When they say Barbarestan is a family restaurant, they mean it. Diners are welcomed by one of the members of a huge (10 children) family and most of them are involved in the restaurant business. Babare stands for Barbare Jorjadze - a legendary Georgian chef and the author of the first extensive book about Georgian cuisine from the 19th century. The restaurant has revisited this cook book and now allows both visitors and Georgians alike to rediscover forgotten treasures of the country’s heritage: the pumpkin patties and cherry soup with mint are our favourites. One word of warning: the restaurant doesn’t serve any beer, but does offer a wonderful selection of kvevri wines, fitting given that the basement is an original 19th century wine cellar; wine is also available by the bottle to go. Live retro Georgian music on Saturday nights from 20:00 to 22:00. Essential: don’t leave Tbilisi without visiting.
