Saqartvelo Georgian Cuisine — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Discovering new authentic cuisines is always a joy for me. That said, I truly have no idea how authentic this food is since I'm not from the Georgian republic.

But as someone completely new to this ethnic cuisine, I was still very impressed with the flavors which were very approachable for even someone without a very adventurous spirit.

The staff is small and the lady up front very nice. Her English isn't strong but I honestly appreciated it. Communication wasn't that difficult and it kind of added to the charm where it feels like you're stepping into another country when you walk through the front door. As far as I can tell it's traditional music on the speakers and not top 100 hip-hop or pop. Order food and it takes a little while to get it, as much of it is being prepared when it's ordered (I assume not everything, like kebab meat skewers). Even if it may not be true (I don't know) but it does feel like they're making it just for you and hasn't been sitting around all day.

As noted by another reviewer, there is no public restroom in this establishment. Not sure logistically how they can do this, but they've been around a while, so maybe there's some code that allows it? I have no idea.

Over the course of three separate visits in the past several months (passing by for work reasons) I will try to rank the dishes from "best" to "worst" with a bias towards the ones that are most approachable vs the most adventurous. Again, nothing tasted BAD exactly, but more along the lines of what would be an easy way to get into the cuisine if you have never experienced it.

Imeruli Khachapuri - Think stuffed crust pizza, except it's just the "stuffed crust" part. Basically it's a flat "pizza crust" with a layer of cheese sandwiched inside. It's cheesy, buttery, savory and so, so delicious. It's also pretty rich however, so you might want to pair it with something else to help cut down on the richness.

Khinkali Kalakuri - It's very similar to a Taiwanese soup dumpling only with a thicker skin, meaning there's broth inside so make sure to bite off a piece and drink the soup before actually eating it. Don't simply break into it and risk spilling the soup. If soup dumplings (or any dumplings, really) are your thing, definitely try these out.

Georgian Kebab - (see the picture). Georgian burrito style. It's kebab meat wrapped inside of a middle eastern style flour flatbread with fresh herbs and produce. There's also a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds inside. Paired with what I can only describe as a chunky, herby salsa. It's a refreshing dish compared to others that may feel much heavier.

Beetroot - It's a thick, coarsely ground paste, like a hummus, intended to be eaten with flatbread or similar. I enjoyed it immensely but if you do not like the lightly sweet and earthy taste of beets, you may as well stay away from it.

Cucumber & Tomato Salad - This was the most unexpected dish I've tried that I can remember. The list of ingredients would seem to be a winner for a light, fresh salad but I was somewhat taken aback by the flavor of the dressing. I'm not sure how to describe it now as my taste memory isn't very strong, but it was initially somewhat off-putting to me. I did finish my salad anyway and the more I ate the more I was ok with it, but I don't know whether it was just a bad first impression for me or if this particular sample wasn't the best of it. I will be trying it again in the future to see if my memory of the experience remains.

Finally there are various drinks and other items for purchase there as well. Since it's not exactly a normal sit-down restaurant with table service, even drinks are bought separately. I've tried various beverages from their fridge including a feijoa fruit based soda which I was very happy with. The others, well not so much in general. They also have jars of jonjoli, a particular pickled budding flower. I found the mild salt and vinegar taste very refreshing and consumed a whole jar of it in a couple of days in anything from soups,...

As a Georgian, I can’t express how happy I am to have an authentic Georgian, WOMAN OWNED restaurant in LA! I went there with my Italian/American friend. We are both foodies and love to explore new places and try new foods. I wanted him to try Georgian food for so long and we’d go and eat Adjarian Khachapuris sometimes, but Georgian cuisine is so much more than just cheese boats!

And finally, we found Saqartvelo! The owner and two other ladies were lovely, nice and attentive. They were super busy, but we got our food im a timely manner. We had delicious baje (walnut sauce) pkhali (spinach with walnuts) chicken in garlic sauce, imeruli khachapuri, khinkali, fries and a salad.

Everything tasted like home. Do you remember the moment in Ratatouille when Anton Ego tries the ratatouille and has a flashback to his childhood? That is exactly How I felt . The familiar, favorite spices, tastes and smells, The warm bread and the feeling of comfort, the deliciousness that is home cooked, clean ingredient food.

It was everything I as a Georgian being away from home could hope for and my friend was an instant fan.

I highly recommend this place. I hope they expend and bring another location to Hollywood. But until then, we’ll be a frequent guest there!

Thank...

This is not a restaurant its a take out place with few tables to sit down, ordering and food pick up at the counter, paper plates and plastic utensils.

Surprisingly, there is NO restroom for the customers, which I believe is a violation of health department rules for the restaurants. Any sit down restaurant should have a bathroom for customers.

Khinkali - was juicy as it should be, not a lot of meat inside.

Ostri - I had that dish before in other Georgian restaurants and remember it being very fragrant with amazing spice blend, but the Ostri served here is very basic meat stew. I'm not sure which way is more authentic, but I was not impressed with this dish here.

Khacharpuri was nicely cooked.

Eggplant and walnut salad served out of plastic container - delicious.

Kebab served wrapped in pita with onions, greens and pomegranate - meat is very dry, would not recommend.

This would be 3 stars at best for me, but I could tell the team is trying and it is really hard to run a small business in LA, so I will be giving 5 stars anyways.

However my search for the best Georgian restaurant in LA...