BysairaFOOD & DRINKSMay, 2026

DISCOVER AUTHENTIC FLAVOURS OF GEORGIA AT QARTULI

Qartuli serves traditional Georgian cuisine in the heart of Downtown Dubai.

Passionate about bringing the true flavours and authentic experience of Georgia to Dubai, Qartuli is a cosy dine-in restaurant in Downtown Dubai founded by two Georgian ladies-who can be found greeting guests. Small and intimate, the restaurant has plenty of personality, with welcoming décor that captures the feeling of a traditional Georgian home-think vintage knick-knacks, antique cutlery, mismatched plates, net curtains and crocheted tablecloths that add to its charming old-world feel. If you can bear the heat, the enclosed plant-filled patio makes for a fun spot to sit and soak it all in.

The menu features an array of incredible regional specialities, with a large clay oven continuously firing fresh bread for the restaurant’s much-loved khachapuri-one of Georgia’s most recognisable and photogenic dishes. For those who find the traditional version with egg yolk and butter a little too rich, there’s the simpler round Imeruli or the flaky Lobiani, both generously stuffed with cheese.

The fist-sized Georgian dumplings, Khinkali, much like khachapuri, are essential orders here. The proper way to eat them is to pick one up, take a bite and sip the broth before finishing the rest of the dumpling, leaving the knob at the top behind on your plate. We inhaled the juicy lamb-and-beef variety, though the potato and mushroom version was equally comforting and full of flavour.

The Kharcho soup made with tender pieces of meat and rice is a meal on its own and the kind of comforting dish that instantly lifts your mood. You must also order the signature Georgian salad with a super creamy walnut sauce-it’s nutty, crunchy and wonderfully fresh.

For our entrée, the beef-and-lamb kebabs wrapped in lavash flatbread and served with delicately seasoned satsebeli sauce and onions made for a hearty sharing platter. We accompanied this with a side of deeply satisfying, homestyle tender potatoes cooked to perfection with caramelised onions.

No Georgian meal is complete without something sweet, and while the indulgent Caucasian dessert and traditional Georgian Pelamushi were both tempting, we were especially pleased with our choice of delicate walnut Pakhlava served with honey and vanilla ice cream.

With a homely atmosphere and impeccable food, Qartuli is the kind of place that transports you to an old corner of Georgia-perfect for both seasoned diners and anyone still discovering the cuisine.