Discover Gastronomic Treasures at Gorgasali Restaurant
Even though Georgia is rich in eateries of different styles, from traditional dishes to foreign mouthwatering specialties, it is undoubtedly challenging to find a place able to offer both a diverse menu and an exceptional ambience. Well, the GEORGIA TODAY team has found one for you!
Located in one of the former Sulphur baths, a symbol of the ancient capital of Georgia, Gorgasali integrates five different halls and guarantees a unique experience in each.
The GEORGIA TODAY team met with Shalva Kajaia, the founder of the restaurant, to find out more about this exceptional venue.
Wine House was our first stop on the short tour he offered us. From the blue ceiling decorated with Georgian ornaments and colorful tableware to the floor-to-ceiling shelves displaying a selection of fine Georgian wines, dried fruit and spices, as well as signature clay crafts: everything is genuinely Georgian in this hall. Wine House provides an impressive menu of delicious traditional courses, exceptional wines, including Qvevri, bio, as well as exclusives and even fruit vodka. Wine House goes beyond the limits of excellent food and offers special evenings for guests, inviting Georgian writers, singers, ensembles and actors.
We moved on to a two-room hall called ‘Tavaduri’ and found ourselves in a totally different ambience- a hall of oriental colors; smaller and more private, with soft furnishings. Here, you can smoke shisha and watch belly-dancing shows against a background of walls painted with the images of historic Georgian figures and scenes reflecting the country’s ancient history.
The spacious main hall of the restaurant is the next stop on our tour, where the columns and domes of the former bath visually separate the tables and provide for a super comfy space for dining, accompanied by live music performances. Even though the restaurant looks Georgian, it also caters to international tastes with dishes like cream of pumpkin soup and sushi.
The grand dining hall leads to the Masterclass Room, which is certainly an innovative statement on the Georgian restaurant market. Guests, even children, are welcome to give the cooking process a go, prepare Georgian dishes with their own hands and taste them later. Along with an antique fireplace and pieces of traditional Georgian furniture, here you will find a special ‘cooking stone’, where the chefs spare no effort to cook fish or any other course to perfection.
Our final stop in Gorgasali is the spacious terrace, probably the most outstanding feature of the restaurant, its floor-to-ceiling windows, open during the summer, framing the marvelous views of the Old Town and eclectic old houses and historical sights, the modern cable car in the background. Here, guests can have the best dining experience and complete their meal with a divine dessert and exceptional cup of fruit tea, while watching mesmerizing dance shows, presented directly on the rooftop of the adjacent Sulphur bath.
Restaurant Gorgasali is an outstanding venue, offering a marvelous tour of local and international gourmet pleasures, accompanied by an extraordinary ambience and immaculate service.
By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya