Cafeography
Tbilisi · Avlabari

Cafés in Avlabari

Cafés below Sameba cathedral, on Samreklo Street and along the Queen Ketevan embankment.

Photo: Genadi Yakovlev, Pexels License

Avlabari sits on the left bank of the Mtkvari, across from the old town, and it was long the center of Armenian life in Tbilisi.1 The name has been known since the 14th century, with a first mention in 1398, and in the 19th century the district was split into Armenian and Georgian quarters.23 Its life in the late 19th century is the subject of A. Tsagareli's play Khanuma.2

The skyline belongs to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sameba, built between 1995 and 2004 and consecrated on 23 November 2004; it is the third-tallest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world, and part of its site lay within the old Armenian cemetery of Khojavank.4 Archil Mindiashvili's design won a contest announced in May 1989, and the foundation stone was laid on 23 November 1995.4 The Metekhi Church is the oldest church in Avlabari.1

Local tip: Ride the cable car from Rike Park up to Narikala and walk back down into the old town; in winter it runs 10:00–22:00.8

At a glance

20Cafés listed
7With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing

5 ყლუპი

5 Khlupi

  • წმინდა ქეთევან დედოფლის გამზირი 29
  • Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–18:00
  • Takeaway
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Needles Tattoo Music shop Cafe

  • წმინდა ქეთევან დედოფლის გამზირი 22
  • Daily 12:00–23:00
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ლანაჩ ბოკს

Lunch Bokx

  • წმინდა ქეთევან დედოფლის გამზირი 47
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საფორე

Sapore

  • არტემ ლუსინიანის ქუჩა 5
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Getting to Avlabari

Avlabari metro station, called 26 Komisari in Soviet times, serves the neighborhood on the first line, one stop from Liberty Square.5 On foot, the Bridge of Peace, a 150 m steel-and-glass span by Michele De Lucchi that opened on 6 May 2010, links Rike Park on this bank with the old town.6 After dark its canopy lights up from 1,208 custom LED fixtures.6

From Rike Park a 500 m cable car with seven gondolas, each taking up to eight people, climbs to Narikala.7 From 1 November 2025 its winter hours were 10:00–22:00, instead of until midnight.8

Around Sameba and Samreklo Street

Coffee Line, at Konstantine Eristavi 10 near the cathedral, uses Coffee LAB beans and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a street-facing terrace and a courtyard.9 It is open 08:00–20:00 and has Wi-Fi.

Samreklo Street, below the cathedral, has High Coffee and Natra at number 17, and Natra stays open until 01:00. Living & Jagannath, a vegan café at number 44, serves from 11:00 to midnight and has tables outside.

Landmarks between the cafés

The Armenian Pantheon, with the graves of the writers Hovhannes Tumanyan and Raffi, is in Avlabari, along with the Armenian theater, an old Armenian church, the Avlabari bazaar and the residence of the president of Georgia.2 The Ejmiatsin Church, an 18th-century Armenian church, stands near Avlabari Square.1

Along Queen Ketevan Avenue by the river, Needles, a tattoo and music shop with a café, opens 12:00–23:00, and 5 Khlupi at number 29 serves takeaway from 11:00. Honey Boba at Vakhtang Gorgasali 39A sells bubble tea until 22:00.

When to go

Tbilisi summers are hot and humid, with afternoon highs of 32 °C or more on about 22 days a year, so Avlabari's terraces are best in the morning or after sunset.10 Snow falls on 15–25 days a year, though in the city center it never lies deeper than 40 cm.10

Many cafés here keep short hours. JustCafe opens only on weekdays, 09:00–18:00, and 5 Khlupi closes at 18:00 at weekends.

Sources

  1. Avlabari, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Авлабари, Wikipedia (Russian), accessed October 2026
  3. Old Tbilisi, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. List of Tbilisi Metro stations, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Bridge of Peace, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Aerial tramway, Georgian National Tourism Administration (georgia.travel), accessed October 2026
  8. Tbilisi's Rike–Narikala cable car to switch to winter schedule (31 October 2025), Georgia Today, accessed October 2026
  9. Best Coffee in Tbilisi: My 2026 Updated Picks (Baia, updated 15 July 2026), Red Fedora Diary, accessed October 2026
  10. Tbilisi, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Avlabari, also browse: Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Open late Breakfast & brunch

FAQ

Avlabari cafés: questions

How do you get from Avlabari to Old Tbilisi?

Walk across the Bridge of Peace, the 150 m steel-and-glass footbridge by Michele De Lucchi that has linked Rike Park with the old town since 2010. From Rike Park a 500 m cable car also climbs to Narikala fortress, and Avlabari metro station is one stop from Liberty Square.

Where can you get coffee near Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi?

Coffee Line, at Konstantine Eristavi Street 10 near the Holy Trinity Cathedral, serves Coffee LAB beans with breakfast, lunch and dinner, and has a street-facing terrace and a courtyard. It is open 08:00–20:00. On Samreklo Street below the cathedral, Natra stays open until 01:00.

What is the history of Avlabari in Tbilisi?

Avlabari, on the left bank of the Mtkvari, has been known since the 14th century and was long the center of Armenian life in Tbilisi, with Armenian and Georgian quarters in the 19th century. It has the Armenian Pantheon and the Metekhi Church, and the Holy Trinity Cathedral was built here between 1995 and 2004.

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