More than three-quarters of New York‘s roughly two dozen Georgian restaurants and bakeries are located in Brooklyn. And that’s no accident as the majority of New York’s 5,000-plus Georgian population live in South Brooklyn neighborhoods like Brighton Beach, Bensonhurst and Sheepshead Bay.
While the Georgian eateries in Manhattan are more upscale with higher prices and smaller portions, you can eat well in Brooklyn’s Georgian restaurants for under $30 per person (minus drinks). The places in our list have one thing in common, besides serving Georgian food: they all cater to a primarily Georgian- and Russian-speaking customer base.
Here are 10 of our favorite Georgian restaurants in Brooklyn.
ASSAIA
Assaia is one of the newest Georgian restaurants in Brooklyn. Opened in December 2021, Assaia is a larger and more upscale version of Toné Café, which the same owners opened back in 2014. The main dining room is decorated with paintings by Georgian artist Hatu Chkheidze. Her brother Nick and his wife Eka make up two-thirds of the partners, who can now claim the largest Georgian restaurant in Bath Beach.
As far as the food goes, you can expect the same giant khinkali and soft bread that Toné Café customers have come to expect. But Eka wants customers to try other Georgian dishes as well. When asked to elaborate, the classical pianist and former music critic suggests the shkmeruli, chanakhi and gebzhalia. The latter is made up of garlic and mint, wrapped in thin sulguni over a pool of medium-thick Georgian ricotta. You won’t see it on most other menus.
They have live entertainment in the main dining room starting at 8 p.m. from Friday to Sunday. The piano plays itself in the west room, which has a banquet hall vibe.
Nearest subway station: Bay Pkwy (D)
Cheeseboat
While the rest of our favorite Georgian spots are located in South Brooklyn and cater to a primarily Georgian- and Russian-speaking clientele, Cheeseboat is located in ultra-hip Williamsburg and serves a much younger crowd. While the surrounding conversations are more likely to be about Tinder and roommates, the proximity to Manhattan (just one L train stop) makes Cheeseboat an ideal gateway to Georgian food in Brooklyn.
You’ll pay more for smaller dumplings, but you’ll also have a delicious vegetarian option. And they serve their khinkali with a delicious creamy neeor’tskali garlic sauce. We also recommend trying one of their namesake carb-heavy canoes. The options are as creative as Williamsburg’s reputation. Honeycomb brie and smoked gouda may not be the most Georgian options, but they work in this case. For something slightly less experimental, try the shkmeruli chicken’boat, which mixes two of the most beloved Georgian dishes.
Like most newish restaurants in hipster neighborhoods, they also have a brunch menu.
Nearest subway station: Bedford Av (L)
Georgia
Run by two sisters and their mom, Georgia is a true family restaurant. The Tbilisi natives opened this intimate Bath Beach spot at the end of 2019. Institute of Culinary Education graduate Maia Ninoshvili runs the kitchen while her cheerful mother runs the dining room. Everything is $15 and under at the time of this writing. Khinkalis are the number one seller. And unlike most other Georgian restaurants, they have a beef-only option. While we highly recommend either meat version, you should also try their four-cheese blend.
Before you leave, be sure to sign the sizeable Georgian flag that hangs on the dining room wall.
Nearest subway station: 20 Av (D)
Georgian Cuisine
Thanks to Tbilisi natives Cecilia and David Khubuluri, you can now add Georgian to the mix of restaurants along 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge. And this place is truly Georgian, from the largest khinkali you’re likely to try outside the motherland to the imported wine, brandy and vodka. The main dining area has eight tables, while the back patio is roughly equal in size.
Instead of trying the more common flat cheese bread, we recommend going for a culinary swim into one of Georgian Cuisine‘s seven acharuli (cheese boat) options. Ingredients range from chicken or bacon to grilled eggplant or smoked red bean. They also have a sizeable vegetarian menu.
Nearest subway station: 86 St (R)
Georgian House
In April 2012, Tbilisi natives Geo and Ekaterina Kikvadze opened Berikoni Georgian Bakery a block from the Brighton Beach Boardwalk. The place became an instant hit with the local Georgian and predominantly Russian communities to the point where they opened a full-service restaurant right around the corner less than one year later.
On the inside, Georgian House is dimly lit and extremely laid-back, especially given its proximity to the noisy elevated Q train. On nights when there is no live music, you’ll hear soft lounge music perfect for enjoying a glass of Georgian wine.
The menu may be written in English and Russian, but the Kikvadze family recipes come from Tbilisi. The khinkalis and khachapuris are the best sellers, but you can get either to go at the nearby bakery. So, we suggest trying those if you happen to be staying in a hotel during a short visit. But if you’re a local or at least staying for a while, branch out and try the kharcho, which is a traditional Georgian meat stew with cherry plum puree and chopped walnuts. They serve the (most common) beef version.
Nearest subway station: Ocean Pkwy (Q)
Guest House
While the name is more likely to invoke visions of a weekend getaway upstate than that of tennis ball-sized soup dumplings, Guest House is actually the largest Georgian restaurant in Brooklyn. In the wood-centric dining room, you’ll hear the pleasant sound of cool lounge music mix with the rattling of the nearby Q train as patrons converse in mostly Georgian and Russian. You’ll also hear some slurping as khinkalis are on every other table. While these famous soup dumplings are an essential part of any Georgian meal, you’ll have plenty of help deciding what else to order, thanks to the large TV screen which displays clips of other popular dishes being prepared.
For meat lovers, the veal stew (chaqapuli) is an excellent option. Be sure to add bread. And while Napoleon is a fixture at nearly every Georgian restaurant and bakery, we recommend trying the less filling pelamushi, which is a dessert made of flour and condensed grape juice. If you love grapes, you should also try churchela, which is a candle-shaped version of the latter with whole walnuts in the center.
Nearest subway station: Brighton Beach (B-Q)
Mtskheta Café
Named after a small historic town that was once the capital of Georgia, Mtskheta feels like a warm and friendly oasis of calm near the noisy intersection of 86th Street and Stillwell Avenue. After the Q train, the D offers the best variety when it comes to exploring Georgian cuisine in Brooklyn. And this small, cozy café with red brick walls and a stone fireplace adorned with Georgian wines has the most convenient location. They are located right under the elevated D line.
When Mtskheta first came to Gravesend in 2011, there were no other full-service Georgian eateries in the area. Unlike most Georgian restaurants, Mtskheta gives diners the option of fried khinkali as opposed to the traditional boiled version. While frying an already hearty dish will not be for everyone, it’s worth a try as it’s the best way to reheat the famous Georgian dumplings. And as is common in South Brooklyn, they will be as large as any dumpling you’ve likely tried before.
We also recommend trying the tabaka (Georgian fried chicken), mchadi (Georgian cornbread) and imeruli (Georgian gooey cheese bread). The latter comes pre-cut and stacked as opposed to the more common round pie presentation.
Nearest subway station: 25 Av (D)
Pirosmani
Khinkali-shaped salt and pepper shakers, Georgian wine served in ceramic jugs and the longest forks and knives in New York City are a few of the peculiarities that make Pirosmani one of the quirkiest Georgian restaurants in Brooklyn. While the majority of the menu is traditional Georgian, there are a few culinary curveballs thrown in, such as chicken gizzards with nuts, calf tongue and pigs’ feet in vinegar.
The white tablecloth Sheepshead Bay restaurant gets its name from the self-taught turn-of-the-20th-century painter whose portrait and Tbilisi depiction adorned the last circulating one-lari note in his native Georgia. Large replicas of Niko Pirosmani paintings adorn the walls, making them the only place you’ll see representations of his work in Brooklyn.
Nearest subway station: Avenue U (Q)
Toné Café
This cozy seven-table café gets its name from the traditional clay ovens that have been turning out tonis puri for centuries. While the long baguette-length loaves are more popular during holidays and special occasions, you can enjoy one at Toné Café for just $3. For something a bit different, try the Royal Khachapuri or their kalmakhi. The latter is a whole roasted trout atop grape leaves in a pomegranate sauce.
As with many of Brooklyn’s Georgian restaurants, Toné Café has a small Georgian deli next door, where you can buy imported sodas, jams and cheeses.
Nearest subway station: Brighton Beach (B-Q)
18th Ave Cafe G
Despite being ten subway stops from Manhattan, 18th Ave Cafe G feels more Chelsea than Bensonhurst. No space is wasted in this cleverly designed small café on the border between Bath Beach and Bensonhurst. Owner and Imereti native Maya Tsulaia designed the small dining area along with a few friends.
Café G (for Georgia) is her first business, but you’d never guess that, as few other Georgian eateries in Brooklyn can match its character. The south-facing wall is lined with Georgian movie posters, which hang above carefully painted quotes from each respective film. And then there’s the food.
Nearly three-quarters of their customers are Georgian. You’ll see plenty of (mostly regular) customers come and go as the majority of their business is takeout. But we recommend ordering at the counter and dining in. The cool lounge music is ideal for people-watching, which you can do from one of four high seats facing the busy 18th Avenue thoroughfare.
Khinkalis are the top seller from the 27-item menu. They sell the traditional beef/pork version, but you can also request cheese and/or mushroom. And you can’t go wrong with the khachapuri, which comes from Maya’s home region of Imereti.
Nearest subway station: 18 Av (D)
10Best is a part of the USA TODAY Network — providing an authentically local point of view on destinations around the world — in addition to travel and lifestyle advice.
More Stories
Dumplings – Global Comfort Food
Explore Traditional Italian Flavors At Casabianca NYC
5 Distinguishing Characteristics of Greek Cuisine