Tbilisi is a city that lives between the Caucasus mountains and ancient grapevines, where the only thing more dangerous than the local wine, is a Georgian grandmother who thinks you look hungry. It’s a place where a food constitution would be written in flour, cheese, and walnuts. But while everyone claims to have the best recipe, it pays to know the culinary ropes. Our feasting tour of 12+ tastings invites guests on a culinary experience around the backstreets of Tbilisi led by our team of professional foodie guides. Before we get started, our tour reflects the local cuisine and the limitations of street food vendors means we unfortunately cannot cater for every dietary restriction. Here's an honest appraisal for the tour so no-one is disappointed: ✖️Vegetarians and gluten-free guests have 3-4 less tastings due to limited alternatives. ✖️ Unsuitable for severe allergies, halal and celiac diets due to risk of traces and cross-contamination. Ready for a foodie journey? Read on!

Start at a subterranean bakery, to see shoti long bread slapped against the walls of a clay Tone oven and tear into a hot, bean-filled lobiani. These basements have fed neighbours through wars and revolutions. At a local eatery that has stood its ground for over a decade, we dive into colourful mosaic of pkhali walnut spreads of purple beetroot, and forest-green spinach. We’d rather not spoil all the surprises, but a sneak peek of our 12+ tastings includes some firm favourites. Try ostri, a beef stew that’s a slow-simmered, fiery testament to the country’s Dukani tavern history. Try ostri, a beef stew that’s a slow-simmered, fiery testament to the country’s Dukani tavern history.

Established in the 1920s, the Dezerter Bazaar earned its name from soldiers fleeing the Red Army to trade boots for bread. Today, it’s a market cathedral of local produce, where we’ll sample an artisanal cheese assortment featuring four distinct styles, washed down with a glass of velvet Khvanchkara wine, a favourite of princes and world leaders alike. Burgundy sheets of plum fruit leather also hang alongside candle-shaped churchkhela, a nutty grape candy that served as a high-protein staple for Georgian warriors centuries ago.

Experience the strange, briny delight of jonjoli pickled flowers. Then at the former ticket office of the Apollo Theatre, history is served alongside chicken walnut kharcho stew, eggplant rolls and the stretchy elarji, cheese-laden cornmeal porridge.

Later, we’ll master the art of a national dish, khinkali soup dumplings. Learn to slurp the herb-spiked urban meat version, to earthy mushroom, and molten Sulguni cheese varieties. We finish at Fabrika, a massive Soviet-era sewing factory transformed into a graffiti-clad courtyard, where the youth of Tbilisi plan the future over syrupy Georgian baklava. There’s more to this Tbilisi food tour. It’s a discovery and understanding of a city that other tourists just don’t experience. Whilst it's possible to attempt such a culinary marathon alone, you’d be hard-pushed to find these spots without our tastemaker guides.