Little Georgia — Restaurant in London

Although I am a huge of fan of Georgian cuisine and their famous hospitality, somewhat the visit to Little Georgia - Islington for dinner on Tuesday night left a bitter aftertaste… Overall, the service was ‘meh’: staff seemed tired and not overly enthusiastic or welcoming at all. Yes, they took our order and brought the food to the table, so thanks for that - but some basic customer engagement would be appreciated: a simple smile or ‘Hi’, ‘How are you?’, ‘How was your food?’ would have been nice… it felt as if they were doing us a favour for serving us!

While I can’t fault the food - everything we ordered (meze for two, borscht, khinkali, desserts, bottle of wine) was delicious, so kudos to the kitchen! My biggest complaint is about the size of meze for two (!!!) - are you guys seriously thinking it’s ok to charge £20 for a small plate consisting of six tiny scoops of different veg. salads with a miniature khachapuri??? Common guys, this is really quite embarrassing!!! That miniature khachapuri is parody of a khachapuri!!!😀 why can’t you serve a normal khachapuri but need to make a joke out of it!? Also, the salads - the size of the portions left me speechless… and that’s supposed to feed two! Those who ever visited Georgia or been to other Georgian restaurants elsewhere will understand me! This is nowhere near what a meze for £20 should look like (esp. when all the main courses are reasonable priced at ~£15 each). I would not bring my Georgian friends or relatives to this restaurant and order a meze because there definitely would be a scandal if they were served this dish with that khachapuri…

Also, re: khinkali - just an observation: why do you cut off the doughy stem? I notice that both Hackney and Islington restaurants khinkalis are served hardly without any stem? Having a proper stem to hold the khinkali adds more joy to the khinkali eating ‘procedure’.

Also, although we ordered a bottle of wine, normally bottle should be unscrewed at the table by the waiter. Instead it arrived already open…

So, overall, shame on you for the size of your meze for two (!) and hopefully your staff show some more enthusiasm towards your customers.

Updated comment in response to Little Georgia comment below: Wow… your arrogance is astonishing! Firstly re: meze. There were two of us and we ordered meze for two - black on white it clearly states on your menu - this dish is for two. The point is that the size of your meze is a joke! It’s clearly not enough for two, nor it is worth £20! And it comes with that miniature khachapuri, which you guys probably invented yourself! Never seen khachapuri that small anywhere else before. Secondly, your staff was treated with respect at all times, with smiles, thank yous etc. That is a new low to say ‘they expect to be treated like humans’ as if you are implying that we were at any point rude, impolite, inconsiderate etc. Yes, you might be upset about the negative review but don’t start creating fake narratives here. The point that staff was unwelcoming and grumpy still remains (and that’s definitely not us to blame) Finally, as a finishing remark, I wish you to grow up, because you definitely live up to your name! ‘Little’ in customer service and yet even smaller in your attitude. Wish you...

I’m a big fan of Georgian food and love seeking out Georgian restaurants wherever I go. During a recent short trip to London, I had about three hours to spare and found one nearby. Without a reservation, I took a chance and was lucky enough to get a table for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

As soon as I sat down, I was struck by the beautiful decor—filled with vintage Georgian posters, nostalgic memorabilia, and warm lighting that created a lively yet pleasantly calm atmosphere. I asked the kind waitress about the posters and the films they represented, and she enthusiastically shared detailed stories about each, appreciating my interest in Georgia. I decided to order the house’s version of Khachapuri Adjaruli, which was delightful.

While finishing my coffee and soaking in the ambiance, another waiter approached me with a polite, apologetic smile. There had been a reservation mix-up, and the next guests had already arrived. Having worked in the restaurant business myself, I reassured them that I understood and was just about finished anyway.

The staff’s warmth, respectfulness, and care made such an impression on me that, if they’d asked, I would have gladly rolled up my sleeves and helped in the kitchen. Before I left, I gave them my contact, hoping they could help me find more Georgian memorabilia like theirs. But honestly, I would have preferred to stay, befriend them, and savor more of those small, beautiful moments that life is truly made of.

Update: Two weeks later, I returned—this time with a friend and a reservation—and we were able to savor every moment. Every bite of the delicious food we ordered, every word of our delightful conversation with Sando (who was on duty that day), every sip of the exquisite wine he recommended, and every detail of the Gesamtkonzept—the œuvre d'art crafted by the interior designers within these cozy four walls—was pure joy. Yet, the most heartwarming surprise awaited me: I was gifted a stunning book, Supra, written by the owner Tiko herself. You truly can't grasp the essence of Gastfreundschaft until you've experienced it in (little) Georgia. Trust me, you...

This place has been on my list for a very long time ever since I got it as a recommendation from a work colleague and I was really happy that I finally got to try it with a friend on a Tuesday night. We made a reservation in advance and it was good that we did because it did get filled up after 7:30pm even though it was a week day.

We went with the khachapuri (cheese bread) and some salad mezze, as well as the traditional khinkali dumplings. The bread was baked fresh on order but we didn't have to wait long before it was served with the salad together and it's indeed so fluffy and soft. The staff told us to mix the egg with the cheese before eating and it's fun to dip the bread into the filling which was so rich and creamy and super moreish. The salads were all super refreshing and savoury. Went super well with the bread on the side. The dumplings were so huge and rather thick, unlike east Asian dumplings that we are used to eating which was a good cultural experience in itself. But it did get too filling halfway through because of how much dough there was compared to the filling ratio so we got really stuffed in the end but ofc we finished everything off! The beef filling in the dumplings was well-marinated and tender which felt like a comfort food for me as someone from a Chinese cultural background growing up eating lots of dumplings.

Service was great. The staff explained clearly to us how to order and was friendly to teach us how to eat the cheese bread. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very nice and quite romantic so it's definitely a good dating spot. It's also very spacious between tables so we didn't feel like we were crammed and that our conversations would be overheard and it's not noisy at all.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time here and I would like to come back soon and try their...