• 4
• Cosy vegetarian cafe in the old town of Tbilisi

Cafe Laila is a cosy place where you can enjoy yummy food. The interior is Persian style and really extraordinary. They also have nice outdoor seating. The food is very good – we tried the dish with mushrooms in a walnut/pomegranate-sauce and the ajapsandali (stewed vegetables, similar to ratatouille). You have to try the homemade lemonade with lots of local herbs! Vegan items are not marked - so you have to ask, which dishes are vegan. There aren't any vegan desserts. They claim to be a vegetarian cafe, but also offer fish. Georgia is a great place for vegans. Many Georgians are very religious, and the Georgian-orthodox church has very strict fasting rules. During fasting times people should not eat any meat, eggs and dairy. And there are many fasting occasions per year, e.g. every Wednesday and Friday, before Easter, before Christmas, when someone has died…. So it is very easy to get vegan food in every restaurant that offers Georgian cuisine, not only in the places listed on Happy Cow. Many dishes rely on grounded walnuts instead of cream. Popular vegan dishes are ajapsandali (stewed vegetables, mostly eggplant), sweet peppers or eggplant with walnuts and spices (badridjani nigvzit), lobio (spicy beans). Mushroom dishes are also very common, salads are always on offer (tomato and cucumber, beetroot…). Georgians use lots of herbs and spices, so that even seemingly simple salads and vegetable dishes taste great!