outsider is quite an experience!
There are only two items on the menu. The thing to order here is the kebabi: homemade beef kebab (the long, thin kind that’s cooked on a skewer, not unlike Balkan cevapi) drenched in a punchy, fiery satsebeli tomato sauce and topped with sliced raw onion and a fistful of fresh parsley.
One serving costs 10 GEL (cash only) and includes two peices of kebab, a big wedge of white bread to soak up the sauce, and either a tap beer or a bottle of Georgian lemonade.
The dining area is small and dimly lit. There are no tables or chairs, just two rows of wall-mounted counters where you can perch for as long as it takes to scoff down your plate (not very long!). I’m told that this is a typical Soviet-style arrangement.
When you arrive, order at the counter, pay first (remember, cash only!) and wait to collect your plates when they emerge from the kitchen cubby.
Grab a fork from the counter, dry it off with a square of butcher’s paper, and tuck in.
- Location: 9 Tsisperi Kantselebi Street
- Hours: 9am-8pm daily
- Contact & info: Facebook
More Kutaisi restaurants for Georgian food
Story
This classy Kutaisi restaurant opened in summer 2022 and is one of my favourite places to eat when I feel like something a bit different. Every time I walk past, it’s packed to the rafters – so I don’t think I’m the only one!
Story is located just beyond the centre, past the old museum, behind a historic stone-and-brick house on Tsereteli Street. The dining room is moody and quite formal. You wouldn’t know it from the outside, but there’s a big terrace tucked around the back that faces directly onto the Rioni River. In summer, this is a popular place for sundowners.
The extensive menu has some really interesting dishes: Cream of beer soup, trout with raspberry sauce, mushroom chips with mashed potato. I personally love their chvishtari cheesy cornbread with cold yogurt sauce, and the tolma vine leaves stuffed with beef and rice.
On my second visit, I had to order the chicken mtsvadi with mashed sweet potato (pictured above) simply because I’ve never seen sweet potato on a menu in Georgia before! The meat was a little dry, but the flavours were great.
The chef’s version of chicken shkmeruli is one of the best I’ve had anywhere in Georgia: super succulent with an extra hit of garlic and a hint of hot adjika in the sauce.
- Location: 52 Tsereteli Street
- Hours: Daily from 12pm
- Contact & info: Facebook
Palaty
Palaty (‘the chamber’) is another Kutaisi institution and a safe bet for quality Georgian food. It stood out as one of our favourite restaurants on our first trip to Georgia – and I’m pleased to report that all these years later, the food here is just as good.
We have tried almost everything on the menu. Standouts for me include the pelmeni (Siberian meat dumplings in a hearty broth, cooked and served in a clay pot that’s sealed on top with pastry) and the kuchmachi, a local dish of heart and liver cooked with walnuts and pomegranate.
Khachapuri and pizza are also popular, and their Imeretian lobiani (bread stuffed with beans) is the best in the city in my opinion. Palaty is also a wine bar and offers a well-rounded selection of Georgian ambers and reds.
If you have a sweet tooth, Palaty’s pelamushi, a soft Georgian dessert made from condensed grape juice (a variation of the mix used to make churchkhela), is served with walnuts and colourful ribbons of tklapi fruit leather.
The upstairs dining room at Palaty is charming, but you should sit downstairs by the fireplace if you want to listen to the live piano, cello or violin performances that take place most nights during high season. They also have a small courtyard dining space around the back.
This place is very popular so bookings are essential.
- Location: Pushkini Street II
- Hours: Daily from 10am
- Contact & info: Facebook
At Home
Located in a lovely house by the river, At Home is part wine bar, part restaurant. For a cosy drink, I prefer to sit in the basement area, which is perfect on a Kutaisi winter’s evening. The outdoor terrace is great for chilling out on a warm summer afternoon, and the upstairs dining room that overlooks the mandarin trees is nice for lunch.
At Home Wine Bar offers wine by the glass or by the bottle plus bottles to take home. There’s also a light lunch/dinner menu available downstairs, and a more extensive menu upstairs.
Live music usually starts up late, and there’s always a group of people at the bar chatting away. Every wall of this place is lined with bottles, which makes it feel like a true wine cellar.
- Location: 7 Nikitin Street
- Hours: Daily from 10am
- Contact & info: Facebook
For an extended list of places to drink in Kutaisi, see my guide to the city’s best bars.
Paolo
Paolo is a Georgian-European fusion restaurant in the centre of the city with a mix of traditional and unique meals on the menu.
For example, you can order a classic chicken shkmeruli – a dish native to nearby Racha region – served with country chicken and lots of garlic (pictured below), or you can opt for something totally unique, shkmeruli with chicken and Chorizo sausage.
There are some old classics on the menu based on recipes from Barbare Jorjadze, a 19th-century princess and author who famously penned one of Georgia’s first cookbooks.
I love the interior here, especially the framed wine and cognac labels hanging on the side wall. They often have a band playing on weekends.
I’ve only eaten here once, but everything we ordered was delicious – plus my friend who is a Kutaisi local names Paolo among her favourite restaurants and I trust her recommendation!
- Location: 5 Shota Rustaveli Avenue
- Hours: Daily from 11am
- Contact & info: Facebook
Bar-Restaurant Argonauts
Argonauts opened in 2023 and has a great location on Kutaisi’s Central Park, right by the Magti shop. I must admit that my first visit was merely to see the Soviet-era bas-reliefs (signed by artists T. Gobejishvili, Z. Mgeladze and I. Adbutashvili) up close – but in the months that followed, I went back three or four times, including with friends who were visiting us from the UK.
At some point, Argonauts changed a bit – there was a new menu (with higher prices), the quality of service dropped, and I started hearing regular reports of people being overcharged for wine or charged for food they ordered but never received. These days the reviews are mixed. If you do decide to eat here, be sure to request the local menu and triple-check your docket at the end of the night before you pay.
I have always rated the food here pretty highly. My favourite dishes are the ajapsandali, khinkali, pork mtsvadi BBQ, eggplant with walnut, and the beetroot pkhali. Argonauts has beer on tap and a big menu of European dishes (pasta, pizza, burgers) if you’re in the mood for something more continental.
There are a few tables scattered out front, but I recommend sitting inside for the full experience. The owners of the old building have wholeheartedly embraced the Jason-and-the-Argonauts aesthetic gifted to them through the sculptures – it’s a bit naff, but I adore it!
- Location: 17 Saint Nino Street (on the park)
- Hours: 24/7
- Contact & info: Facebook
Best local Kutaisi restaurants & beer bars for a quick bite
Here are my go-tos for an easy lunch or low-cost bite on the go.
Hoegaarden
There are several branded beer restaurants in Kutaisi that serve draught ale and food. They might not be the most conventionally ‘traditional’ dining option, but I can assure you that these places are all the rage among Kutaisians. If you’re after that sort of local dining experience, they always deliver.
Most serve classic pub fare (chicken schnitzel, burgers, pork knuckle), but I come here for the Georgian food. (And if I’m being completely honest, I always order a side of onion rings or garlic bread done Baltics-style with dark rye.)
Along with Hacker-Pschorr mentioned above, Hoegaarden is a reliable Belgian beer restaurant that I return to again and again. According to my friend, a local restauranteur, the chefs here do the best mtsvadi BBQ in the city. I concur. The khinkali are great, too.
I love sitting outside here in spring and autumn – the location in the Royal District, close to the White Bridge, is perfect for people-watching.
Other local beer restaurants you can try include Weihenstephan on Tabidze Street and Lowenbrau on the opposite side of the river.
- Location: 7 Tsisperi Kantselebi Street
- Hours: Daily from 10am-11pm
- Contact & info: Facebook
ElDepot
Much like Argonauts, Eldepot can be a bit hit and miss. I have had some excellent meals here, but I have also had one or two very sour experiences in the low season (the same old story of being charged for food that I never ordered). Again, if you decide to eat here, ask to see an itemised docket in English before you pay.
Eldepot has been around for eons and is rumoured to serve the best khinkali in Kutaisi. I have to agree that the dumplings here are pretty good. The pork-beef filling is juicy and the dough just the right thickness. There’s a bit of a wait, so you know they’re cooked to order (and likely handmade). Veg-friendly potato and mushroom varieties are also available.
Their mtsvadi BBQ pork and chicken is another favourite of mine, served no-frills style with chopped onion and tangy plum tkemali on the side. Pair those two things with Georgian bread, a simple salad and a draught beer, and Eldepot is good for a budget-friendly sit-down dinner in the city centre.
The service here leaves a lot to be desired, but don’t let that dissuade you (just remember to check that docket!). It is almost always full, so I recommend arriving before the dinner rush if you want to get a seat.
- Location: 10 Ioseb Grishashvili Street
- Hours: 24/7
- Contact & bookings: 0431 24 42 73
Best international restaurants in Kutaisi
If you need a break from Georgian food, here are my favourite restaurants that serve international cuisine.
‘Modern European’ is probably the best way to describe these menus, though you should also note that most serve Georgian cuisine as well. There are a handful of Asian eateries in Kutaisi, too.
Papavero – best Italian-European in Kutaisi
Papavero is located in the centre of Kutaisi and is the only good restaurant in the pedestrianised strip under the Mon Plasir arch. This is a crowd pleaser, with a huge menu of European-Italian dishes alongside Georgian fare.
I often order the Caesar Salad here – it’s generously dressed and comes with bacon, chicken and delicious croutons. Their pumpkin soup is also very good, and their ojakhuri (‘family style’ with meat, onions and potatoes) is my favourite in Kutaisi.
I highly rate the garlic bread, the chicken schnitzel, and the pasta here too. The only thing I’m not too fond of are the arancini balls.
You’ll have a difficult time deciding where to sit between the classic Kutaisi-style interior and the vine-strewn courtyard.
Cocktails, Georgian wine and live music keep Papavero swinging until late, while nothing beats a jug their strawberry kiwi lemonade on a hot summer’s day.
- Location: 5 Tsisperi Kantselebi Street
- Hours: Daily from 10am
- Contact & info: Facebook
Cafe Newport – Georgian-European bistro in Kutaisi
Located inside the Newport Hotel, this restaurant serves both modern Georgian food and international staples. The Deco-style decor is really beautiful, with comfy booths that are big enough for six people.
Signature dishes include steak with a peppercorn crust and potato mash, schnitzel with potato salad (I think this is the only restaurant in Georgia where I’ve seen real mustard seeds in the sauce), and a top-notch club sandwich with crispy bacon and creamy aioli.
The Blue Bar inside the restaurant serves some of the best cocktails in Kutaisi. My pick is the Newport Sling with gin, bitters and crushed ice (pictured above).
- Location: 1 Newport Street
- Hours: Daily from 1pm
- Contact & info: Facebook
Notable mentions…
If you’re looking for not-Georgian, not-European food, there are a couple of relatively new restaurants around that specialise in other cuisines.
My top picks are:
For sushi and Japanese cuisine, there is Umai on Tbilisi Street in Sapichkhia district. And for more Indian food in Kutaisi, there is The Biryani House on the opposite side of the river, close to the bus station.
Another good pizza place in Kutaisi is Gelato Mio, the little ice cream shop on the main square. It’s thin-crust and delicious. Note that the pizza oven only works in winter, though.
I also have to mention Extrameat – yes it’s fast food, but they are a local business and they definitely serve the best burgers in Kutaisi! Extrameat has a big restaurant in the centre of the city on the park (opposite Hoegaarden) or you can order from them using the Glovo app.
I will be back to expand on this section and add new photos soon!
Best Kutaisi cafes for breakfast & coffee
If you need a quick breakfast or a caffeine stop during the day, here’s where to find the best coffee in Kutaisi and light morning meals. All of these places open relatively early.
Piatto – new cafe in Kutaisi
Located on the ground floor of a beautiful 1910-built heritage building behind the Opera Theatre, Piatto is a new cafe that opened in Kutaisi in summer 2022.
It shares the space as a bookshop, so naturally the cafe has a literary theme – with a book chandelier and Georgian novels set in clear boxes in the tops of the tables.
The coffee here is very good (the best cappuccino in Kutaisi in my opinion) and there are light meals (salads, sandwiches) available along with cakes, crepes and other Georgian sweets.
The best thing about Piatto is the space: The design is awesome, and the big windows flood the entire cafe with natural light. There is plenty of seating, both comfy booths and at the street-facing bar, and electrical outlets everywhere.
This is definitely the best cafe in Kutaisi for remote working.
- Location: 4 Shota Rustaveli Avenue
- Hours: Daily from 10am-10pm
Tea House Foe-Foe
One of the coolest interiors in Kutaisi, Tea House Foe-Foe is housed on the bottom level of the former Hotel Kutaisi. Previously the tea house was right on the corner, with tables scattered across the rounded steps of the once-grand hotel entrance – but recently they moved next door behind one of the arches.
The distinctive art works are all by Kutaisi-born Petre Otskheli, my favourite Georgian artist.
I’m told that ‘foe-foe’ is an expression coined in the 90s to describe bougie venues – the name is tongue-in-cheek but absolutely perfect for this space.
The coffee here is decent, but it’s the vast selection of teas that attract visitors. Iced and warm tea cocktails (Sicilian orange tea with Bacardi, green tea with mint and Bacardi, or black tea with red wine, orange and cinnamon) are perfect for after hours.
Tea House Foe-Foe also serves food. There’s a full lunch and dinner menu (the focus is on European dishes) plus waffles and pancakes.
For an easy breakfast, I really like the French-style crepes, especially the cottage cheese and raisin filling.
- Location: Shota Rustaveli Avenue
- Hours: Daily from 9.30am
- Contact & info: Facebook
Our Cafe
Our Cafe is centrally located on Tsminda Nino Street, just off the park, and has a few tables on the sidewalk out front plus bar seating inside. The baristas here are great and along with Piatto, they serve some of the best coffee in Kutaisi, courtesy of Lavazza.
They also have a selection of Georgian herbal teas, cakes, waffles, and sometimes baklava.
In the evening Our Cafe transforms into a sidewalk bar. It’s almost always overflowing with people.
- Location: Tsminda Nino Street (next door to Luca Polare)
- Hours: Daily from 9am
Cafe Fleur
Cafe Fleur is my top choice for breakfast in Kutaisi, mostly because it opens earlier than most other cafes at 9am. Choose from simple omelettes or shakshuka served with homemade bread, or delicious yogurt and fruit cups.
Coffee is good and staff here are exceptionally attentive and friendly. It’s especially nice to sit at one of the outdoor garden tables for breakfast and watch Kutaisi waking up.
- Location: Tamar The Queen Street
- Hours: Daily from 9am
- Contact & info: Facebook
More terrific restaurants near Kutaisi
If you’re venturing further afield, there are some really special Imeretian eateries in the small towns and villages around Kutaisi. Here are a couple of my favourites.
Agro Guesthouse Korena (Motsameta, 15 mins from Kutaisi)
Located close to Gelati Monastery in Motsameta village, Agro Guesthouse Korena specialises in home-cooked Imeretian food. This is the perfect place to stop for lunch before or after visiting the UNESCO monasteries near Kutaisi.
The spread includes just about every Georgian dish you can name, with lots of different sides, tasty sauces and homemade wine. Many of the meals are prepared in the fire using clay ketsi pans, a traditional cooking technique in this part of the country.
They also do a mean Imeruli Khachapuri. If you’ve seen the new mural in Kutaisi behind the theatre that depicts a grandmother rolling khachapuri dough, that is a depiction of Dali, the real-life bebia who is a chef at Korena!
The house is delightful, with antiques and vintage decorations. In autumn and winter they light up the fireplace for a supremely cosy dining experience.
Lunch and dinner are available to walk-in guests along with cooking masterclasses. Advance bookings are mandatory – message Maiko on Facebook to organise a time.
- Location: Motsameta village
- How to get there: Bolt taxi (~ 10 GEL)
- Contact & info: Facebook
Baia’s Wine (Meore Obcha, 20 mins from Kutaisi)
Located in the small village of Meore Obcha 20 minutes’ drive from Kutaisi, Baia’s Wine serves up some of the finest home-cooked food in all of Imereti.
To join the family for a supra-style dinner, winery tour and wine tasting, join the Wine and Dine Tour from Kutaisi with Budget Georgia.
I highly recommend Baia’s for home-cooked Imeretian cuisine and organic amber wine. Budget Georgia’s four-hour itinerary includes a guided tour of the vineyard and introduction to the wine-making process, hosted by Baia, Gvantsa or another member of the family. Guests then enjoy a wine tasting and sit-down dinner prepared in the family kitchen by Baia’s mum.
If you’re curious to know what it’s like to visit Baia’s, here’s a little clip from our afternoon at the winery! You can read more about our visit to Baia’s in this post.
Lia Deida (Argveta, 30 mins from Kutaisi)
Lia Deida (‘Aunt Lia’) is a very special restaurant. Hidden away in a small village off the main east-west highway connecting Kutaisi with Tbilisi and Batumi, it’s my favourite place to stop for a bite when I’m road tripping in Georgia.
I love the eclectic, charming dining room decked out with painter’s canvases and antique bric-a-brac. There’s also a pleasant garden area out front where you can sit in the summer.
The family that runs the restaurant are very kind. Not much English is spoken, but the handwritten menu is quite simple and easy to navigate: I recommend ordering the village chicken in blackberry (or whatever sauce is seasonal), the pkhali, and the mchadi cornbread.
- Location: Argveta (near Zestafoni)
- How to get there: Self-drive or Bolt taxi (~ 27 GEL)
- Contact & info: Facebook
Oda Family Marani (Martvili, 60 mins from Kutaisi)
Oda Family Marani is a well-known winery near the town of Martvili. It’s my top choice for a lunch spot when you’re visiting Martvili Canyon and the caves and waterfalls around Samegrelo.
The menu showcases Megrelian food and most meals are made with veg and herbs from the garden. Try the chicken wings with elarji sticks, and the Lamberti, a burrata-style gebzhalia and khachapuri hybrid.
Oda’s specialty is elargi – stringy cornmeal made with cheese – and there are several versions to choose from, including ghomi cooked in Ojaleshi wine with organic Racha ham. Yum!
The restaurant is only open during the summer months. Advance bookings are recommended.
- Location: Martvili
- How to get there: Self-drive or marshrutka
- Contact & info: Facebook
Kutaisi restaurant map
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Where to stay in Kutaisi
If it’s your first time visiting Kutaisi, I highly recommend choosing a hotel that’s located in the city centre. See this neighbourhood guide for detailed recommendations, or check out my top Kutaisi accommodation picks below.
TOP CHOICE: Communal Hotel (⭐ 9.7). Launching in autumn 2023, the latest offering from The Communal Company (also of Communal Telavi and Tbilisi) is Kutaisi’s premier boutique hotel. Rooms are cosy and perfectly decorated, and the property has an outdoor pool and onsite restaurant-bar, Doli.
BUDGET-FRIENDLY: Black Tomato (⭐ 9.2). This popular hostel in historic Sapichkhia offers both dorms and private doubles with ensuites. The terrace garden is lovely, and the onsite Georgian-Jewish restaurant serves a delicious breakfast plus meals throughout the day.
MID-RANGE: Newport Hotel (⭐ 9.1). Located on the cusp of Kutaisi’s historic Jewish Quarter, behind the Colchis Fountain, this hotel is located inside the former Kutaisi Courthouse. Rooms are comfortable, the service is friendly, and the onsite bar-restaurant is excellent.
MID-RANGE: Hotel 1887 (⭐ 9.2). This historic 19th-century house is a 10-minute walk from the Colchis Fountain. Rooms pair original wooden panelling and parquet floors with minimal, Scandi-style furnishings. There is a garden, and some rooms have private balconies.
UP-SCALE: Hotel Grand Opera (⭐ 8.7). Situated in the heart of Kutaisi centre, this hotel has a magnificent rooftop bar overlooking the Opera Theatre. Expect well-appointed rooms and a generous breakfast from this hotel with a location that’s impossible to beat.
More Kutaisi travel resources
- The best things to do in Kutaisi, plus a suggested Kutaisi itinerary
- Alternative Kutaisi, 25 offbeat & unusual things to do
- My favourite bars in Kutaisi, for wine and more
- The best neighbourhoods in Kutaisi, plus my hotel suggestions
- How to get from Kutaisi Airport to the city, essential transport tips
- Visiting Kutaisi in winter, things to do & travel tips
- Guide to Tskaltubo, the best day trip from Kutaisi
- Staying at Tskaltubo Spa Resort, a refurbished sanatorium
- Guide to Chiatura, riding the famous cable cars near Kutaisi
- Guide to Martvili Canyon, a green oasis near Kutaisi
- Visiting Kutaisi Caves & Canyons, a popular day trip
- How to travel from Kutaisi to Tbilisi, detailed transport guide
- How to travel from Kutaisi to Batumi, detailed transport guide
Best Kutaisi restaurants: Save it
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