No need to schlep to North York for good Georgian food
For the longest time, Georgian restaurants could only be found north of Finch and Dufferin. That’s where the community of ex-USSR immigrants resides. Tiflisi bucks that trend by opening in The Beaches, and offers unique items and weekday lunch specials.
The food
If you need a primer on Georgian cuisine, check out the review of Pirosmani.
As is standard with Georgian restaurants outside Georgia, khinkali (ხინკალი) features on Tiflisi’s menu. Their filling was a mix of beef and pork.
The khinkali were well-made and had a robust meaty broth inside. It could benefit from some brightness or herbs. 8/10.
The famous acharuli khachapuri (აჭარული ხაჭაპური) had a textbook boat shape, though it was bigger than I had remembered in Georgia.
The way to eat this is to break up and stir the raw egg in the middle, so that it gets scrambled by the latent heat of the pastry. The khachapuri had cooled a bit, so it took a while to cook the egg.
The taste was traditional, as expected from combining sulguni cheese (pickled cheddar), butter, and eggs. Like the khinkali, it’s a dish that would benefit from some acid and spice, though it wouldn’t be traditional. A minor nitpick is that the ends could have been shorter. It was a lot of plain dough. On the positive side, the bread had a good rise. 8/10.
When I visited Tiflisi after they opened during the pandemic, they gave me free desserts with my takeout order. I got kada (ქადა), a sweet bread roll. Unfortunately, the bread had begun to harden. Perhaps that’s why they were giving it away? It looked pretty but I couldn’t taste the filling nor anything other than granulated sugar. I’m sure it would have tasted great fresh out of the oven. 5/10.
A big advantage of Tiflisi over other Georgian restaurants are the hard-to-find dishes there. Take for instance, the duck chakhohbili (ჩახოხბილი). I don’t see it at other restaurants in Toronto. It’s also not that common in Georgia either because chicken is the poultry of choice. Although it’s historically made with pheasant, it’s harder to come by. In any case, chakhohbili is stewed poultry in a tomato herb sauce.
I haven’t had chakhohbili before in Georgia, so I can’t speak to the authenticity. A thick layer of oil was the first thing I noticed. There were also only a few pieces of duck. And it was mostly bone.
The duck tasted slightly off, rancid even. It could be supply issues during the pandemic. The sauce tasted fine. It was chunky with walnuts though the tomatoes had disappeared behind the other spices and herbs. I wished there was less grease. 5.5/10.
The place
Clearly, Tiflisi has invested a lot in decor. It’s one of the nicest-looking Georgian restaurants in Toronto. Brown and neutral tones give a country cottage feel.
Georgian knick-knacks line the window sills, adding some charm.
Verdict
Location and lesser-known dishes are the strengths of this Georgian restaurant. Traditional taste and presentation. 8/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Tiflisi
- Rating
- 8/10
- Recommended dishes
- Traditional khinkali
- Prices
- Traditional khinkali: $14.58 ($12.90 excluding tax)
Chakhohbili: $22.60 ($20.00 excluding tax)
Acharuli khachapuri: $21.81 ($19.30 excluding tax) - Address
- 1970 Queen Street East
- Hours
- Monday 1100h – 2200h
Wednesday to Thursday 1100h – 2200h
Friday to Sunday 1100h – 2300h - Date of visit
- May 2021, November 2021, August 2022