If you want to see real Georgian food — not as restaurants plate it but as Georgians buy it — head to a market. Tbilisi markets are noisy, colourful and slightly chaotic: people bargain, offer tastes and tell stories. They are the best place to buy spices, cheese, churchkhela and fruit at fair prices.
Dezerter Bazaar
Dezerter Bazaar is Tbilisi's best-known and most visitor-friendly food market. It sits near Station Square, a few minutes from the Station Square metro stop. The name dates from the early 20th century: legend says soldiers who deserted from the front sold their belongings here.
Today it is a covered market with street stalls around it, divided into sections:
- Cheese — sulguni, Imeretian, smoked cheese and sometimes guda and rare mountain cheeses. Sellers will cut you a taste.
- Meat — for the curious: see how carcasses are butchered and which cuts go into mtsvadi and khinkali.
- Spices — mounds of blue fenugreek, khmeli suneli, Imeretian saffron, Svan salt and dried chillies, all sold loose.
- Churchkhela and sweets — dozens of kinds of churchkhela, gozinaki, tklapi fruit leather and dried fruit.
- Fruit and vegetables — by season: cherries and apricots in summer, grapes, persimmons and pomegranates in autumn, mandarins in winter.
- Herbs — huge bunches of coriander, tarragon, basil and dill.
- Pickles and sauces — tkemali, adjika, jonjoli, pickled garlic.
- Nuts and honey — walnuts, hazelnuts and mountain honey.
Navtlughi Market
Navtlughi is a large market in eastern Tbilisi where locals and restaurant owners shop. There are fewer tourists and usually lower prices, especially for vegetables, fruit and meat. It feels more like a working market, and fewer traders speak English. If you want to see how the city lives and don't mind crowds, it's worth the trip.
What to buy
- Spices — blue fenugreek, khmeli suneli, Svan salt, Imeretian saffron.
- Churchkhela — natural colours and plenty of nuts.
- Cheese — smoked sulguni travels best.
- Tkemali and adjika — homemade, in bottles and jars.
- Dried fruit and nuts — chiri (dried persimmon), apricots, walnuts.
- Honey — mountain honey from sellers who can tell you where it's from.
What to taste on the spot
- Hot shoti from a nearby tone bakery;
- penovani or lobiani from a kiosk;
- fresh fruit — sellers often offer some;
- churchkhela — buy one to try before you buy many.
How to bargain
Bargaining is fine in Georgian markets, within reason:
- Ask the price and taste first.
- If you buy a lot — several churchkhelas or half a kilo of spices — ask for a discount.
- Don't haggle over pennies on fruit and herbs; prices are already low.
- A smile and a few Georgian words — "gamarjoba" (hello), "gmadlobt" (thank you) — work better than any haggling.
Prices
Approximate prices at Dezerter Bazaar:
- spices — 2–5 lari per 100 g;
- sulguni or Imeretian cheese — 12–25 lari per kilo;
- churchkhela — 2–6 lari each;
- fruit and vegetables — 1–6 lari per kilo in season;
- herbs — about 1 lari a bunch.
Prices can be higher near the entrance and in the "tourist" rows. Walk deeper inside and compare.
Practical tips
- Timing. Come in the morning when produce is fresh and sellers are cheerful; some rows close by evening.
- Cash. Almost everyone takes cash lari only; ATMs are nearby.
- Bags. Bring a shopping bag — the plastic ones are thin.
- Pockets. Watch your belongings in the crowd, as in any big market.
- Photos. Many sellers are happy to be photographed, but ask first.
- Shoes. Floors can be wet; wear comfortable closed shoes.
Markets in other cities
- Kutaisi — the Green Bazaar in the centre, one of the most atmospheric in Georgia.
- Batumi — the central market and the fish market near the port.
- Telavi — the central market, especially in autumn during rtveli.
- Zugdidi — for Megrelian cheese and adjika.
In short
Give Dezerter Bazaar an hour or two. Taste cheese, buy spices and churchkhela, grab a hot shoti from the bakery next door, and you'll see Tbilisi as locals know it. For an even more authentic slice of life, take a trip to Navtlughi.
