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One of the best ways to get to know a country is to dine with the locals. Local restaurants can at least give you a taste of what the food is like somewhere, but experiencing their social traditions is often saved for special occasions that outsiders might not have the chance to partake in. My experience in Georgia was different. I had multiple chances to experience the unique centerpiece of Georgian culture, the supra.
What is a Supra?
A supra is a traditional Georgian feast. The supra is an important part of Georgian culture, so much so that it is on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list.
There are two types of supra. A festive supra is known as a keipi, while a somber supra is called a kelekhi, and occurs after funerals. No Georgian holiday or major life event is complete without a supra, even that final life event we will all experience.
An array of traditional Georgian dishes are served at a supra, including khachapuri, khinkali, kubdari, and more.
There will be so much food that there won’t be enough room on the table for it all. However, this won’t stop the cooks from bringing out more food and stacking serving plates on top of what is already there.
It’s impossible to leave a supra hungry. During a meal, it is also traditional to drink plentifully, led by the tamada.
What is a Tamada?
A tamada is a Georgian toastmaster. The tamada occasionally leads the room in themed toasts, ranging from celebratory cheers to somber dedications to the departed.
Each time, after a few words, the room joins to say, “Gamarjos!,” and everyone drinks some chacha (a Georgian spirit), brandy, or wine.
However, despite serving as a leader of the supra, a good tamada isn’t controlling the feast. They aren’t dominating the room, merely guiding conversation & the toasts. A good tamada is an entertainer & a natural public speaker. But anyone can give a toast. All that is asked is that whatever is said is said from the heart.
My Supra Experiences in Georgia
I first visited Georgia for Traverse, a travel content creator conference. These conferences often give participants the opportunity to have local experiences such as day trips and tours. The tours and trips are opportunities for the hosting tourism boards and other companies to show off a place’s best.
As such, I sometimes wonder if I’m having an experience that is available to other members of the public or if they are putting on a show for visiting writers and influencers.
However, I can confidently say that a Georgian supra is something anyone can (and should!) experience when visiting the country. The spots I’ve listed below are great places for anyone to experience a supra in Georgia (or at least some of the major elements). Georgian hospitality extends to all.
I quickly learned in Georgia that even at a regular meal, far more food would be present than anyone can actually eat. When I joked about this with one of our guides, he said that if the food ever ran out, it would make any host ashamed. Thus, a table ends up with full plates stacked on top of each other to make sure there’s plenty to go around.
Don’t worry, though: if you leave a Georgian meal and there’s still tons of food left, it won’t go to waste. Someone will certainly eat the leftovers, and local animals will also get their share. There’s a reason why the street dogs look well-fed.
Azarphesha
My first supra experience in Georgia was at Azarphesha in Tbilisi. Azarpesha is an excellent wine-focused restaurant that serves traditional Georgian dishes. The restaurant’s name comes from an ancient silver wine ladle used for drinking and communal toasts.
All of that is excellent enough, but what makes Azarphesha truly special is co-owner Luarsab Togonidze.
This means Luarsab serves as the tamada, a role he clearly relishes. In between his toasts and other hosting duties, I enjoyed chatting with him about wine, Georgia, and his ties to San Francisco, as he has a close friend there.
Azarphesha only seats 28 people, preserving intimacy while also creating community. Even if you’re seated at a smaller table, the experience still feels like a supra.
Luarsab told us all about the supra & tamada traditions while occasionally leading us in toasts.
Luarsab & Nino often join together for another of Georgia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage traditions, polyphonic singing.
Between the great food, the great wine, and the hospitality, Azarphesha is a can’t-miss Georgian experience. If you visit, inquire about the availability of entertainment, as it doesn’t necessarily happen each evening.
Address: 0105, 2 Pavle Ingorokva St, Tbilisi, Georgia (map)
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Ethnographer
For an authentic Georgian food & hospitality experience on a grander scale, head to Ethnographer.
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We went to Ethnographer for the conference’s closing event. The place had been rented out to the whole group.
We started with some appetizers in the courtyard, including cheese, chacha, wine, bread, and vegetables. There were polyphonic singers who were just some of the entertainment for the night. Later, dancers took the stage inside the huge dining hall.
Inside the dining hall, we were treated to another feast. Plates of food were already awaiting us, and then the servers kept bringing out more and more, so much so that we wondered if they would ever stop.
The event was lighter on the toasts, though we still had several. The wine never stopped flowing; we even got to take a bottle home with us.
Address: T, 105 Akaki Beliashvili St, Tbilisi 0159, Georgia (map)
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Guesthouse Lali
Following the conference, I had the opportunity to go on a press trip to Svaneti, a northern mountainous region of Georgia.
One afternoon, we headed to Guesthouse Lali for a food-making demonstration followed by a supra.
The tables had so much food on them that I was surprised they didn’t collapse.
As we enjoyed the food, several people made toasts with chacha & brandy.
Burjanadze Wine Cellar Winery
On one of my final days in Georgia, I went on a full-day tour of Kakheti and Signagi. We visited several local wineries as well as the historic town.
The day culminated with a visit to the family-owned Burjanadze Wine Cellar Winery. After a warm greeting of wine and chacha, we headed inside for a supra.
Bacho Burjanadze served as the tamada, leading us through an excellent meal with great food, toasts, and music.
At each supra I’d previously attended, I hadn’t made a toast. I’m not big on public speaking and didn’t know what to say. But nearing the end of my trip, I finally got the courage.
I toasted to Georgian hospitality. I toasted to the continued preservation and promotion of the country’s unique cultural heritage, including its food and drink. And I toasted to the freedom of its people.
I’ve traveled to many places, but nowhere in my life have I felt as warmly welcomed as I did in Georgia. What was once just a place that was high on my list of countries to visit is now even higher on my list of countries to return to.
Here are some other great Tbilisi tours & activities. Check out these Tbilisi day trips, too.
For Georgian wine experiences, I recommend taking a day trip to Kakheti from Tbilisi. You can also visit the many wine bars in Tbilisi.
If wine isn’t your thing, Tbilisi also has excellent cocktail bars & craft beer bars & breweries. Be sure to try the local spirit known as chacha!
Need a place to stay? Check out these Tbilisi hotel options. I enjoyed my stay at the Moxy Tbilisi, and the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel is another excellent option.
Note: My visit to Mestia was part of a Traverse press trip sponsored by Visit Georgia. All opinions are 100% my own.
