Best Khinkali in Tbilisi: Top Dumpling Spots
Gamardjoba*!
My week in Tbilisi was all about khinkali. I asked locals and expat friends in advance about their favorite spots and went to check them all myself. In a week, I became a khinkali sommelier and put on a couple of extra kilos. I’m sharing only the best finds.
- Tbilisi’s sulfur baths: which one to choose for your first visit
*in Georgian means – Greetings
Quick Take
Many countries know how to make “meat in dough.” They just call it differently: ravioli in Italy, gyoza in Japan, jiaozi in China. By the way, China is considered the birthplace of this dish: the recipe traveled through nomads to Central Asia and Siberia, and later became in Russian “pelmeni”.
In Georgia, dough and meat make khinkali – a big dumpling. The dish comes from the mountainous regions – Mtiuleti, Pshavi, Khevsureti. The classic filling is raw meat, so that cooking it creates a rich broth inside.
Besides meat, there are khinkali with cheese, potatoes, or mushrooms. For the more adventurous – with spinach. None of these appeal to me; I only eat the meat ones. Lamb khinkali are less tasty, as the broth from that meat isn’t great. But that’s just my taste.
There are two types of meat filling: mtiuluri (mountain) and kalakuri (city):
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Mtiuluri – as simple as it gets: meat (traditionally a mix of beef/pork or lamb), onion, salt, pepper, a bit of cumin, no herbs.
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Kalakuri – the “city” version: meat plus herbs (usually cilantro/parsley) and often garlic.
All restaurants serve kalakuri. It’s way tastier, juicier, more appetizing. Mtiuluri is very rare; you have to go out of your way to find a place serving it.
A little myth. People often say “proper” khinkali must have exactly 19 folds. In reality, the number of folds is just a matter of tradition and the maker’s style – there’s no strict rule.
One khinkali is a khinkali
In Georgian, khinkali is singular, and the plural is khinklebi. You don’t need to memorize this; just say khinkali all the time. “I ate a khinkali,” “I have 10 khinkali,” “one khinkali won’t fill you up.”
How to Eat Khinkali
Remember the main rule: eating khinkali with a knife and fork is like breaking spaghetti in Italy or cutting pasta with a knife. Depending on the place, they might either scold you or call the police. Khinkali are eaten with your hands. If they bring sauce – that’s for tourists. Locals just sprinkle them with pepper.
Also: one khinkali is like three dumplings. So, 3–4 per person, and you’ll still have room for maybe half of another hot dish. In Georgia we are not eating, we taste everything!
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Grab the khinkali by the “tail.” A hot khinkali slips from your hand, flops onto the plate, tears, broth splashing everywhere.
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Blow on your burned fingers, dry them off.
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Eat whatever fell however you can. The key is to embarrass yourself quietly and quickly before the khinkali police arrive.
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Tear off a piece of napkin and wrap it around the “tail.”
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Slowly lift the khinkali, holding the pouch with your other hand.
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Carefully bite a little off the side of the pouch.
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Tilt the pouch toward yourself, slurp the broth. Repeat steps 3–6 until you manage to drink the broth.
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Eat the filling and the dough in any order.
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Don’t eat the tail. Often it’s not fully cooked. Leave it on the plate.
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Repeat while there are khinkali on the table.
Where to Eat Khinkali in Tbilisi: My Top 10
These places serve not only khinkali but also other Georgian dishes. Naturally, no burgers or sushi. This isn’t a ranking from best to good – just a list. All links – to Google Maps.
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Velyaminov – one of the oldest khinkali spots. They say it’s been around for over 160 years. A semi-basement with no fancy decor, but low prices, large portions, and good food. As they say – an authentic place. Many years ago, this restaurant was where I first got acquainted with Georgian cuisine.
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Passanauri – a chain; you can search the name on Google Maps and pick the closest one. I linked the one near the Metekhi Bridge and the sulfur baths.
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Pictogram – here you can actually try mtiuluri.
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Zodiac – good regular khinkali and fried ones. Very tasty; I tried just one and then stuck to the classic.
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Sachashnike – another Tbilisi legend, operating since 1969. The menu isn’t just khinkali, plus they have a wide selection of beer.
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Georgian House – fancy halls (the interior isn’t my style), a balcony, a courtyard, live music and dancing in the evenings, great food.
Bonus for those who read this far: The Batumi top three: Nova Era, and nearby Pirosmani and Tavaduri.
