Coffee Lair — Restaurant in Tbilisi

I visited this café after winning a free dessert at a quiz night — decided to use the opportunity to get some work done and invited a friend to join me. We had tea and shared the dessert. Overall, I’d rate the place 7 out of 10. It was okay for working, as they position themselves as a spot where you can stay for a while, and it served that purpose well.

However, something happened that really changed my impression. My friend, who is Ukrainian, didn’t enjoy the atmosphere — especially the loud Russian music. He left a review mentioning this, and the response from the café was unexpectedly aggressive. They accused him of being “a Russian himself,” said he was surrounded by Russians (though most guests at the time were speaking English or Georgian), and criticized him for taking the free dessert — as if that disqualifies him from having an opinion.

I found this response highly unprofessional and inappropriate. Even if someone visits through a promo, they’re still a guest and deserve to be treated with respect. Because of this experience, I wouldn’t recommend the place. Atmosphere isn’t just about music and decor — it’s also about how people are treated. And in this case, that was disappointing.

update to owner's response: not liking loud music with swear words is not racism. but operating in your responses to the nationality of your customers is...

Perhaps I am spoiled by my two favourite (and let me add fabulous) cafes in Batumi which is why my expectations when I visit Tbilisi are too high for what is typically available.

The flat white coffee is good mainly because they have a proper espresso machine (4/5).

The cheese cake with home made strawberry sauce is very good. It is a tad too sweet for my taste but I am aware that most people prefer the sweetness (4.5/5).

The soup was disappointing. Instead of a soup of the day they have three different soups.

In a cafe that is not very popular (there are simply too many cafes in Tbilisi these days and the location is not optimal for tourists who are the main clientele in these establishments) it makes no sense to have three soups.

It is preferable to have a soup of the day that is wholesome and nutritional.

The soup I chose is a zucchini soup but honestly it tasted like a pea soup made from powders.

The staff are friendly and English speaking.

The bottom line is if you crave a yummy cake or pastry and a decent cup of coffee and happen to be in the area by all...

I ordered a Masala Tea and a lemon tart. The tea was flavorful and enjoyable. The tart was okay, but a bit too sweet for my taste. Presentation was fine — nothing special.

The place is clean, with Wi-Fi and space to work on a laptop. It's a 10-minute walk from the metro, so the location is convenient. It's suitable for short work sessions, but not ideal for long stays — the chairs and overall vibe aren't comfortable for more than 1–2 hours. Not a good spot for calls either.

Service was standard — nothing stood out. My tea took slightly longer than expected to arrive.

Prices are average and fair for what you get.

Unfortunately, I won’t be returning — the loud Russian music completely ruined the atmosphere for me. Response to the café owner's reply: I’m not from russia, and I didn’t attend a russian-speaking event.

I was simply invited by a friend to stop by for coffee. It’s surprising that the owner expects anything offered as a compliment to be immune to criticism.

I mentioned both the good and not-so-good parts...