Start with the table breads and the cheese
Begin in Tbilisi's Old Town, where achma and khachapuri arrive warm from basement bakeries near Sioni Cathedral and the Abanotubani sulphur baths. Adjarian khachapuri, the boat-shaped one with egg and butter, is a meal rather than a starter; imeruli and megrelian versions are flatter and better for sharing. Expect to pay a modest amount at a plain bakery and considerably more at a sit-down restaurant on Kote Abkhazi Street. Order one bread between two people, not one each.
Cheese matters as much as dough: sulguni is mild and elastic, guda is sharper and saltier, and both turn up in salads and pies. At the Deserter Market off Agmashenebeli Avenue you can buy either by weight and taste before committing. If you only have one bread in Georgia, book a table for khachapuri adjaruli at a proper restaurant rather than grabbing it from a counter; the egg should still be soft when it reaches you.
Khinkali, and how to eat them without embarrassment
Khinkali are the dumplings that define Georgian eating, and every region argues about the correct shape. In Tbilisi, the Passage district near Rustaveli Avenue and the streets around Marjanishvili metro hold the densest concentration of khinkali houses. A portion is usually five or six, and prices range from pocket change at a neighbourhood canteen to a proper restaurant price in the centre. Hold the twisted top, bite a small hole, drink the broth, then eat the rest. The knot goes on the plate.
Fillings go beyond beef and pork: mushroom, potato and cheese versions are excellent and widely available. In Kakheti, around Telavi and Sighnaghi, you will find them alongside local wine in family-run cellars. My advice is to order a mixed plate for the table, add a tomato and walnut salad, and stop there. Khinkali are heavy, and a second portion ordered out of enthusiasm is the most common food mistake visitors make in Georgia.
Walnut sauces, stews and the vegetable table
Georgian cooking leans hard on walnuts, and the results run through the whole menu. Satsivi, a cold walnut sauce usually served with chicken or turkey, appears in force from November to February; pkhali, minced vegetable and walnut patties, are sold year-round and are the single best thing to order when you want something lighter. Both are staples in the restaurants around Vake Park and along Chavchavadze Avenue, where local families eat rather than tour groups.
Chakhokhbili, a tomato and herb stew, and chashushuli, a spicier meat stew, are worth knowing by name. So is lobio, beans cooked in a clay pot and served with pickles, which makes a substantial lunch for very little. In Batumi, the Adjarian coastline adds fish and cornbread; in Kutaisi, look for kupati sausages near the White Bridge. Skip the international menus on tourist thoroughfares and walk two streets back; the food improves and the bill falls.
Wine, markets and where to base yourself
Georgia is one of the oldest wine-making countries in the world, and qvevri wines — fermented in buried clay vessels — are the thing to try. Kakheti, an hour and a half by road from Tbilisi, is the heart of it; Sighnaghi makes a good base for a couple of nights. In Tbilisi, the Dezerter Bazaar and the surrounding streets are the best place to assemble a picnic of churchkhela, fresh fruit and cheese. Best months for the food calendar are May, June and September, when produce peaks and outdoor terraces open.
For a first trip, base yourself in Tbilisi for four or five nights, choosing a hotel in Sololaki or the Old Town so the bakeries and khinkali houses are walkable, then take two nights in Kakheti. Batumi suits a summer stay on the Black Sea coast. Book your Tbilisi hotel early for September, when the city fills for the vintage, and check walking distance to the nearest metro before you decide.