Georgian Food in Tokyo owned by former Sumo wrestler │GEORGIAN HOUSE
Last week I went to Tokyo for a range of networking/work-related things… but it was also my birthday week, so I wanted to try something special.
Recently, a bunch of Georgian restaurants have been popping up in Tokyo – I’m not entirely sure why that is the case, but this article by Eater Ny “Why Georgian Restaurants Are Suddenly Everywhere in New York” can give some insight. For a long time, ex-Soviet countries have been lumped under or within “Russian cuisine” or “Eastern European cuisine,” but as these countries are now trying to separate themselves from Russia, they are having the opportunity to properly brand themselves and promote their own regional cuisine. While the Eastern European category is still applied a lot of the time, it isn’t the most accurate, especially when you look at Caucasian (not meaning white…) and Central Asian cuisine individually. While some dishes do overlap with Eastern European countries (especially those that were under the USSR), dishes from the Caucasus/Central Asia are typically still viewed as “exotic” and “spicy” in those EU countries because of the different ingredients and cooking styles.
Now, I’m not Georgian nor have I been to Georgia – but I am an Armenian-Australian who grew up with Georgian dishes, as do many Armenians, largely because the countries are next-door neighbours which have influenced each other’s cultures/cuisines over centuries. There’s even a manga, Kanshin Smbat, about the time the two countries were under one empire, the Orbelian dynasty/Kingdom of Georgia! There’s also the ever-ongoing discussion about which country first discovered/made wine. Easy to think it is France or Spain, but if you didn’t know, the oldest winery was discovered in Armenia, referred to as Areni-1 winery. However, the earliest archaeological evidence of wine fermentation was found in Georgia. So which country came up with it first? When in the presence of Armenians, say Armenia, when with Georgians, say Georgian – that way you don’t have to listen to a lecture;) Despite the countries being so close to each other, I often realise that many people have no clue that these countries are neighbours – or that their history, culture, and cuisine overlap a lot.
Over the past year or so, there have been a few Georgian restaurants popping up in Tokyo. Of course, the famous cheese boat bread, aka Adjaruli khachapuri, and khinkali, are the main selling points for most of these establishments. But for me personally, when I think of Georgian food, I think of nigvziani badrijani – eggplant rolls. They are typically served as meze (or starters) and to me, a signal of authenticity – that an establishment actually knows what Georgian cuisine is about. So when it came to choosing where to go, I looked for that – as well as dessert (of course). However, when it comes to Caucasian desserts, it is much harder to find somewhere that actually serves them because it can be hard to make in Japan. So when I saw the menu of the newly opened restaurant having a wider menu than the Russian restaurant in Kyoto near me, I decided to go ahead and make a reservation for myself and a friend.
About Georgian House Tokyo
Georgian House in Azumabashi, Tokyo, is a restaurant owned by a retired Georgian sumo wrestler, Tochinoshin Tsuyoshi (Levan Gorgadze). Levan was born in Mtskheta in 1987 and studied various sports such as Judo and Sambo. He first became involved in Sumo in 2004 and made his official debut in 2006. He retired in 2023 and decided to open Georgian House in February 2026. In a Time Out piece about the restaurant, it is mentioned that Levan came to Japan in 2005 when there was no Georgian Embassy. Now, thanks to his success as well as the Georgian government’s efforts, Georgia is more known to the Japanese public, and he wants to continue to educate people about his culture and help create a bridge between the countries.
I think a lot of people who are coming to this restaurant during the opening months are coming largely for Levan, as he has many sumo fans in Japan. Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever watched sumo wrestling before, so I was mostly there for the food. The night we dined, it seemed he invited a lot of his friends and was entertaining them, but he also greeted other customers who were also seated. I did get to briefly talk with him in Russian, although he said he didn’t speak much, so we switched to Japanese. I don’t know anything about sumo, so I said the food was delicious, and he thanked me and asked about my background and how long I’ve been in Japan. The main chef I talked to towards the end did speak Russian. I have very few moments to speak Russian now since my grandparents in Australia passed away, so having small conversations here and there helps me preserve my speaking ability.
The Menu
The menu has a wide variety of dishes, starting from meze to desserts. However, as I found out when we got to the restaurant, a lot of the items were out of stock. My friend & I got a 5:30 pm reservation, so I was surprised to see it was out of stock (the restaurant opens at 5 and wasn’t too busy). But later, I was able to speak directly with the main chef and learned that because the restaurant had only just opened a month ago, they hadn’t had time to prepare all the dishes yet. Additionally, they will be adding more options to the menu as time goes by.
A lot of the dishes I actually wanted to try were unavailable, but there was quite a lot to choose from. My friend is a vegetarian, so we stuck with the veggie & cheese options. Below, I’ll also be adding photos/videos of what I usually eat when I’m home in Australia for reference.
Entree
For the mezze, we got the pkhali assortment, which came with nigvziani badrijani. We also got the ajapsandali stew salad. An aspect of Georgian cuisine (and Armenian cuisine) is that they love walnuts – they can find a way to put them in any dish. I’m very used to this, as my mother often makes Georgian salads at home, but to those experiencing the cuisine for the first time (outside cheese bread), it might be overwhelming, especially with garlic, which is also typically used in the walnut paste.
Top left is the eggplant rolls with walnut paste, top right are peppers (paprika) with walnut paste, and below is minced beetroot and spinach. Sprinkled with walnuts. To me, it tasted exactly how my mum would make these types of dishes. While they’re not garnished with pomegranate seeds here, usually they are – as pomegranate is also central to Georgian/Armenian cuisine and aesthetics.
Similarly, I enjoyed the ajapsandali stew salad. The stew salad is close to ratatouille in terms of ingredients, but it is always served cold. It’s made by mixing peppers (paprika), onion, eggplant, and tomato, oil with various seasonings – or sometimes none at all, depending on the preparation method. It’s actually a very easy dish to make – best made when you’re making a BBQ. If you’re familiar with Turkish cuisine, it is sometimes called a variation of imam bayildi.
I would also eat a variation of this whenever my family would have khorovats (Armenian BBQ) at our old home in Australia – my papik (grandfather) made a makeshift BBQ from bricks.
Mains
For the mains we went with the Adjaruli khachapuri and cheese khinkali. I actually really wanted to go with the spinach cheese khachapuri because that’s what my grandmother and mother made (different shape to Georgian though), but it was unavailable. Still, the Adjaruli khachapuri was great and cheesy, maybe a bit small for two people to share. The khinkali was also very cheesy. Should note that when you order the khinkali, only 1 comes out – they’re 400 yen, so it isn’t so steep, but it isn’t noted on the menu. Also, for some reason, the online menu says it is 1,650 yen – maybe they originally wanted to serve a few but went with one? not sure.
There are also other mains we did not try. Notably, they have mtsvadi, which is Georgian BBQ. We didn’t order this because my friend is a vegetarian, but also it was rather pricey and probably best suited for a large group. Mtsvadi is very similar to khorovats, so I will note that it can be heavy on the stomach (especially pork), so choose your portions wisely if you order.
Sides
Unfortunately, the sides were out of stock, so we couldn’t have them, but they had both red and green adjika. If you don’t know what adjika is, it is a dip widely used in the Caucasus region, originating in Georgia. It is kind of like a spicy pesto, leaning into more garlic, herby flavour notes, and chilli (depending on the pepper used). It is relatively easy to make – I’ve made it in Japan and taken it to some picnics with friends!
If you’re ordering any of the BBQ or meat dishes, I recommend ordering adjika – it always goes well together. They also had a sour plum dip (Tkemali), but it was out of stock too. It is something I’m curious about, so hopefully I can try it in the future.
Dessert
Similar to mains and sides, most of their dessert menu was out of stock/unavailable, which was a shame because it was a larger reason why I chose this restaurant. On their menu, they had honey cake, churchkhela, and grape jelly. Honey cake is a russian cake that’s enjoyed throughout post-Soviet countries, so not strictly Georgian, but still delicious with tea if you ever come across it.
I actually wanted to try churchkhela, which is known by its equivalent in Armenia as sweet sujukh or sharots – the preparation/ingredients between the two slightly differ. I hadn’t had sweet sujukh since my last time in Armenia in 2015, and I was very curious about churchkhela. Alas, I will have to wait till next time.
We did, however, have the grape jelly -I forgot its name, and it doesn’t appear on any of the online menus, so I suppose it is an add-in until they restock their other items. It was a good palate cleanser and also walnut-y.
Wine
I realised when I got home, I totally forgot I hadn’t taken photos of the wine. But we did have some – the amber wine and red wine. There is a generous selection of wine, but they are pretty pricey, with the cheapest glasses starting from 1650 yen. They complimented the food and were light in taste. Maybe when I earn more, I can try the pricer wines. We actually sat right next to the wine shelf, which showcases the various wines they have- most with Levan’s branding on them, which I thought was neat.
Final Comments
Overall, I enjoyed the dining experience here, despite most of what I wanted to try being unavailable – it does give me a reason to visit again. Price-wise, it is definitely on the pricer side, but the flavours were authentic, and it generally targets people who are more willing to spend a bit more for Georgian food. With some dishes being unavailable at the other Georgian establishments in Tokyo.
You may be thinking, ” Is there really another Georgian restaurant in Tokyo?”, and the answer is yes, although most are Russian-based restaurants serving Georgian as well as other post-Soviet country cuisines! Below are the ones that have popped up within the last few years.
Georgian Bistro and Wine Bar Ajika
Sungari Shinjuku (Russian restaurant featuring Georgian food, a few branches)
Russian Restaurant ROGOVSKI(Russian restaurant featuring Georgian food)
Cafe RUSSIA (Russian & Georgian food- specific focus)
Anna’s Kitchen (Russian restaurant featuring Georgian food) – temporarily closed/ will be relocating somewhere.
In Osaka, apparently, a new Georgian restaurant also popped up that I should really make time for ハチャプリ.
Is this the start of an era of caucasian food entering the Japanese culinary market? We shall see. Hopefully, one day an Armenian restaurant will also pop up.
