You sit down, the menu arrives, and it is four pages long — cold starters you can’t pronounce, a “dishes from the dough” section, khinkali counted by the piece, and a wine list that offers a “decanter.” Knowing what the dishes are is one thing; knowing how to order in a Georgian restaurant — how much, in what order, and how to share it — is the part nobody explains. Order like a first-timer and you’ll either starve or drown in food.
This is a decoder for the act of ordering, not another list of dishes. We cover how a Georgian menu is laid out, how many plates to order per person, the sharing logic of the supra (feast), how to order khinkali by the piece, drinks, and tipping — so your first meal in Tbilisi lands somewhere between “comfortably full” and “gloriously stuffed” rather than a rookie mess.
Key facts at a glance
- Everything is shared. Dishes come family-style to the middle of the table — you don’t order “a main each.”
- Portions are big. Aim for roughly 2–3 shared plates per person plus bread, then adjust up.
- Khinkali are ordered by the piece, usually with a 3–5 piece minimum per variety. Budget 5–7 pieces per hungry person.
- Khinkali price: roughly ₾1–₾2.50 each (~$0.35–$0.90) depending on filling and how touristy the spot is.
- Khachapuri: a standard cheese bread runs about ₾10–₾18 (~$3.70–$6.70); a big Adjaruli “boat” for two around ₾20–₾25.
- Full meal with drinks: roughly ₾50–₾80 per person (~$18–$30) at a mid-range Tbilisi restaurant; ₾20–₾35 at a casual local spot.
- Wine by the jug/decanter (~6 glasses) is far cheaper than by the bottle.
- Bread and water are usually charged separately — not free.
- Service charge of 10–20% is often added automatically; check the menu footer.
- Prices in Georgian lari (₾). Rough conversion: 1 USD ≈ 2.7₾.
How a Georgian menu is structured
A Georgian menu follows the shape of a traditional feast, roughly in this order: cold starters, salads, hot starters/hot dishes, breads, grilled meats, soups, and desserts. You are meant to graze across sections rather than pick one main. Most restaurants have English (and often Russian) alongside the Georgian, and picture menus are common — so you can point.
- Cold starters (often labelled “pkhali” or “mkhali”): walnut-and-herb vegetable pâtés — spinach, beetroot, green bean — plus badrijani (eggplant rolls with walnut paste). Cheap, meat-free, great for the table. Usually ₾6–₾14 a plate.
- Salads: the classic “Georgian salad” is tomato and cucumber with walnut dressing. ₾8–₾18.
- Hot dishes / “on the brazier”: stews and skillet dishes like chakhokhbili (chicken and tomato), lobio (bean pot), shkmeruli (chicken in garlic-milk sauce, often ₾20+), and ojakhuri (pork and potatoes).
- “Dishes from the dough”: this is where khinkali (dumplings) and khachapuri (cheese bread) live.
- Grill (mtsvadi): skewered, wood-grilled cubes of pork, veal or mutton — usually priced per skewer or per portion.
- Soups: kharcho (beef, rice, walnut) and chikhirtma (chicken, egg-thickened) — hearty enough to be a light meal.
How much to order per person
Under-order and add more — portions are consistently generous and over-ordering is the classic tourist mistake. A stew, a khachapuri, or a plate of pkhali is bigger than you expect. A workable formula for a first meal:
- Two people: 1 cold starter to share, 1 khachapuri, 1 hot dish or ~6–8 khinkali. Add a salad if still hungry.
- Four people: 2–3 cold starters, 1 khachapuri, 1 hot/grill dish, and ~20 khinkali (5 each). That’s a full table.
- Rule of thumb: order about 2–3 shared plates per person across the sections, then order a second round only once the first arrives. Georgian kitchens send dishes out as they’re ready, not in strict courses.
The supra logic: why you share everything
Georgian dining is built around the supra — the feast — where plates are placed in the centre and everyone helps themselves. Even a casual weeknight dinner inherits this: you do not order an individual main course, you build a shared spread. This is why ordering “one dish each” backfires — you end up with six large plates and no variety. Instead, think of the table as one order: a couple of cold things, one or two hot things, a bread, and dumplings, all in the middle.
At a full traditional supra a tamada (toastmaster) leads long toasts between courses and wine, and the meal can run for hours. You won’t get the full ceremony at a normal restaurant, but the sharing instinct is the same — lean into it.
How to order khinkali (by the piece)
Khinkali are ordered individually, and most places set a minimum of 3–5 dumplings per filling. So you can’t order “two lamb, three cheese” — you commit to at least the minimum of each variety you want. Fillings typically include kalakuri (spiced pork-and-beef with broth), lamb, and vegetarian options like mushroom or cheese-and-herb.
- How many: plan on 5–7 per hungry person. A party of four ordering only khinkali would take roughly 20–25.
- Price: often ₾1–₾2.50 each (~$0.35–$0.90); the cheapest local counters can be under ₾1, tourist-facing places charge more.
- How to eat one: pick it up by the twisted knot at the top, bite a small hole, and slurp the hot broth first — then eat the rest. A fork will just spill the juice everywhere. It’s traditional to leave the tough top knot on your plate (some people count them to see who ate the most).
- Don’t order them as a starter and let them sit — khinkali are best hot, so time them as their own moment.
Reading the menu: transliteration vs Georgian script
Menus mix the Georgian alphabet (ხინკალი) with a Latin transliteration, and spellings wander — khinkali / hinkali, khachapuri / hачапури, pkhali / mkhali, mtsvadi / mwvadi. Don’t over-think it; the same dish appears under several spellings across town. If a menu is Georgian-only, most staff in central Tbilisi handle basic English, and pointing at the picture menu is completely normal. Learning to recognise a handful of words — khinkali, khachapuri, lobio, mtsvadi, pkhali — covers most of what you’ll want to order.
Ordering vegetarian
Georgian menus are unusually vegetarian-friendly — a whole spread can be built from the cold-starter and bread sections without asking the kitchen to adapt anything. Reliable meat-free orders:
- Pkhali / mkhali — walnut-herb vegetable pâtés (spinach, beetroot, bean).
- Badrijani nigvzit — fried eggplant rolled around walnut paste.
- Lobio — spiced bean stew, usually served in a clay pot with cornbread (mchadi).
- Imeruli or megruli khachapuri — the cheese breads (cheese, no meat).
- Ajapsandali — Georgian ratatouille of eggplant, pepper and tomato.
- Vegetarian khinkali — cheese, mushroom, or potato fillings where offered.
One caution: dishes like satsivi and some bean pots can be cooked with meat stock, and Orthodox “fasting” (samarkhvo) items are genuinely vegan — worth asking if that matters to you.
Drinks: wine by the jug, water, lemonade, chacha
- Wine: the local move is to order house wine by the jug or decanter (a decanter holds roughly six glasses) — much cheaper than bottled. You’ll be asked red or white, dry or semi-sweet. Many places also pour qvevri (amber/skin-contact) wines by the glass.
- Chacha: the fierce grape brandy (think grappa). Ordered by the shot as a digestif or between toasts — strong, so pace yourself.
- Lemonade: ask for Georgian Lagidze-style lemonade — tarragon, pear or cream sodas — a classic non-alcoholic order.
- Water: not automatically free. Order Borjomi (salty-mineral, an acquired taste) or still bottled water; expect it on the bill.
- Bread (puri): often charged as a line item of a lari or two — don’t assume the basket is complimentary.
Tipping and the bill
Check the menu footer before you tip — a service charge of 10–20% is frequently added automatically (higher-end places lean toward 20%). If it’s already on the bill, an extra cash tip is optional. If there’s no service charge and service was good, 10–15% is a fair tip, ideally in cash handed to your server, since automatic service charges don’t always reach the staff. Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere in Tbilisi, so you rarely need cash for the meal itself — but a little cash is handy for tips.
Frequently asked questions
How many dishes should two people order?
For two, start with one cold starter, one khachapuri, and either one hot dish or about 6–8 khinkali, and add more only if you’re still hungry. Portions are large, so under-ordering and topping up beats over-ordering.
Is there a minimum order for khinkali?
Usually yes — most restaurants require 3 to 5 dumplings per filling. A few dedicated khinkali houses let you order fewer. Plan on 5–7 pieces per person if khinkali is a main part of the meal.
Do I have to tip in a Georgian restaurant?
Many restaurants add a 10–20% service charge automatically, so check the bill first. If it’s already included, extra is optional; if not, 10–15% in cash is appreciated. It’s genuinely optional at casual and street-food spots.
Is Georgian food good for vegetarians?
Very. You can build a full meal from pkhali, badrijani, lobio, cheese khachapuri and ajapsandali without any special requests. Ask about meat stock in bean dishes and satsivi if you’re strict.
Now that you can order with confidence, dig into the dishes themselves in our Georgian food guide, find a table in our best restaurants in Tbilisi roundup, and browse more food and wine stories to plan your eating around town.
Last checked: July 2026 — details like prices and schedules change; verify before you travel.
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