Aragvi Restaurant

If you’re looking to dip your toe into the varied cuisine of Georgia in Budapest, Aragvi, an adorably old-school restaurant on the Buda side, is a good place to start. Georgian cuisine reflects Persian, Turkish, and Levantine influences, so brace yourself for a sea of herbs (parsley, coriander, tarragon, dill, mint), vegetables (eggplants, spinach, beets), walnut paste, and pomegranate seeds that somehow manage to be unfailingly tasty.

There’s good reason why khachapuri Adjaruli has become the best-known export of Georgian cuisine – its boat-shaped vessel piled with a tangy mush of melted cheese and topped with a just-cracked egg is an Instagrammer's dream. If you like Chinese soup dumplings, go for their Georgian sisters, the herb-infused pork and beef-filled khinkalis. I also enjoyed the kharcho soup, a reviving broth layered with tender brisket and a mound of coriander. For three or more, get the shkmeruli, a pressed roasted chicken sitting in a milk and garlic sauce and served sizzling in a terracotta pot. Mains are €14-20.

25 types of Georgian wines are also available. Aragvi’s self-righteous service staff evoked in me memories of the 1990s with part nostalgia, part relief that’s it’s now behind us.