Georgia? Good luck eating vega(n) said those who had not heard of Georgia at all. The country, like Kazakhstan , has a meat-eating culture. But fortunately, a Georgian roommate of friends in Rome told me that there are quite a few ways to eat lots of vegetables. And she was fortunately right. The barbecue is very popular, but Georgians don’t just put meat on it. Many vegetables are also put on the grill and these are really very tasty. If you’re not so into that, there are still dishes like Adjapsandali Ragu and Pahkli and be sure to try Puri as well. Puri is the typical bread of Georgia and is available almost everywhere. Price ranges from 0.80 to 1 lari. A common dish on the menu is Lobio in clay pot. We’re not entirely sure if this is 100% vegan, but tasty it is. Lobio means beans.
Are you a vegetarian? Then be sure to try the Khachapuri, which is bread stuffed with cheese. Our friends from Berlin who eat vegetarian liked it a lot!
In Tbilisi , you can generally eat vegetarian or vegan food just fine. Below are the places you should definitely check out:
#1 Leila Cafe
Right in the center sits this cozy little restaurant. They call themselves Vegetarian Cafe but they also have fish on the menu. Fortunately, vega(n) options predominate. It looks super cozy. This is where you just want to sit, if only for a cup of coffee. Food is good. Pricey though, but the service, choice ánd decor are top notch!
What did we eat here? Lobio Katheki region, something with beans in a sauce with a slight anise flavor with pickled vegetables and bread. Delicious but not suitable as a main course for large eaters. In addition, with the falafel, you get 4 balls on a fresh tabouleh. And with an orange slice to squeeze over it. Our German friends took an eggplant and zucchini stew with pomegranate sauce. What a tasty combo that was! Definitely highly recommended. And, also vegan :).
Address: 18 Ioane Shavteli Street, Tbilisi
#2 Hummus Bar
What a fine and nice restaurant this is! The owner Shalva is a Georgian who has lived in Israel for 43 years. He came across vegan food there. So when he returned to Georgia , he wanted to open a restaurant based on vegetarian and vegan food. The four of us ate here for about 88 lari where we ate beer, lots of hummus, fresh pita bread and more. The restaurant is somewhat hidden in a courtyard. Typical as everywhere in Tbilisi. Read our in-depth review of this restaurant.
Address: Kostavas k. 3, Tbilisi
3# Asian Cuisine
This is the place for the budget traveler. Good vegetarian food (vegan was a little less) for next to nothing. Since we traveled with two friends who ate vegetarian, we know that this mini-restaurant offers quality food for little. We love that, don’t we? If you eat vegan, then the choice is a little less.
Sander and I ate the Thai fried rice and a vegetable curry. In both dishes, there were not that many vegetables unfortunately. My curry was fortunately well flavored. And good to eat along with naan or rice. As a vegetarian, you have more choices. For example, they have delicious paneer masalas!
Everything here is cheap. A curry costs about 8 lari. And the fried rice 5 lari. Water 2 lari. Per naan, you pay 1 lari. Don’t imagine too much of this place in terms of decor. Everything is inside and there is not much natural light, but because of the bright furnishings, it is fine. Especially when you don’t want to spend too much. For 10-15 lari (less than 5 euros) you can eat fine food.
Address: 41 Vertskhli Street, Tbilisi
#4 Kiwi Cafe
Have you ever heard about a vegan restaurant in Tbilisi that had sausages thrown at it? Now it does…this cafe made the news when some people had figured out that a vegan cafe has absolutely no place in Tbilisi. Fortunately, they stayed and serve exclusively vegan food. The food is not very special. I had a buckwheat dish that did not have much flavor and the smoothie was also weird in taste. Sander had better luck. He took the falafel and it was really delicious. Furnishings are fine, but not very special.
Address: 6 Ivane Machabeli St, Tbilisi
5# Ezo Bar/Yard
While walking around Tbilisi , we suddenly saw a nice indoor garden that reminded us of the atmosphere in Berlin. Fine vibe and reasonable vegetarian options. Vegan a little less, but you won’t starve. Lots of organic and organic options, they even have their own vegetable garden outside the city. The tomatoes, potatoes and many other vegetables come from Svanetia, a beautiful mountainous region in Georgia. And that’s not the only thing that makes Ezo special. The atmosphere. For that alone, you just have to go here! Even if you only have one beer or homemade lemonade…here you are not in the tourist crowd near Freedom Square. Only downside for us was the barbecue that was also on. Order the Pkhali (pronounced pagchalie) here with bread as an appetizer with a beer.
Address: 16 Geronti Kikodze St, Tbilisi 0105
#6 Out Bar
What little walking around is good for. Out Bar just opened and has a nice rooftop terrace. The service is very friendly. This was our first introduction to the “hipper” bars in Tbilisi. It’s kind of in a remote corner, though, so we wouldn’t make a special detour for it. But if you’re near Rustaveli metro station, it’s a nice little bar for a coffee or-later in the day-a cocktail. We ate tomato and cucumber salad here which was very good, fries (mmjummie) a green salad. That one was way too salty, but I never actually add salt to my food so maybe I find things are salty quickly.
Address: 27 Shanidze street, Tbilisi
Read more about Georgia
>All the highlights of Georgia at a glance
>Discover Mestia, the area for nature lovers
> Tbilisi the hidden gem
