Where to eat in Batumi: Adjarian khachapuri, the fish market, Georgian classics and places near the New Boulevard
Updated 3 November 2026
For Adjarian khachapuri go to Retro on Takaishvili Street or Laguna on 26 May Street (14–25 lari a portion, which feeds one hungry person or two as a starter); for fish, buy it by weight at the market on Baku Street and have it grilled next door for about 6 lari a dish; for Georgian classics, Heart of Batumi and Tavaduri are the places with thousands of reviews and a 4.5–4.6 rating. Near our building by the New Boulevard there are a dozen cafés within ten minutes, a food court across the street and 24-hour supermarkets. Dinner for two with wine is 80–140 lari, and a service charge of 10–15 % is often already on the bill. Prices and ratings are as of November 2026.
| Place | Go for | Where | Rating (Google, November 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retro | Adjarian khachapuri, the classic | 10 Takaishvili St, Old Town side | 4.2, over 6,000 reviews |
| Laguna | Adjarian khachapuri, big and buttery | 25 26 May St | 4.4, over 2,700 reviews |
| Fish market + Blue Wave | fish by weight, cooked next door | 27–33 Baku St, by the port | 4.5, over 2,500 reviews |
| Heart of Batumi | Georgian classics, dinner | 11 Mazniashvili St, Old Town | 4.6, over 5,700 reviews |
| Tavaduri | khinkali, grill, queues at peak | 38 Lermontov St | 4.5, over 8,700 reviews |
| Garage Wines | Georgian wine by the glass | 8 Mazniashvili St, from 18:00 | 4.7 (Madloba) |
| Panorama | dinner with a view, 31st floor | 15B Khimshiashvili St, New Boulevard | 4.4, over 2,200 reviews |
| Tanini | Georgian, near us | 9a Khimshiashvili St | 4.6 (Madloba) |
| Ukrainochka | Ukrainian, with children | by Ardagani Lake, New Boulevard | 4.2, over 3,900 reviews |
Adjarian dishes to know
Adjara's cooking is the mountain and Black Sea side of Georgian food, with more butter, dairy and fish than in Tbilisi:
- Adjarian khachapuri (acharuli) — the boat-shaped bread with melted cheese, a raw egg yolk and a knob of butter. Stir the yolk and butter into the cheese, tear off the crust and dip. 14–25 ₾ in a café; it cools in ten minutes, so eat it at once.
- Borano — melted cheese in butter from a clay pan, eaten with bread; richer than it sounds.
- Sinori — thin dough sheets rolled with cottage cheese or kaimaghi and butter.
- Achma — a layered cheese pie, like a lasagne without the sauce.
- Kaimaghi — thick clotted cream, served with honey or in sinori.
- Black Sea fish — red mullet (barabulka), grey mullet (kefal), horse mackerel (stavrida), anchovy in season; dorado and sea bass are mostly farmed. A grilled fish dish is 15–30 ₾.
- Adjarian baklava — layered pastry with walnuts and hazelnuts in syrup, the Turkish border showing through; tea is drunk Turkish-style, in small glasses.
The rest of the Georgian table is here too: khinkali (1–2.5 ₾ a piece, five or six make a meal, made to order so count on 20–30 minutes), mtsvadi (grilled pork or veal), pkhali (vegetable pâtés with walnuts), lobio (beans in a pot), ajapsandali (aubergine stew). See prices in Batumi for what a meal costs.
Khachapuri: where to go
Retro (10 Takaishvili Street, 10:00–01:00) is the name every local gives first: a café that has made Adjarian khachapuri for decades, with a terrace and a queue at lunchtime in summer. Laguna (26 May Street, 09:00–23:00) is the other classic, known for large, very buttery portions. Both are in the old part of the city, 10 minutes by taxi from the New Boulevard. Order one khachapuri for two as a starter, or one each if that is dinner — and a glass of tarragon lemonade or matsoni to cut the butter.
The fish market: buy, then have it cooked
The fish market is on Baku Street near the port (open daily, roughly 10:00–22:00): a dozen stalls selling the morning catch by weight — barabulka, kefal, stavrida, mussels, in season anchovy and trout from the mountains. You choose, pay by the kilo, and carry the bag to one of the small restaurants next door — Blue Wave is the best known — which grill or fry it for about 6 ₾ per dish and bring bread, sauce and salad. Ask the cooking price before you hand over the fish, and have the stall weigh it in front of you. Four barabulka each, a salad and a bottle of wine from the shop next door is a seafood dinner for two for 50–70 ₾ — our standard recommendation for the first evening.
Georgian classics and khinkali
Heart of Batumi (11 Mazniashvili Street, 11:00–23:00) is the all-round Georgian restaurant in the Old Town: pkhali, lobio, mtsvadi, khachapuri, live music some evenings and a bill of about 80–100 ₾ for two. Tavaduri (38 Lermontov Street, 09:00–00:00) is the khinkali and grill place with the longest queues in the city in July and August; 30–40 ₾ a head with drinks. For khinkali without the queue, locals name Mephaitone on Pushkin Street and Kiziki on Melikishvili Street. For wine, Garage Wines on Mazniashvili Street pours Georgian natural wines by the glass from 18:00 — try the local Chkhaveri, a pale rosé grape from Guria and Adjara. Chacha, the grape spirit, is on every table; the house chacha in a restaurant is usually fine, and the bottled kind is 20–60 ₾ in a shop.
Near the New Boulevard: around our building
Our two studios are on the 33rd floor of Blue Sky Tower, across the street from Black Sea Mall, in the newer part of the city by the New Boulevard. You do not need a taxi to eat well here:
- Across the street: Black Sea Mall has a Carrefour (09:00–22:00), a food court and cafés — the lazy option on a rainy evening.
- Within ten minutes on foot along Khimshiashvili Street: Tanini (9a, Georgian, until 23:30), Panorama on the 31st floor at 15B for a dinner with the sea below (book in summer; prices are a third above the city), Ajarian House (10) for borano and sinori, Spice Garden (16, Indian, halal-friendly), Falafel Hgalil (4, vegetarian), GeRo Pizza (4) and Pirosmani Express (29) for a quick Georgian lunch.
- By Ardagani Lake, a short walk north: Ukrainochka, the Ukrainian restaurant families go to for borscht and varenyky.
- 24 hours: SPAR supermarkets on Gorgiladze and Chavchavadze Streets and Goodwill at Batumi Mall never close; Goodwill on Khimshiashvili 61 is open until 22:00.
- Delivery: Wolt, Glovo and Bolt Food all work in Batumi, usually within 30–60 minutes — khachapuri from Retro arrives still hot.
Practical
Restaurants in tourist areas often add a service charge of 10–15 % to the bill; if it is there, nothing more is expected, and if not, a 10 % tip is normal. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but small cafés and the market prefer cash. In July and August book a table for dinner, especially on the Boulevard and in Panorama; the kitchen may close before the dining room. Vegetarians are well served — pkhali, lobio, ajapsandali, mushrooms on ketsi — and there are vegan cafés (Cafe Soya, Go Vegan); ask about butter and cheese in bread. Halal: Maydonoz on Gorgiladze Street, open 24 hours, and Spice Garden near us. Kosher: Chabad Batumi on Gorgasali Street. In winter most places stay open, with shorter hours.
Our studios have a full kitchen for the days you cook: a hob, an oven, a fridge, everything for breakfast, and a Carrefour across the street. You book directly with us on this site: see the studios.
More from our Batumi guide: prices in Batumi, what to see in Batumi and the beaches.
Questions and answers
Where is the best Adjarian khachapuri in Batumi?
Retro at 10 Takaishvili Street and Laguna on 26 May Street are the two classics locals name first, both in the old part of the city; a portion is 14–25 ₾ and feeds one hungry person or two as a starter. Near the New Boulevard, Ajarian House on Khimshiashvili Street makes it too.
How does the fish market in Batumi work?
Go to the market on Baku Street near the port, choose fish by weight at a stall (red mullet, grey mullet, horse mackerel, mussels), pay by the kilo, then take the bag to one of the restaurants next door, which grill or fry it for about 6 ₾ a dish and add bread, sauce and salad. Ask the cooking price first. Dinner for two is 50–70 ₾.
Do you tip in restaurants in Batumi?
If the bill has a service charge of 10–15 %, which many places in tourist areas add, nothing more is expected. If it does not, leave about 10 %.
What are the best restaurants in Batumi?
By ratings and review counts in November 2026: Heart of Batumi (Georgian classics, Old Town), Tavaduri (khinkali and grill), Retro and Laguna (Adjarian khachapuri), Blue Wave by the fish market (fish), Panorama on the 31st floor (dinner with a view), Garage Wines (Georgian wine by the glass).
Where can I eat near the New Boulevard in Batumi?
Along Khimshiashvili Street, within ten minutes on foot of Black Sea Mall: Tanini and Pirosmani Express for Georgian food, Panorama for a view, Ajarian House for borano and sinori, Spice Garden for Indian, Falafel Hgalil for vegetarian; Ukrainochka by Ardagani Lake; and the food court in Black Sea Mall itself.
Is there food delivery in Batumi?
Yes: Wolt, Glovo and Bolt Food all deliver in Batumi, usually within 30–60 minutes, from most of the restaurants above.
Sources: Madloba — Adjarian khachapuri in Batumi, Madloba — Adjarian cuisine: sinori and borano, Madloba — seafood in Batumi, Madloba — the seafood market, Madloba — khinkali in Batumi, Madloba — restaurants for dinner, Madloba — 16 places locals love, Madloba — supermarkets in Batumi, Madloba — food delivery in Georgia, Visit Batumi — Ajarian cuisine, In Your Pocket — Ajarian food, Wanderlog — Heart of Batumi, Wanderlog — Tavaduri, Wanderlog — Retro, Wanderlog — Blue Wave. Checked in November 2026.