Sakartvelo brings more Georgian dining to Center City

Let it be known that 2022 was the year that Center City Philadelphia got not one but two new restaurants serving rustic Georgian cuisine.

September brought the debut of Saami Somi, a stand with counter seating, at Reading Terminal Market.

The second, opening this month, is Sakartvelo, a BYOB bearing the native name of the country. It has 70 seats on two levels at 705 Chestnut St., next to Lamberti Pizza and across from the now-shuttered Jones and Las Vegas Lounge.

Georgian cuisine was barely on the radar in Philadelphia five years ago when Sakartvelo co-owner Imeda Londaridze opened Georgian Bread in the Far Northeast. Back then, Inquirer critic Craig LaBan praised the food, particularly the canoe-shaped loaves of shoti hot from the toné, a domed hearth.

Londaridze, who has since opened Little Georgia in Reisterstown, Md., said he could not build a toné in his space in Washington Square West. Sakartvelo’s breads are brought in from Georgian Bread.

He and business partner David Lekishvili met 15 years ago at the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi while securing visas.

They’ve decorated Sakartvelo simply, with Georgian curios lining shelves. On street level, two mannequins dressed in traditional Caucasus clothing wait by the front door. There’s a to-go case with cheeses and appetizers such as adjapsandali (grilled eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes), beets, chicken salad, chakapuli (veal stew), and ostri (beef stew) and some seating. The main dining room is upstairs, with a service bar, private dining room for 14, and a tree festooned in purple lights.

It helps to have a hearty appetite here, and the food is great for sharing. Adjaruli khachapuri is a baked dough with a well of cheese, a dollop of butter, and a whole egg that you mix up before tearing off pieces of bread and dunking. Imeruli khachapuri is a pizza-like cheese-filled bread.

Eating the khinkali, the hand-rolled, thick-skinned soup dumplings that are reminiscent of Chinese xiao long bao, requires some planning. The twisted knots of dough at the top serve as handles. Pick one up, nibble a side, suck out the hot soup, and finish the khinkali, discarding the knot. Soups include kharcho (beef) and borscht. Among the entrées is ojakhuri, literally “family meal,” a bowl of lightly fried pork or mushrooms with fried potato cubes.

Wash it down with Natakhtari Georgian lemonade (in pear or tarragon).

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.