If you have already read our food-oriented blogs, you would have found out about the most famous Georgian dish, “Khinkhali” – A soup dumpling-like dish filled with meat and herbs. Today, in this blog, we, locals, would like to tell you what are the rules of eating Khinkali and spots where Khinkhali is cooked as it should be. The price of Khinkhali ranges somewhere between 2 – 3 GEL ( 75 – 1.2 EUR).
List Of Best Restaurants For Khinkali
1. Cafe Daphna
The best Khinkhali spot in Tbilisi is located on 29th George Atoneli Street. They are open till 2 AM and they serve customers not only delicious Khinkhali, but also other dishes that create the vast Georgian cuisine. We advise you to try original Mtiuluri Khinkhali, but other honorable mentions would be: Dambalkhacho and Cheese & Potatoes Khinkali for vegetarian customers.
2. Zodiaqo
For us, Zodiaco comes in a close second place, and to be honest, it really depends on the palate. Zodiaqo offers its customers an authentic old Georgian Duqani (Old Georgian bar type) experience. Their famous Fried Khinkhali, called “Clique,” is one of the best Khinkhali alternatives everyone can enjoy. Zodiaqo is located on 6th Gia Chanturia Street, and they are open till 9:30 PM.
3. Shemomechama
From the same category as Zodiaqo, Shemomechama also gives customers the same experience. Even the name of the restaurant is connected to eating. Verb Shemomechama means accidentally overeating something due to it being so good. And their Khinkhali does live up to the name of the restaurant. The reason they are 3rd on our list is due to the place being a little bit pricey than others. Shemomechama is located at 8th Mtskheta Street and they work till 11:20 PM.
4. Pasanauri
Georgian restaurant chain is named after the Georgian village that is known for their Khinkhali. Pasanauri offers many different variations of Khinkhali and other Georgian food. They work till 12 AM and their restaurants are all over Tbilisi. The most popular one is located at 17th Nikoloz Baratashvili Street.
5. Asi Khinkhali
As with other Georgian restaurants, Asi Khinkhali ( 100 Khinkhali) offers many different types of Khinkhali and a cozy setting where, with friends, everyone can find something to eat and enjoy. Whenever there are football matches, people tend to meet up and watch them, whilst eating Khinkhali and drinking beer. That is why we recommend Asi Khinkhali, because they offer great atmosphere for sporting events. Asi Khinkhali is located at 9th Bakhtrioni Street and they are open till 12 AM.
6. HB
Bavarian Franchise restaurant has a couple of branches in Georgia as well, and they offer great Georgian cuisine. Their Khinkhali and famous beer are a great combination for Friday evening. They are located at 20 Vazha Pshavela Avenue and open till 12 AM.
How To Eat Khinkali In a Right Way?
After a couple of interesting places, we would like to give you a rules or instructions about how to eat Khinkhali. Some eat with Black pepper, some with a little bit of Vinegar inside, but that depends on the person. Do try both combinations, because we recommend both.
- Hold Khinkhali with its head, also called “Kuchi”(Stomach of Khinkhali).
- Bite a little bit to create a small pocket, like one would with a soup dumpling. This will make the soup a little bit closer to room temperature.
- Suck out the soup and then Eat Khikhali as a whole only leaving the Head of Khinkhali “Kuchi”.
- Leave the “Kuchis” on a plate and in the end count them. This way you can track the amount you ate and also challenge your friends about who ate more.
If you want to add Vinegar, do it after step two and use black pepper as soon as they bring Khinkhali out to you. As you can see, Khinkhali plays a huge role in Georgian culture and cuisine. It is not only a dish, but some kind of icon for Georgians.
