7 Best Cocktail Bars in Tbilisi

A converted Soviet sewing factory in Old Tbilisi, and the courtyard runs on energy until 2am. Harlow rates the bars off the yard, not the hostel crowd: grab a Georgian gin and tonic, post up at a side table, and watch the room fill. The worst seat sits dead center under the speakers, so flank the courtyard. Best on a weekend night when the creative crowd lands.

The Pink Bar inside Stamba Hotel in Vera is where dressed-up Tbilisi orders its serious stirred drinks. Bartenders here know their classics cold, so order a Negroni or whatever they push that week. It runs pricey for the city, and the worst seat is the loud lobby edge near the door. Book ahead for a weekend evening and take a banquette in back.

A wine bar with more than 1,000 Georgian labels picked through monthly blind tastings, so the staff actually steer you right. Tell them you want an amber qvevri wine and let them run. Order a cheese board with it. The worst seat is the cramped front near the shop traffic. Best early evening before the after-work Vake crowd packs the tables.

A 19th-century building in Vera split into a restaurant, a cocktail bar, and a club. Harlow sends drinkers straight to the bar room: order the Lolita Punch, built on fresh-pressed produce, and skip the pizza menu. The open kitchen makes it loud, and the worst seat is right beside the pass. Come for a date night around 8pm, before the club crowd turns it over.

A small natural-wine bar in Old Tbilisi backing tiny Georgian producers, with whitewashed brick and Georgian-weave seats. Ask the staff for a skin-contact rkatsiteli and a plate to match. It seats maybe thirty, so the worst spot is the cramped corner by the service station. Reserve a table for a weekend night and go early enough to actually talk.

Tbilisi's first gin bar, a 15-seat room near Meidani Square stocked with 220-plus gins, several distilled in Georgia. Ask for their house Ethno gin and let the bartender build around it. There is no bad seat in a room this size, but the door spot catches the draft. Best on a quiet weeknight when the team has time to walk you through the bottles.

A Sololaki basement behind a lit martini glass, widely called the best cocktail bar in Georgia. The menu lives in a handwritten notebook and changes constantly, leaning on Georgian ingredients, so tell the bartender what you like and trust the build. It seats 25, so the worst seat is the back wall away from the bar. Book ahead for a weekend and sit at the counter.