Dishes of Caucasian cuisine are one of the most beloved among Russians. Who doesn't like kebab, khachapuri or khinkali? But, despite the popularity of these dishes, not every institution prepares them authentically, following traditional recipes. Therefore, it is so important to find a place in which they attach importance to many years of culinary traditions.
Today we will discuss the Phali-Khinkali restaurant chain, where you can taste the best dishes of Georgian cuisine.
Restaurant Family
For lovers of Georgian cuisine “Phali-Khinkali” - a restaurant on 27 Bolshaya Morskaya, in St. Petersburg - this is the best choice. This establishment is located near the metro station Admiralteyskaya and metro station Nevsky Prospekt.
But another “Phali-Khinkali” is a restaurant on 53/1 Prosvescheniya (metro station “Grazhdansky Prospekt”).
The family of restaurants “Phali-Khinkali” is a combination of hospitality and taste. Spicy, rich Caucasian cuisine with a new approach to traditional recipes, elegant interior, friendly staff and a warm atmosphere are what you need to relax with your friends or have a good time with the whole family.
So far, there are only three “Phali-Khinkali” restaurants in St. Petersburg, but it is planned to expand the network so that residents of all areas of St. Petersburg can appreciate the real Georgian khinkali that are served here:
- The first Phali-Khinkali restaurant is located in the center. It is easily noticed by tourists flooding Nevsky Prospect and nearby streets. Bolshaya Morskaya Street lies in the vicinity of the Admiralteyskaya and Nevsky Prospekt metro stations.
- The second “Phali-Khinkali” is located on Enlightenment Avenue - this is a sleeping area. The restaurant is very popular, because Caucasian cuisine is one of the most delicious in the world.
- The third restaurant “Phali-Khinkali” was opened on 160 Veteranov Avenue.
“Georgia is closer than it seems”
This place is sometimes called a khinkali, because its main specialization is khinkali. They are sculpted by beautiful Georgians right in the hall, which, by the way, has many images of khinkali everywhere. Khinkali shine here even on the sign.
Sometimes the restaurant holds entertaining events. One of the most popular is called “Khinkali as a gift”.
The institution often hosts various events, conferences and master classes. On Sundays, master classes for children are held.
The restaurant policy regarding recruitment is responsible and meticulous. After all, a good team is the main condition for future prosperity.
The restaurant “Phali-Khinkali” is famous for its cooks from Georgia and Russia, who bring to the public one of the main assets of any country - its cuisine.
And the institution's motto - “Georgia is closer than it seems” - fully describes the concept of the restaurant - to give its guests a taste of Georgia.
What is phali?
By the way, the name of the restaurant consists of the names of two Georgian dishes. Khinkali knows everything, and phali - Georgian appetizer of various vegetables with the same nut dressing.
The menu in the restaurant with beautiful photos. Georgian cuisine is quite voluminous and colorful, includes many products and a diverse combination of spices. You and your friends will definitely like it!
The first items on the menu are salads. Each of them makes it clear that it is prepared with an eye on the Middle Eastern cuisine. The abundance of pomegranates, tomatoes, basturma and eggplant will not let you doubt that you are really in a Georgian restaurant. Prices for salads vary in the region of 200-300 rubles, it is not particularly unprofitable for such a pleasure as, for example, a salad of baked eggplant, dried tomatoes and basturma.
Next come the soups. Thick and rich, spicy soups according to old recipes will not leave a chance for your hunger. Great names like khashlama with lamb, kharcho, chikhirtma with chicken, bozbash and others will cause appetite and curiosity. All soups, abundantly seasoned with cilantro and spices, cooked on meat broth, will give you a real sense of Georgia. Prices for soups are almost the same as prices for salads.
Sujuk and Basturma
From appetizers you can try sudzhuk and basturma, various pickles, assorted cheeses, satsivi and rolls of cheese or eggplant with adjika.
By the way, Georgian feasts are always accompanied by music and dancing. Hot eastern blood does not allow to forget about itself.
Returning to the menu, you should pay attention to the hot traditional Georgian snacks: lobio (from beans and adjika), ajabsandal (from eggplant, tomatoes and bell pepper), kuchmachi (beef offal), suluguni, dolma, baked eggplant - all those dishes that so famous for Georgia. Prices for snacks vary from 300 to 400 rubles.
Legends of Baking
There are legends about Georgian pastries . Who doesn’t know khachapuri? An incredibly tasty dish at “Phali-Khinkali” is prepared according to five recipes: Adjarian, Mingrelian, Imereti, puff pastry with spinach and just skewer. The price of khachapuri is about 300 rubles.
Naturally, there were some chebureks. They are cooked here with suluguni cheese, lamb, beef and pork. Chebureks cost around 130-170 rubles.
The time has come for the signature dish of the institution - khinkali. Famous dough products, similar to bags filled with meat and hot pepper, are prepared with special love in the restaurant. You can choose not only khinkali with meat (lamb, beef or pork), but also with cheese or mushrooms.
Perfect meat
Where is Georgian cuisine without Georgian sauces? Matsoni, bazhe, satsebel, tkemali - all in order to make perfect meat perfect.
The best meat is cooked in an institution such as the Phali-Khinkali restaurant. St. Petersburg is a multicultural city where there was a place for khinkal with an excellent selection of meat dishes such as tobacco chicken, chakhokhbili, shawarma, chashululy (from beef), chakapuli (from lamb), ojahuri (from pork neck) and various types of shish kebab. Prices for hot here from 500 to 2000 rubles.
Vegetable side dishes are offered - from potatoes or grilled vegetables.
In the Georgian national cuisine, a lot of space is reserved for desserts. Baklava, churchkhela - sweet dishes with nuts, honey, grape juice. They are as rich as the rest of the cuisine. In addition, here you can order all the usual desserts like honey cake or Napoleon.
Creative menu
The restaurant has a menu and Russian cuisine. It has traditional dishes like various pancakes, soup with wild mushrooms, cabbage rolls, pies, ravioli and dumplings. All that is associated with national Russian cuisine.
Separately, the restaurant has a children's menu, a summer menu and a bar menu.
The presence of a children's menu makes the institution attractive for families, because children are not always fond of what adults eat, as they need a special approach.
The children's menu is creatively designed and it will be interesting for the child to read it. For example, on the menu there is a khachapurik with ham and cheese, Idaho potatoes, pasta with ham - diminutive suffixes are designed to amuse parents and make children happy.
“Summer Georgia”
The summer menu is called “Summer Georgia” and is incredibly beautifully designed. Patterns and pictures with national colors, even the color scheme immediately reminds of Georgia.
In the summer menu you can find homemade Ayran, lemonades with different tastes, cold soups and desserts with seasonal berries.
The bar menu abounds with a selection of wines. There are sparkling Italian and white Georgian, pink and red Georgian wines, and even home-made Georgian wine.
From strong alcohol there is cognac and vodka, chacha, whiskey, rum, tequila, and that's not all! The bar card will delight a true gourmet.
What to do with the child?
“Phali-Khinkali” is a restaurant, reviews of which are often very good. Everyone likes oriental hospitality and excellent cuisine. Parents bring their children to master classes in cooking khinkali, and they themselves can take part in such an event. Some visitors complain about service errors, but this happens to everyone, especially if the waiter is tired, for example.
Often guests of the establishment praise the warm atmosphere, but even more often - incredibly delicious cuisine.
“Phali-Khinkali” is a restaurant (St. Petersburg), which can be safely recommended to both tourists and, in fact, residents of the city. According to the guests of the restaurant, this is a very nice place: half-cabs, an open kitchen, unobtrusive music and the staff of the restaurant, which will always meet the client.
There are almost no restaurants on Ave. Enlightenment, so “Phali-Khinkali” does not experience problems with visitors. The fact that the institution is located in a residential area does not affect the quality of service. It is hardly possible to make a choice between the restaurants of the chain in different areas of St. Petersburg and the restaurant in the center, on Bolshaya Morskaya Street. All of them are absolutely identical in the quality of the kitchen and the professionalism of the staff.
Homely atmosphere
Regarding the reviews, it is worth noting that the guests of the establishment like dim lights, excellent home-made wine, a cozy atmosphere, beautiful dishes, chic cuisine and calm music. Sometimes there are complaints because of the long wait for the order. But Georgian dishes cannot be prepared instantly, given the complex ingredients included in the recipe for most menu items. The fact that you have to wait for an order means that the dish is really being prepared at the moment, and not being heated in the microwave.
This is the difference between a good institution and fast food, for example.
However, most often you can read admiring reviews about the restaurant, especially about the culinary talents of cooks. A wide selection of wines, good service, large portions, affordable prices also arouse pleasant emotions among visitors. The abundance of wood in the interior design contributes to the creation of a relaxed atmosphere, where nothing will distract from the tasting of dishes.
If you like Georgian cuisine and are looking for a truly homely atmosphere, then you should definitely visit one of the restaurants of the Phali-Khinkali family.
Bon appetit and chic mood!