Batumi is an extremely touristic town, with a well-deserved culinary fame. The city is home to an almost dizzying number of restaurants, some good, some not so much. With this short article, I want to share with you some of the finest places the city has to offer when it comes to more local cuisines. Read on to find out where to have the best khachapuri in town, though I will not make you read too much to figure that one out!
Porto Franco – https://goo.gl/maps/sgtW9jacnukTDCkN7
Batumi is home to many bakeries/restaurants specializing in its famous “cheese pies,” the decadent Adjarian Khachapuri. I did my best to figure out where one can go to eat the best iteration of this dish, and for my taste buds, it is Porto Franco. Taste and service are both unmatched (compared to the next two places in this list), and their strawberry compote is to die for.
Retro – https://goo.gl/maps/YrBoxF4pA2WyHMSq9
Retro was recommended to us by locals and foreigners alike, sadly our experience there has been anything but good. The service was slow, waiters kept changing, and likely as a result of that they brought us the wrong item, which meant even more delays. Taste wise, it was okay at best. Prices are higher, service is lacklustre, flavours are okay at best, so I cannot see a reason to go back to Retro in all honesty…
Laguna – https://goo.gl/maps/3DpojpvXXQ4uXpcMA
Being so close to our apartment, Laguna was the first restaurant we dined at. It was a joy to say the least, though later on I realized that there are better places to eat khachapuri at, mainly Porto Franco. Nevertheless, it cannot hurt to give them a try, especially because this is a very contentious topic and there are many who prefer their cheese mix to others.
Khinkali House N1 – https://goo.gl/maps/S3EapgJ3eSe4o1fy5
Though Batumi, or the Adjara region in general, is known for their cheesy and doughy goodness (or khachapuri in other terms), it is still a part of Georgia which makes it an ideal place to try some khinkali. One of the more specialized places in town for this Georgian delicacy is Khinkali House N1, whose cheese khinkali was not only filled with an excellent variety of sulguni cheese but was also some of the biggest I had in a while. Certainly recommended.
Enoteca – https://goo.gl/maps/s6StemowTWuh1EpJ9
We had a very interesting experience at Enoteca, where a waiter tried very hard NOT to sell us a bottle of wine. I am sure that it had mostly to do with the language barrier but nevertheless, it was bizarre. Basically, we went there just to try their amber wine made from Kisi grapes, which is hard to find elsewhere. Well, they ran out of it in kegs, which is fine. There were bottled wines laying all around, so I had to get up, find the one I want, and just give it to the waiter to proceed with our order. Sure, it was more expensive that way, but it was well worth the try at the end of the day. Their food is good too, though nothing to write home about.
Ardagani Cafe Restaurant – https://goo.gl/maps/MTkaZRqKZq7UjR757
The dining highlight of our stay in Batumi just has to be Ardagani Cafe. This is the kind of place where you can get an entire litre of their white wine for 6 GEL (yes, that is barely more than 2 USD) while binging on their exceptionally tasty khinkali and mushrooms with sulguni. Everything seems incredibly cheap despite being of the highest quality, and a long queue at the entrance reminds you of this fact the moment you see it. Must go if you are in the region, let alone if you are staying in Batumi.
Lurji Sufra – https://goo.gl/maps/yMMNFxN1r3mE2zPp9
For my mother’s birthday, we decided to visit this lovely joint near our apartment, mostly because of its reviews, but also because it was just so close… Well, it was the best decision ever, because both the service and the food turned out to be excellent in Lurji Sufra. I especially recommend their lobio, which simply tasted much superior to the other ones I had in Tbilisi the first time I was in Georgia many years ago. My mother was delighted by her choice as well. Certainly, a lovely place to visit if you are around town.
