🔥 12 places in Kutaisi where locals eat in 2026 — no pretentiousness, but delicious and home-style

🍽 We asked Kutaisi residents and made a list of their favorite cafes - with khinkali, pies and homemade wine

In Kutaisi, it is not customary to look for food in Tripadvisor "five-star" hotels - here they know where to go to eat tasty, filling food without a tourist markup.

We have collected 12 establishments that are chosen by the Kutaisi residents themselves: khinkali for 0.9 ₾, pies from the oven and qvevri wine in the shade of grape vines. The atmosphere is simple but warm - like home.

🧮 How we chose the establishments

To ensure that only proven places made it onto our list, we used simple and honest criteria:

• 💸 Average bill — no more than 30 ₾ per person
• 💬 100+ fresh reviews for 2024–2025
• 🚫 No Instagram pathos and glossy interiors
• 👥 Popularity among Kutaisi residents and convenient location

There are no tourist traps here — only real food chosen by the locals themselves.

🥟 Khinkali and shashlik in Kutaisi: simple, filling and without compromise

In Kutaisi, they know a thing or two about meat pleasures - especially when it comes to juicy khinkali, fried shashlik with smoke and a homely atmosphere, where the guest is not a client, but almost a relative.

The establishments in this block are not about “photogenic presentation” or “molecular Georgian cuisine”, but:

• khinkali with broth, which you eat standing at the bar;
• one-dish shashlik, where you don’t need a menu — you just say “as always”;
• a mug of cold beer for 4 lari with hot meat on coals.

🧄 In Kutaisi, they love juicy khinkali, which are eaten in a noisy company and always with broth — not spilling is considered an art.

🍢 Kebab here is not just food, but a memory of Soviet shashlik houses: a minimum menu, maximum taste and color.

🥄 In local eateries, it’s easy to end up at the same table with the owner, and homemade soup or a shot for acquaintance is a common thing.

If you want to understand how real Kutaisi lives, start with these places. Here they don't ask where you're from, but they'll definitely wish you "გემრიელად!" - bon appetit

Anna, Krakow (Poland)
"I didn't know what to expect from Kutaisi, but it was the food that helped me fall in love with the city. This rating was a real find for me - I went to the places where the locals dine, and everywhere I felt at home. In the evening - khinkali with hot broth, during the day - pies and lemonade by the river. Without the tourist bustle, with a real Georgian soul. Thank you for such an honest and delicious guide!"

📎 How to choose something tasty and without fuss: advice from Kutaisi residents

In Kutaisi, ratings are not everything - here they trust more the experience and word of mouth. Want to eat something really tasty and not get caught in the crowd? Here are some tips from the locals:

• It is better to get lobiani in the morning. Fresh pastries come out by 9:00, and by lunchtime your favorite lobiani may simply run out. Especially in places near the park or near student areas.
• Lagidze lemonade is poured from a siphon - take a bottle with you. The richest flavor is lemon and pear. Locals advise to get it "not to go", but immediately to the table: this way the drink does not lose its bubbles.
• If you want silence - go before 13:00 or after 16:00. During lunch hours, even modest cafes are sold out, especially near markets and hospitals.
• Look where the elderly eat. This is an unspoken quality marker: if there are pensioners in the eatery, it means the cuisine is honest and the prices are “theirs”.
• Don’t be shy to ask “what’s tasty today”. Sometimes the menu doesn’t indicate dishes that are prepared according to the mood – this is especially true for soups and pies.

🍴 And also: in Kutaisi there is an unspoken rule – don’t rush.

They don’t like food “on the run” here. Even if you take it with you, they will still invite you to sit down, offer you water and chat. This is why people love these places – not only for the taste, but also for the mood that remains after.

🧾 What to try, how much it costs and when is the best time to go

🍽 Average bill

In all the places from the rating you can eat deliciously for 15–30 ₾ per person. This is a full meal with a main course, a drink and sometimes even dessert.

🌟 What to try

• 🥟 Khinkali with broth — kalakuri, with greens or fried
• 🍢 Shashlik on a skewer or in lavash
• 🍽 Lobiani from the oven and Imeretian khachapuri
• 🍷 Homemade qvevri wine or 🍺 draft beer
• ☕ Coffee with pie on the terrace overlooking Rioni

⏰ When it's sold out

• Weekdays: 13:00–15:00 — lunch break
• Evenings: after 18:00 — families and companies gather
• Weekends: in the morning — a line for pastries, in the evening — for wine and khinkali
• If there are a lot of couriers in the hall — a sign that the place is at the top with the locals 😄

💡 Life hacks from Kutaisi residents

• 🥟 How to eat juicy khinkali
  Hold it by the tail, bite the side and immediately sip the broth - not to spill🌊 is considered respect for the cuisine.
• ⏰ Where not to expect khachapuri in the morning
  Go before 10:00 - at this time the ovens are just out of the oven, and there is no line yet. After 11 - the locals sweep up everything hot.
• 🍷 How not to make a mistake with wine
  Ask for homemade in a decanter, not from a bottle. If there is a bottle without a label on the table - most likely, this is just what you need 😄
• 🍋 When to go for Lagidze lemonade
  From 16:00 to 18:00 - minimal lines and undiluted syrup. In the morning - the flavors are richer, especially cream soda and pear.

Alexander, Moscow
“I was in Kutaisi passing through — for a day, maximum. I didn’t expect to get so hooked! I decided to have dinner “like the locals” and found your rating. Thank you — it’s a completely different experience! No pathos, no tourist menus in 5 languages. Just food, but with soul. I especially remember the khinkali — juicy, hot, you eat it standing up, and only locals are around. Now I know for sure: if you want to understand a city, eat in the places where its residents eat!”

📢 Join the rating!

What places in Kutaisi do you like? 🥟🍷 Share them in the comments - we will definitely check and add them to the next rating update!

👨‍🍳 Are you the owner of a cafe or restaurant? Want to get into our next guide - write to us!