Café Kalina — Restaurant in Tbilisi

It's not easy to rate this restaurant. I will start with what we liked best - the food. We went to Cafe Kalina in a group to have a dinner. Majority of us are Slavic so we were very excited to have dishes that will remind us of home-cooked meals we were growing up with. We definitely were not disappointed here: the food was hearty, aromatic and truly reminiscent of home. Based on what we were served alone, I would give this place 5 stars. Atmosphere and service is, however, a very different experience. Going to a Ukrainian restaurant, we expected Ukrainian hospitality and warmth. The ambience in Cafe Kalina was rather cold and uptight. The waitress serving us confused one of the orders. Our friend asked for a salad option that would be somewhat similar to Olivie but would include some meat. The waitress assured that they can make one like this and that it's not a problem. Unfortunately, the salad that was brought to the table was nothing like what was promised. We pointed it out and asked if this can be changed... but she blamed our friend for the mistake. We tried to sort it out. Another waitress approached us, who seemed to be the floor manager. She was aloof and, like her colleague, blamed our friend for the mistake. She was argumentative and unpleasant. Eventually, we gave up because we didn’t want to argue, but the woman remained unfriendly for the rest of our visit. We noticed her and other staff members glaring at us, which made us feel uncomfortable. Toward the end, we asked about medovik, a very popular cake in Ukraine. The waitress had no idea what we were talking about. When we explained that it was a honey cake and asked if they had any other traditional Ukrainian cakes, she offered us... pancakes. And she did so in a very harsh and angry tone. It was clear she didn’t want us there and that, on top of that, she did not know much about Ukrainian cuisine working in a Ukrainian restaurant. When we asked for the bill and specified that we’d like to pay separately for our meals, she brought us a handwritten bill in Georgian, despite knowing we were tourists and didn’t speak the language. There was no regard for the customer whatsoever. It was a very disappointing experience. Overall, I would recommend going there, eating quickly, and leaving! The staff clearly has no idea about customer service or hospitality. I have to rate it 3/5, and that’s only because the food was excellent. Compliments...

First of all, I hate leaving a bad review. This is a Ukrainian place and I fully support Ukrainian people. That being said, if people are not called out they will never change their behavior.

I went in to order a takeout. I went to this place a few times before. I support Ukrainian businesses. Plus I liked the food. Today when I wanted to place an order the girl that works there told me I cannot order takeout. Big surprise since I ordered yesterday. Then she proceed to say I can order a cold dish. Okay, so I asked for pancakes and Shuba salad. While I was waiting for my order she was talking behind my back with another lady thinking I don’t understand Georgian. Big mistake. You never discuss your clients so I took my business elsewhere and had brunch at a different more respectful place. The bottom line is this. Whether clients understand your langauge or don’t it’s highly disrespectful and unprofessional to talk behind their backs. I hope this review helps to improve you customer service in the...

I visited this place 3 years ago and I liked it. This time, I ordered beef stroganoff and my friend had crepe with chocolate. It was just regular crepe, nothing very special, tasty chocolaty crepes. Beef stroganoff was a bit salty, but still eatable. Portion size was huge, meat was hard to chew and potato puree was tasty. Serving isn’t their strong side too. But prices are very affordable.

We ordered Kiev cutlet, Pelmeni, Vareniki, Kompot and iced coffee with ice-cream. Kiev cutlet was mouth-watering, it was very juicy, buttery and crunchy. Exactly how it should be. I ordered with potato puree, but you can have French fries or buckwheat. Potato puree was very fluffy and tasty too. Pelmeni were super delicious. Vareniki was okay, cheese had bitter and unpleasant taste. Iced coffee with ice-cream was so good 😫🤌🏻 Kompot took me to my childhood when my grandma was making delicious Kompoti. It was with mixed fruits. Staff was friendly and helpful. Environment was so...