Where did Coffee LAB start in Saburtalo, Tbilisi?

Coffee LAB opened at Alexander Kazbegi Avenue 27 in Saburtalo in 2016. It roasts on a Giesen, makes espresso on a Sanremo Café Racer and has two floors plus a large outdoor area with communal tables, where the umbrella tables have power sockets. It is open 09:00–23:00.

Is there a café at Lisi Lake in Tbilisi?

Yes. Coffee LAB runs a greenhouse-style café at Lisi Lake, north-west of Saburtalo, where the first phase of the Green Lisi Town development opened in 2011. On the way, Boncafé on Lisi Street opens from 08:00 to 22:00.

Cafés in Saburtalo, Tbilisi: Hours and Map

Q: Which metro stations serve Saburtalo in Tbilisi?

The Saburtalo line runs from Station Square through Tsereteli, Technical University, Medical University, Delisi and Vazha-Pshavela to State University, which opened on 16 October 2017. Trains run from about 06:00 until midnight, and every ride costs ₾1.

Saburtalo's name is thought to mean a place for ball games, from burtaoba, a Georgian game played with a ball.¹ Archaeological finds show people lived here as early as the 5th–4th millennium BC, and the area became part of the city in 1917.² Heavy building started in 1958, and through the Soviet decades it grew into a large district of standard apartment blocks, factories and research institutes.¹

Since independence, developers have added residential complexes, business centers and shopping malls.¹ The universities supply the café customers: stations on the Saburtalo metro line are named after the Technical University, the Medical University and, since 16 October 2017, State University.³⁴

Local tip: Bring the laptop charger to Coffee LAB on Kazbegi Avenue: the umbrella tables on its terrace have power sockets built into them.⁸

At a glance

79Cafés listed

24With opening hours

08:00Earliest opening

00:00Latest closing

Opens earliest: ბონკაფე, from 08:00 (Daily 08:00–22:00).

Closes latest: Break Time, until 00:00 (Mon–Sat 08:00–00:00 · Sun 11:00–00:00).

Most listed streets: Avenue, ილია ჭავჭავაძის გამზირი (2).

Most common features: wi-fi (16%), open late (15%), outdoor seating (9%).

Getting around Saburtalo

The second metro line starts at Station Square and runs through Tsereteli, Technical University, Medical University, Delisi and Vazha-Pshavela to State University.³ Vazha-Pshavela station opened in 2000, and trains run from about 06:00 until midnight at ₾1 a ride.⁴

The Chelyuskin Bridge, now Queen Tamar Bridge, first linked Saburtalo with the railway-station side of the city in 1935.¹ Tbilisi State Medical University alone has almost 7,500 undergraduate and 3,000 postgraduate students, about a quarter of them from abroad.⁵

Kazbegi Avenue and Coffee LAB

Alexander Kazbegi Avenue began to fill with administrative and educational buildings in 1956, and it was called Pavlov Street from 1941 to 1990.⁶ Coffee LAB opened at number 27 in 2016, roasting on a Giesen and pulling espresso on a Sanremo Café Racer; its two minimalist floors open onto a large outdoor area with communal tables.⁷ The umbrella tables outside have power sockets built in.⁸ It is open 09:00–23:00 daily.

Break Time at number 25a opens at 08:00 from Monday to Saturday and closes at midnight, and Es momenti at 31a stays open until 22:00. The low numbers have Fragola at 2, Madam Muffin at 3a, Genoise at 15 and Le Gateau at 22–24.

Pekini Avenue and Kostava Street

On Pekini Avenue, Dro at 25a is open 08:00–22:00, Caffeine by Workin at number 34 has Wi-Fi and outdoor tables, and Kombinat at number 35 opens at 08:00 from Monday to Saturday. Caffeine by Workin brews AeroPress and V60 and serves matcha lattes and a pink latte.⁹

At the upper end of Merab Kostava Street, Campus at number 76 opens 09:00–22:00 on weekdays, with Wi-Fi and step-free access, and 7cha in the same building serves bubble tea until 22:40. Baho, a few minutes from Delisi metro on Tamarashvili Avenue, brews Rwandan beans and serves shakshuka and pancakes.⁹ 8 O'clock on Budapest Street is open 24 hours.

Lisi Lake

North-west of the district, Lisi Lake lies in the Mtkvari valley among rocky, arid hills with shrubs and patches of steppe; July averages 23 °C, and the hillsides are known for their snakes.¹⁰ The first phase of the Green Lisi Town development opened beside it in 2011.¹⁰

Coffee LAB runs a greenhouse-style café at the lake.⁸ Closer in, Boncafé on Lisi Street opens 08:00–22:00.

Cafés in Saburtalo

At a glance

Caffeine by Workin

Coffee the One

Lime

Salty

ბახო

ბონკაფე

დეიზი

დელის

დრო

ვერდე

კამპუსი

ჩიტი

7ჩაი

8 O'clock

Break Time

Laguna

ეს მომენტი ყავა & გართობა

კომბინატი

ლალუ

ყავა თუ ჩაი

Cafe Avenue

Cecilia City Cafe

Cegeolie

Coffee Bean

Degusto

Espressini Tbilisi

Fragola

GaGaZu

Grano

Green Cafe

Green Cafe

La Panetteria Tbilisi

Laza

Le Gateau

Le Monde

Little Beetle

Coffee chains in Saburtalo

Entrée

Meama

Coffee LAB

Canape

Best Coffee

Getting around Saburtalo

Kazbegi Avenue and Coffee LAB

Pekini Avenue and Kostava Street

Lisi Lake

Sources

More of Tbilisi

Old Tbilisi & Sololaki

Rustaveli & Mtatsminda

Vera

Vake

Marjanishvili & Chugureti

Avlabari

Saburtalo cafés: questions

Where did Coffee LAB start in Saburtalo, Tbilisi?

Which metro stations serve Saburtalo in Tbilisi?

Is there a café at Lisi Lake in Tbilisi?

Own a café in Saburtalo?