The town on the Military Road said to be the home of khinkali; a natural lunch stop on the drive up.
Roadside bakeries
Look for fresh shoti bread and khachapuri from the clay-oven bakeries along the way.
Eat more
Adjaruli khachapuri
Imeruli khachapuri
Lobio
Pkhali
Badrijani with walnut
Cheese khinkali
Churchkhela
Trout
The February plate
Lobio after the slopes
A clay pot of hot spiced beans with cornbread and pickles, the meat-free warm-up after a cold day on snow.
Muslim traveller note: pork and wine are everyday parts of Georgian food. Stick to cheese, bean and vegetable dishes in the mountains, ask about every meat dish, and self-cater if halal meat matters to you.