Ethno Tsiskvili Restaurant – Place for Georgian dance shows and folk music
Ethno Tsiskvili restaurant on Beliashvili Street, Dighomi district, is the most famous place where to see Georgian dance in Tbilisi and listen to folk music while enjoying delicious local cuisine in an ambient environment. Here, everything screams Georgia, starting from the ethnographic decor items to the famous Blue Tabla tablecloth. So what to expect from the evening spent in Ethno Tsiskvili restaurant? Continue reading my full review.
Disclaimer: We were guests of the property, but in the spirit of transparency, we emphasize that the following review reflects our genuine and unbiased opinions and recommendations. Rest assured, every word shared accurately represents our personal experience.
What is Ethno Tsiskvili restaurant all about?
The word “tsiskvili” in Georgian means a watermill. Back in the 90s, at the spot of the restaurant, was an old watermill. Today, it is incorporated into the design of the restaurant and determined the name. The complex is part of Tsiskvili Group management and has several other venues scattered across the city.
The natural relief of the watermill, along with its waterfall, has been preserved, which creates a breezy environment during hot summer days.
Since its opening in 2002, the restaurant has evolved in three different venues within its territory – Wine Yard, Beer Square, and Ethno Tsiskvili restaurant.
As I mentioned above, you feel the Georgian spirit everywhere, starting from the entrance of the courtyard featuring a typical Georgian house exterior. Even the waiters and waitresses wear traditional Georgian clothes – Chokha.
Additionally, one of the best features of the Tsiskvili restaurant is that it provides a space to see Georgian dance shows and listen to Georgian folk music every evening.
Note: The restaurant has a dress code – business casual. I recommend making prior reservations as it gets fully booked very often.
Guaranteed high-quality produce
All the restaurants under the Tsiskvili Group management pay particular interest to high-quality products. They have their enterprise for fresh meat, fish, and pickles to name a few. The company even produces its confectionery line with iconic Georgian desserts and cakes.
A glance at Ethno Tsiskvili Menu
The menu of Ethno Tsiskvili restaurant is quite massive, offering a comprehensive choice of Georgian meals. The main focus comes on Georgian cuisine, but you can also find some European meals as well.
The menu includes a wide choice of both Georgian and European salads, soups, cold and hot appetizers, cold and hot dishes made with fish and meat, different types of Khachapuri and Mtsvadi, and desserts.
One more thing that distinguishes Tsiskvili restaurant from others is that they try to revive forgotten regional meals and offer their take on them, particularly from Svaneti, Ratcha, Imereti, and Javakheti regions.
On my visit, I tried several different meals I haven’t tasted elsewhere. One of them was an open Spinach Mkhlovani (mountain regions version of Khachapuri) with sour cream and cheese. The dough was light and thin, while the flavors were very well balanced with a decent amount of cheese! Tsiskvili restaurant also prides itself on having one of the best Imeruli Khachapuri in town.
Another appetizer that I absolutely loved was an oyster mushroom salad with walnut paste. I almost ate the whole plate 🙂
Mtsvadi was one of the best I have tried; tender and juicy without much of the fat – the type I prefer the most.
Price-wise, Tsiskvili restaurant is above the average, but their finger-licking delicious meals and traditional music and dance performances ultimately justify the price.
Georgian Dance Shows and Georgian Folk Music
Every evening at 7:30 p.m, Ethno Tsiskvili restaurant offers its guests real Georgian experience infused with Georgian folk music and dance shows.
The evening starts with a live piano performance to set the mood. Afterward, starts a live concert of Ethno Art Band Gordela, one of the most famous Georgian folk ensembles. They perform the polyphonic folk songs either as acapella or accompanied by traditional local instruments. Apart from folk songs, they also play covers of contemporary hits with Georgian folk instruments.
In between the songs, a small troupe performs different Georgian traditional dances from various regions, such as Mtiuluri, Svanuri, Adjaruli, Rachuli, and Kartuli
If you’d like to enjoy a more relaxed environment without typical Georgian music and dances, there’s another hall of Tsiskvili restaurant featuring Ethno Jazz Band Stumrebi performing swing, electronic folk-jazz, and jazz-rock.