Laliko isn’t playing around. From a restauranteur who’s opened over 30 Georgian spots in Tbilisi and Moscow, the West Village spot has two chefs dedicated exclusively to the production of khinkali and khachapuri. Overkill? Maybe. But you can’t argue with the results. Their adjaruli khachapuri has a cracker-thin crust well suited to the scooping of butter-soaked cheese, and the khinkali are delicate and perfectly pleated.

In a compact dining room centered around a 16-seat communal table, Laliko also serves a variety of Georgian mains like pork skewers, chashushuli, and audibly crispy chicken surrounded by a moat of walnut sauce. Bring a date, sit beneath a mural of a Georgian epic poem (TLDR: the tiger doesn’t make it), and split that chicken alongside a bottle of qvervi-aged wine.

photo credit: Jovani Demetrie

photo credit: Jovani Demetrie

photo credit: Jovani Demetrie