19 November, 2022 seen 20,896
I have been living in Tbilisi since 2011 during my stay here I have tried tasty foof at more than a hundred restaurants and cafes across the city.
Update, this article was originally published back in 2015. Many restaurants mentioned in this article are out of business. Due to the article's popularity, I decided to refresh it a bit and leave it for history…
This is already third post in my Tbilisi restaurant series.
Today I got a chance to visit Dzveli Kalaki restaurant (near Didube bridge)
For a prelude - we found and interesting offer on Georgian Groupon clone site www.hotsale.com - Entricote with 30% Off. This hotsale systems works like this - you pay some small fee for coupon/voucher and then you get your discount. So we bought a coupon for Dzveli Kalaki - it was for about 2 GEL.
Since we had no clue, where exactly it's located, we used a local taxi service, and taxi for 4 GEL took us there (from our place)
Dzveli Kalaki Restaurant
It turned out it not just a restaurant - it's restaurant complex with brewery inside.
Outdoor exterior here is decorated with lovely sculptures like this
Dzveli Kalaki Restaurant Brewery
They make here German style beer - didn't tried it this time (I'm of for any alcoholic drinks this summer)
Spacious rooms
At time we arrived, this restaurant was completely empty - it created kinda not friendly attitude - like, who would like to enjoy his/her meal on such an empty place?
Fortunately, we find a balcony with river view - and waitress agreed to serve us there.
Balcony at Dzveli Kalaki
Turns out Dzveli Kalaki is close to Didube bridge, where I often make my cycling rides - so probably this is good idea, next time to include this restaurant in my ride? You can find more about my Tbilisi cycling here
View from Dzveli Kalaki - River Mtkvari and Didube bridge
Roasted Ribs at Dzveli Kalaki
Finally our food was served, although for me it looks like roasted ribs in delicious sauce (and tasted as well - DELICIOUS) - waitress on my argument that this is not an entricot, continued to say - yes, it's an entricot. I felt myself kinda dumb, because I still believe that baked ribs and entricot are two completely different things.
According to Wikipedia:
In French, the word entrecôte (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃.tʁə.kot]) denotes a premium cut of beef used for steaks.
A traditional entrecôte comes from the rib area of the carcass, corresponding to the steaks known in different parts of the English-speaking world as rib, rib-eye, club, Scotch fillet, or Delmonico.
The term may also be used in France to denote the sirloin cut properly known as a contre-filet, being the portion of the sirloin on the opposite side of the bone from the filet, or tenderloin. In English, a steak cut from the contre-filet may be called a Porterhouse steak (as the term is understood in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), a sirloin steak, a strip steak, a striploin steak, a wing steak, a club steak, a Delmonico steak, or a New York Strip. (As well, if the contre-filet is left on the bone with the filet, the entire steak is called a Porterhouse steak (as the term is understood in the United States and Canada) or a T-bone steak.)
But since this is Georgia - baked ribs, can become an entrecote as well.
Anyway they were delicious, kinda reminded the one I have eaten in States (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Badridzhiani and Phali
We ordered traditional Georgian Badridziani and Phali, although I'm not huge fan of them.
Cucumber&Tomatoes salads
Few additional Turkish coffee's and Georgian lemonades.
Overall cheque here was around 60GEL including our 30% discount for so called "entricote"
This is place I can recommend for your for sure!