Food & Drinks

1. მითხარით, სად არის კარგი რესტორანი?

   Mitkharit, sad aris k'argi rest'orani?

   Could you tell me where a good restaurant is?

   Usage

   When asking for a local restaurant recommendation

   Grammar Note

   "მითხარით" = მ- (to me) + the verb "tell" + the polite plural imperative ending, i.e. "please tell me". Georgian nouns end in "-ი (i)" in the nominative case, and the 7-case system marks grammatical roles: "-ში" (in), "-ზე" (on), "-ს" (dative), etc.

2. ხინკალი გთხოვთ

   Khink'ali gtkhovt

   Khinkali, please

   Usage

   Georgian national dumpling filled with spiced meat and broth

   Grammar Note

   Khinkali is Georgia's iconic dumpling. "გთხოვთ" is a polypersonal verb meaning "I request of you" — subject and object encoded in one word

3. ხაჭაპური გაქვთ?

   Khach'ap'uri gakvt?

   Do you have khachapuri?

   Usage

   Georgian cheese bread — a national soul food

   Grammar Note

   Georgian "to have" treats the possessor as object. "გ-" is the second-person object prefix ("to/with you"); "-თ" is the polite/plural suffix. Casual form: "ხაჭაპური გაქვს?"

4. ღვინო გთხოვთ

   Ghvino gtkhovt

   Wine, please

   Usage

   Georgia is the birthplace of wine — over 8,000 years of winemaking history

   Grammar Note

   Georgia is the world's oldest wine producer. The traditional qvevri (clay jar) method is UNESCO intangible heritage. Toast: "გაუმარჯოს (Gaumarjos)" = "To victory / Cheers!"

5. გაუმარჯოს!

   Gaumarjos!

   Cheers! / To your health!

   Usage

   Essential toast in Georgian wine culture

   Grammar Note

   Literally "may he/she be victorious" — optative mood. Georgian toasting culture (tamadoba) features a tamada (toastmaster) who leads elaborate toasts at feasts

6. ანგარიში გთხოვთ

   Angarishi gtkhovt

   The bill, please

   Grammar Note

   "ანგარიში" means "calculation/account", of Arabic origin. Georgian has many loanwords but they're written in Mkhedruli script, often with modified pronunciation

7. ეს რა არის?

   Es ra aris?

   What is this?

   Usage

   When pointing at a menu item to ask what it is

   Grammar Note

   Georgian forms questions using interrogative words (რა=what, სად=where, ვინ=who) placed at the start, not by rising intonation alone

8. მჭადი მომიტანეთ

   Mch'adi momit'anet

   Please bring cornbread (mchadi)

   Usage

   Traditional Georgian cornbread, often served with cheese

   Grammar Note

   "მომიტანეთ" combines direction (მო- = toward speaker), indirect object (მი- = to me), and imperative — a perfect example of Georgian polypersonal verb compression

9. ძალიან გემრიელია

   Dzalian gemrielia

   It's very delicious

   Usage

   To compliment food; also a nice thing to say to the cook

   Grammar Note

   Georgia has a rich food culture; the supra (traditional feast) is a national pride. Adjective predicates take the third-person copula "-ია" to form "it is [adjective]"

10. ვეგეტარიანელი ვარ

    Veget'arianeli var

    I am vegetarian

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "-ელი" forms demonyms and person-nouns (e.g., ქართველი = Georgian person, ინგლისელი = English person). "ვარ" is the first-person copula

11. წყალი გთხოვთ

    Ts'q'ali gtkhovt

    Water, please

    Grammar Note

    "წყ-" is a consonant cluster unique to Georgian. Georgian belongs to the Kartvelian language family, an isolated group unrelated to Indo-European languages

12. მადლობა, რომ გვიმასპინძლეთ

    Madloba, rom gvimasp'indzlet

    Thank you for the feast / for your hospitality

    Usage

    Expressing gratitude after a Georgian supra (traditional feast)

    Grammar Note

    Hosting (მასპინძლობა) is central to Georgian culture. "სტუმარ-მასპინძლობა" (guest-host relationship) embodies the Georgian concept of hospitality

13. ბრინჯი

    Brinji

    Rice

    Usage

    Point to it when ordering; Georgian "ბრინჯი" covers both raw and cooked rice, so say "მოხარშული ბრინჯი" if you specifically want it cooked

14. პური

    P'uri

    Bread

    Usage

    Point to it when ordering; the staple is clay-oven "შოთის პური". In idioms the word also stands for a meal in general

15. მაკარონი

    Mak'aroni

    Noodles / pasta

    Usage

    The closest Georgian word for noodles, but it means Italian-style pasta — Asian noodles are not common here

16. ცხარე

    Tskhare

    Spicy (hot-tasting)

    Usage

    Refers to chilli heat in the taste; hot in temperature is a different word, "ცხელი"

17. ტკბილი

    T'k'bili

    Sweet

    Usage

    Sweet in taste; in wine country the same word also names fresh unfermented grape must, so watch the context at a winery

18. უმი

    Umi

    Raw (uncooked)

    Usage

    Point to it to check that something is not cooked, or to avoid it

19. სუპი

    Sup'i

    Soup

    Usage

    Point to it when ordering; the classic Georgian soup is "ხარჩო" (beef and walnut)

20. ხილი

    Khili

    Fruit

    Usage

    The collective noun for fruit; useful at markets and hotel breakfasts

21. ყველი

    Q'veli

    Cheese

    Usage

    Point to it when ordering or checking; Georgian cheeses such as "სულგუნი" and "იმერული" are notably salty

22. კარაქი

    K'araki

    Butter

    Usage

    Point to it for butter at breakfast or with bread; check it too if you are avoiding dairy

23. თაფლი

    Tapli

    Honey

    Usage

    Point to it for honey with breakfast or tea; it is a common souvenir in mountain regions

24. იოგურტი

    Iogurt'i

    Yoghurt

    Usage

    Point to shop-bought yoghurt; the traditional Georgian soured milk "მაწონი" is sharper and sold as a separate product

25. ტოფუ

    T'opu

    Tofu

    Usage

    A loanword — tofu is not part of Georgian cuisine, and outside Tbilisi supermarkets and vegan cafés the word often draws a blank

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