Nestled at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, the country of Georgia is a land rich in history, culture, and gastronomy, showcasing the bounty of the region's agricultural landscapes. Georgian cuisine has been attracting increased attention among chefs and food enthusiasts in the U.S. for a few years. Unfortunately, the number of truly authentic establishments is small, found mostly in larger cities that are home to sizable numbers of the Eastern European and Russian diaspora. Located on River Road in Fair Lawn, my partner, some of our Yelp friends Bea, Jose, Nehal, Wei, their daughter, and I were lucky to have this hidden gem so close to home without going into Gotham and decided on lunch today. A reservation was easily made via Google Assistant. Labelled after shotis puri, the name of a traditional Georgian bread baked in a clay oven similar to a tandoor, we were greeted upon entering as first-timers at Shoti Bread House. With a cozy, casual, and welcoming vibe, we were seated immediately by the window. Their menu features a variety of traditional dishes like Khachapuri, Lobiani, and Kubdari. The star of the show is the Adjaruli, a boat-shaped bread filled with gooey cheese, butter, and a poached egg, grilled to perfection. We opted for family style and decided on Meguli (pizza), Adjaruli (boat-shaped cheese bread), Khinkali (chicken and lamb dumplings), Tabaka (roast chicken), Chicken Shish Kebab, and Chakapuli (lamb stew). Our meal started out with the Shoti. Every dish was fresh, full of authentic flavor, and made with care for authentic food. The portion was healthy, which didn't leave room for dessert, and the prices were surprisingly affordable. Friendly staff made the experience even better, especially our server, Taylor. We look forward to going back soon! read more

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Came with our parents on a weekday, our first time eating in, but parents had been before. Casual, small place. Service was unfriendly and cold. When I finally got her attention for sour cream for my daughter's khinkali she said they ran out. Hard to believe. We brought a bottle of wine as parents said it was BYOB. Wrong. Turns out they just started serving a small selection of specialty wine, so now there was a corking fee - $30 added to the bill for each!! What!?! No sign or note on the menu. I would have put the bottle back in the car if I'd known. Didn't open the wine for us or offer an ice bucket, nothing, just added to the bill. Felt ripped-off and will never return. read more

My wife and I ended up here for dinner after skipping lunch that day. We ordered three entries: chakapuli, tabaka and adjaruli. For the chakapuli, I enjoyed the tarragon and how it blended with the lamb. Most of the meat melted in my mouth, there were only a few tough pieces. My wife enjoyed the fried chicken more than me. It was tender and juicy, though the garlic was too infused into meat, making it stronger than my preference. The boat bread with cheese and egg worked well with both the chakapuli and tabaka as a starch. It may have been baked after we ordered it. My only complaint was my mouth was salty and dry after the meal, though the effects of that did not linger long. Service was above average and they were very friendly. It's a great place to just sit and talk to others you are with. read more

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We came here during Sunday lunch hours to meet up with some amazing Yelp friends. There were parking spots right in front and around the store. They had a cozy small dining space with few tables and booths to dine-in. The interior of the restaurant was so nice, with the beautiful art and paintings on the wall. We started with soft and fluffy Shoti bread. We got to order a bunch of things from the menu. Shish Kabab, chicken/lamb dumplings and Tabaka (small fried chicken) were decent dishes. Chanakhi (lamb stew) was a best dish to be, had amazing flavor and stew was delicious. Adjaruli was the iconic Georgian dish on the table, filled with enormous amount of cheese, mixed with poached egg. Our server was super friendly. All our dishes kept coming out within small interval. The prices of the items were so cheap, we were surprised to see the total of the check. Overall it was a wonderful dining experience at Shoti. read more

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I finally popped my Georgian cuisine cherry!!! Shoti Bread House is a restaurant and bakery that serves authentic Georgian delicacies. It's known for its signature shoti bread, adjaruli khachapuri, khinkali, and traditional stews. It's located in Fair Lawn with a small parking lot. There's also street parking nearby. The interior is casual, cozy, and decorated with cultural memorabilia from Georgia and Eastern Europe. Very authentic feel! The seating area is small and intimate, so it's best to make reservations for larger parties. We made a reservation for a group of 7 and we were seated in a comfortable corner near the windows. The menu offers a variety of entrees, appetizers, grilled meats, baked goods, etc. It was our first time trying Georgian cuisine, so we weren't sure where to start! But our server, Taylor, did an amazing job with taking care of us. She was knowledgeable about the menu and gave us tons of recommendations. She was very welcoming, accommodating, patient, and attentive to our group the entire time. All of our food came out in a timely manner. We ordered a little bit of everything and shared it family style. *Adjaruli Khachapuri (baked boat-shaped bread with cheese, butter, and poached egg in the center) $15 - This exact dish is what drew me to try this cuisine! They used a blend of Georgian cheeses to achieve a perfectly gooey texture and salty/tangy flavors. The addition of egg yolk and butter created a rich blend of creamy goodness. The yeast bread was fluffy and had a heavy fermented flavor that paired well with the cheesy center. *Megruli (savory pie with cheese on the inside and outside of the dough) $14 - If you're a cheese lover, I highly recommend ordering this! It's extremely cheesy and feels like a comforting hug with every bite. *Shoti Bread (traditionally baked in a clay oven) $3.50 - Soft and chewy with a golden brown crust! *Chicken Khinkali $10 & Lamb Khinkali $13.50 (soup dumplings made of twisted dough stuffed with spiced meat) - I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The dumpling wrapper was too thick for my liking. There wasn't that much broth and the meat wasn't too flavorful. *Chanakhi (lamb stew with cooked vegetables) $15.50 - Surprisingly, the lamb didn't taste gamey at all! It was tender and absorbed the flavors of the stew. The stew was hearty and seasoned with delicious spices and herbs. *Tabaka (whole small fried chicken) $17.50 - The chicken was moist with crispy, golden skin. It was aromatic and topped with minced garlic and a traditional spice blend. *Chicken Shish Kebab (marinated pieces of meat cooked on skewers served with baked potatoes & signature sauce) $15.50 - Juicy meat!!! I enjoyed the marinade - it added peppery, earthy, and smoky flavors. *Natakhtari (lemon-lime lemonade) $4.95 - Not a fan... too sweet for me. It was like a non-carbonated version of Sprite, but more watered down and with lots of sugar. Overall, I was not disappointed with this experience! The flavors were authentic and the prices were reasonable for the portion sizes. It definitely beats Manhattan prices LOL... I definitely recommend this restaurant for Georgian cuisine if you're in the North Jersey area. As a hardcore cheese lover, I would definitely return, especially for that CHEESE BOAT!!! read more

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I had such a great experience here! My favorite was definitely the khinkali -- I'm literally obsessed now. One of my good friends is from Georgia, and her and her family ordered dinner from here for us, so it was my first time trying this type of food. Everything was so flavorful and different in the best way. You can tell it's authentic and made with care. I'll 100% be coming back again! read more

Georgian cuisine in the area. This is my first trying Georgian food. Overall a solid spot for good meals. We went in as a big group. The waitress was efficient and helpful. Informed us regarding the ingredients while bringing the dishes out due to some of us have diet restrictions. The cuisine has a lot of cheese based dishes, soft bread, grilled meat and stew. All are flavorful and big portions. Dumplings dough is a little thick for me. I highly recommend to go with a big group so you can try different things. read more

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1/11/25 Yummy warm bread Tarragon Sparkling Lemonade Tolma in Grape Leaves with Veal, interesting no rice and hot, it's good Penovani Khachapuri - Cheese Pastry is good Khinkali - they are like giant soup dumplings, they are so good Ojakhuri Sokoti - potatoes and mushroom baked, flavorful but misunderstood and thought it came with pork lol read more

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Ordered by delivery this time. Beet pkhali survived the delivery perfectly. 4 scoops, which will last four meals for me. Shoti bread delicious but i probably should have heated it up. I'm enjoying the dessert of walnuts on a string wrapped in what i would call plum fruit leather. Big enough for several servings. I love that it's tasty but not too sweet. Salad in walnut dressing had lots of dressing. I think I'll stick with their regular salad next time. Lobio entree is good but I enjoyed it even more in the restaurant when served in a clay pot. Plum sauce is sour; not sure what dish that would enhance. read more

Shoti Bread House - Salad with walnut dressing - Georgian Near Me - Fair Lawn, New Jersey

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Came to Shoti Bread House with Yelp friends and it was an excellent gathering. I have never had Georgian cuisine and I became a fan. The restaurant is not large, but they have plenty of seating, appealing decor, and great service. Taylor did a fabulous job at guiding us throughout our meal and her recommendations were delicious and appreciated. I appreciated the photos within the menu and the prices were beyond reasonable. We started with a Georgian Lemonade (Natakhtari). It was refreshing and everyone enjoyed it. The Georgian Bread was VERY GOOD. It was served hot and the butter just made it the perfect starter. We ordered the following items, which we gladly shared and throughly enjoyed: Adjaruli (Baked, boat shaped pie with gooey cheese, poached egg, and butter), Khinkali (hand rolled dumplings, with pork & beef), Megruli (inside and out cheese pie, with a golden cheese coat), Chicken Lula-kebab (Chicken breast with Georgian seasonings on skewers, rolled into thin lavashi bread, served with house sauce). Every item was full of spices, seasoning, perfect to share, and all were delectable choices. I'm glad that I got to experience Georgian cuisine with fellow Yelpers and I'm certain, that we'll all return to enjoy more of their food. read more

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The ambiance feels nice, like a mom and pop. The food is filling. We ordered beef and pork khinkali. They were delicious. I would definitely order this again. It's probably worth coming in just to try these. Also, the tarragon soda was delicious. I don't really drink soda, but I feel like this is a must with the khinkali! read more

My friend recently returned from a trip to Georgia and I had recently heard about this Georgian restaurant. Naturally, I asked him if he'd like to join me for dinner so he could tell me how it compares to food in Georgia. We went for a late dinner on Thursday so it wasn't too busy. We were seated right away but it looked like there was a decent amount of people who ordered takeout. My party ordered: adjaruli khachapuri, khinkhali (pork/beef & lamb), Georgian sausage, veal stew, chicken soup, and beef soup. My favorite were definitely the adjaruli khachapuri and khinkhali. The adjaruli khachapuri is accurately referred to as a "cheese boat" because that's exactly what it is. You get a boat shaped loaf of bread filled with cheese and egg in the middle. So simple yet so amazingly delicious; I'd come back for this alone. The khinkhali is a Georgian soup dumpling. I like that the tops are really thick and can be used as a handle, very convenient. The soup and meat inside each were very flavorful. At first I preferred the pork/beef but as I had more I found that I liked the lamb. At first it felt a little gamey but with more bites I came to appreciate the flavor. I suppose that has to do with the spices they use. The veal stew was my next favorite thing. The meat was pretty tender and the flavor profile was different from the other dishes we ordered. I think it was tomato-based. I'd have this again but I think I'd try other dishes first. The Georgian sausage was ok. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. It was served with an interesting sauce that had a really tangy flavor. I'd pass on this the next visit. The soups were not that good. They were both pretty bland. I wouldn't get them again. They were also borderline lukewarm when they were served which was a little disappointing. The restaurant feels very cozy. My friend commented that he ate at a few spots in Georgia that had similar ambiance. I suppose that speaks to the authenticity of the place. The service was friendly and I appreciated that our waitress actually made personal recommendations. I think the prices are fair. I'd love to come back and try more of their offerings. read more

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Very interesting place Never had Georgian food so was not sure what to order The waitress was very cool and very authentic We started with a bread bowl packed with cheese and egg very different but very good We then had some dumplings not sure about it but was good. The lamb stew was delicious and different The dessert was very different not sure if I liked read more

Shoti Bread House - Dessert - Georgian Near Me - Fair Lawn, New Jersey

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Cuisine: 7 Service: 8 Decor: 8 Value: 8 Overall: 8 Cute little restaurant that makes you feel like you left NJ and step into Eastern Europe the moment you step inside. My family and I had the fortune of finding this local gem on a recent trip. Honestly, the food was all quite good, but not necessarily better than other Georgian food I have experienced around NYC. However, their shoti bread was definitely a highlight. Grilled on an open fire and toasted to the perfect crunchiness, with a delectable chew in every bite full of flavor. So good we bought three more to go. The Adjaruli is always fun to order because it looks so wonderful as the server is mixing up the cheese, butter and egg. Unfortunately, I felt like their homemade cheese lacked a little bit of flavor. We ordered a cold appetizer of Eggplant Pkhali, which was quite good, full of walnut paste and pomegranate seeds. Of the two soups we ordered, Kharcho was decent, but the Khashi was quite bland. Our server was a nice lady who guided us on what and how to order. I think she was quite amused watching a Chinese family enjoying their cuisine. Anyway, the service was very good. If we are ever in the area again, I would definitely consider coming back to try more food. Maybe some of the meats on the grill, or some of the entrees. read more

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Very friendly quick service. Very reasonable prices. First time for Georgian food. Also had Ukrainian beer. Excellent food. A must if you like trying new places to eat. Definitely will be back. read more

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Take out was great chicken kabob cooked and seasoned perfectly The bread stuffed with cheese was delicious The dumplings although somewhat doughy had decent filling which tasted great read more

If you are a cheese fan buckle up! I knew I would like this spot the second I walked in, you are immediately transported to grandma's living room ! I am not familiar with Georgian food, but don't fear, they are so kind and patient , explaining everything on the menu to us! You know the food is going to be good by how proud the waitress was of the food and culture ! I completely forgot the name of the dishes, but we started with a flakey savory dish stuffed with cheese. Then we got what is essentially a cheese boat, They bring out this melty bread boats filled with liquid cheese with an egg on top that you mix into everything! This reminded me of stuffed cheesy bread from dominos on steroids! We finished off with lamb kebobs that were perfectly cooked and seasoned. I gotta come back to try more !!!!! read more

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The food here is absolutely delicious. Every dish was well seasoned, fresh, and thoughtfully prepared. Portions were generous without sacrificing quality. You can tell care goes into every plate. Highly recommend! read more

The staff is very warm and welcoming. I started with the Homemade Chicken Soup. The soup was very basic, just chicken pieces with dill and other Georgian spices. It had a nice flavor that reminded me of my grandmother's. For my lunch, I ordered the Adjaruli, which was everything I hoped it would be. The bread was soft, and the insides were buttery, cheesy, eggy goodness! This a must try dish! I am looking forward to coming back and eating my way up and down the menu! read more

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I'm always on the hunt for different cuisines to try, that I don't normally eat. Shoti Bread House has been on my radar for a while, and we finally got the chance to check it out one Friday. We came at around 6 pm and there were a good amount of people dining there already. Out of the handful of times I've tried Georgian food, all of them have involved khachapuri, or the bread boat filled with cheese. So this time, I wanted to do something a bit lighter, and try something else. We ordered: -Strawberry compote - a really sweet and syrupy strawberry juice, which I would not recommend -Shoti (grilled bread) - first plate is complimentary and extra is $3, but so worth worth it. It's warm and perfectly grilled and they give you butter on the side -Potato pancake - not sure if it's supposed to be soft but I was expecting it to be crispy -Khashi (beef tripe and leg soup) - I have tried this soup elsewhere before but this was a bit bland. However, I did appreciate that the waiter explained the dish to us and even recommended that most people add milk to the soup (which did make it better) -Shkmerull (cornish hen in creamy garlic sauce) - this was my husband's choice. It was okay, but probably not something I would have ordered -Lamb Lula Kebab (ground lamb wrapped in lavash bread) - this was both of our favorites of the night. They do not skimp on the lamb Overall, we enjoyed our meal. The servers were really patient. Most of the people dining there seemed like locals, so it was nice that they took the time to explain certain menu items with us. We will definitely be back to try some other dishes, and for that lamb kebab! read more

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Delicious and authentic food in a friendly relaxed atmosphere. Tried lots of dishes and all were good.

I just discovered Georgian food this year in NYC & I never thought I would find it in New Jersey. The food from this place is extremely delicious and super fresh! The service from this restaurant is so welcoming & the ambiance of the restaurant alone is probably just like how it is at their home country. I can't wait to try more from their menu! read more

Shoti Bread House - Royal Khachapuri - Georgian Near Me - Fair Lawn, New Jersey

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A hidden treasure to the area with reasonable prices. I came here with my mom for the first time. I have had adjaruli kachapuri once before, but this place felt more authentic. The waiter helped us stir it properly, with a very Instagram worthy effect. It was delicious and was even stuffed with cheese inside the bread. It was a cheese extravaganza. We also ordered lamb kebab which was not a very big portion but still quite flavorful and not too tough. The location is very inconspicuous and we almost parked in the bank next door by accident. This easy going casual spot is definitely good for lunch. Many people dropped in just to pick up the iconic shoti bread in bagfuls. We were very impressed by their business. read more

Shoti Bread House - Adjaruli - Georgian Near Me - Fair Lawn, New Jersey

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Great service and even better food! Everything we had was delicious, especially the tolma, dumplings and lamb stew, worth a visit! read more

Shoti Bread House - Khinkali lamb - Georgian Near Me - Fair Lawn, New Jersey

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The food was okay. The pizza style dish was excellent - daughter loved it. The soup didn't have much flavor. I saved it for the next day and it still had no flavor. The main dishes were good but portions were too small for the price. Bread was good but not melt-in-your-mouth considering it had just come out of the oven. We are locals. Went there once and haven't been back. That doesn't mean we will never be back but right now there's really nothing that we really want to have again. As for the service, that was okay too. Sometimes we had to wait a while for someone to come over. We weren't in a hurry so it didn't bother us much. The overall vibe was relaxed so the service was too. read more

Really amazing food. I looked up the menu before I came and even looked up names of the dishes because I never had Georgian food before. It's mostly meat, bread and cheese dishes. Everything is delicious and very good. They give you warm complimentary bread with butter to start. We got the Adjarul bread as well, which is the boat shaped bread with egg and cheese. the waitress was so nice and mixed it for us at the table since we never done it before. It cooks the eggs instantly. Reminds me of fondue. The bread is so buttery and melts in your mouth. We got the medium $11 and couldn't finish it between the both of us. We also got he grape leaf appetizer which we couldn't finish either but it was really good and packed with meat. I really like the whipped butter on the side. We also got the order of 5 lamb dumplings. They are soup dumplings and warm the soul! Great flavor of the meat and broth and I loved the texture of the dumpling dough. They are big and filling. For dessert we looked at the refrigerator of desserts and the waitress told us about each one. We went with the bird milk cake and a slice of the more chocolate looking cake. Both were very good, square layered cake with creme filling. Both not too sweet and easy to eat. Huge slices. I liked the bird milk cake the best, it had a chocolate frosting type thing on the top. I also got churchkhela which they make there too and from grapes. It looks like a fruit roll up and has walnuts and nuts in it. Excellent experience. It's so warm and rustic inside. Pictures of Georgia on the wall. It feels like you are transported to the country. It was pretty busy at 3 on a Sunday. Small parking lot too, only about 4 spaces. Def come here and try this amazing cuisine! read more

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Back again with another food review. I been wanting to try this place for a while and I'm glad we went. We first tried to go 2 weeks ago but we needed reservations. So we went this past Saturday the 24th. The decor made you feel like you were in the country with a bunch of photos relating to the country. Service was good no complaints on that. It's medium sized restaurant that has plenty of tables. We will be back real soon. read more

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The food and service here is amazing! Its a tiny little hole in the wall worth trying if you appreciate good Georgian food.

Just got home from Shoti Bread House after my wife and I tried it for the first time. I'm feeling a bit foolish because I had it bookmarked on Yelp for far longer than I should have before trying it. I've had Georgian food in NYC on four prior occasions. Shoti Bread House stands up to the best that NYC has to offer. I mentioned that to our very helpful and friendly waiter and he mentioned that the NYC Georgian restaurants have modernized some of their sauces/dishes and Shoti Bread House has stayed truer to the original dishes. First thing I was struck by was the breadth of the menu, they had a ton of great choices. Cold appetizers, hot appetizers, entrees, breads, desserts all had multiple things I wanted to try. We had the eggplant pkhali and house salad to start. The salad was fresh and had a nice dressing. The eggplant pkhali was awesome, great texture on the eggplant and stuffed with delicious filling. My wife had pork shawarma for her entree, she really enjoyed the flavor. I couldn't choose and went with both the lamb khinkali and the Chakapuli. The chakapuli hit the table first, it was served in cast iron and arrives at a rolling boil. The aroma is fantastic and I couldn't wait to get started. The lamb was extremely tender and the sauce was bright and herbaceous. The bread that they put on the table was perfect with the sauce. Just when I was loving the chakapuli, the lamb khinkali arrived. I've had my fair share of soup dumplings (still enjoyed the waiters helpful tutorial on the proper way to eat them) and khinkali in my life, these were better than most I've ever had. The dough was perfectly formed and cooked. The broth was stunningly flavorful and the lamb filling was zesty and delicious! The Nabeghlavi mineral water was perfect with all of the dishes, so refreshing! I was stuffed but still asked for a dessert recommendation. The waiter indicated that the dessert called "bird milk" would be a good choice. He was right. Chocolate frosting, custard and cake layers made for a nice ending to a great meal! I will be back to Shoti Bread House because it was great and because I wanted to try literally 100% of the items on the menu! read more

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I see some reviews on here which are very poor. I wonder what they were thinking? I have eaten here many times - and I have had Georgian food in Tbilisi as well - it is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS, and prepared with care. Sulguni cheese is salty - anyone who claims to have eaten Georgian cheese then complains about salt does not know what they are talking about, and they give themselves away as being ignorant of the cuisine. The chef, the staff, are all from Georgia. They also now have Georgian wine to accompany your meal, AND a banquet room! There is a lot of takeout business, which also speaks to how good the food is. My advice is to ignore the 1-star reviews, as they do *not* accurately reflect either the food, the ambiance, or the service. I heartily recommend Shoti Bread House to all who are reading this review - go and eat and enjoy! read more

Excellent Georgian fair. As good as any I have had anywhere including NYC and Israel. We had the ajaruli khachapuri, panovani lobiani, Adjapandali (the Georgian Ratatouille), and the Soko Kefsze (mashrooms) but without tge cheese. Everything was delicious except for tge mushrooms which were plain and we gather the cheese is what makes that dish. Don't order it without. The service was very friendly and they explained everything thoroughly. The decore was interesting with a lot of pictures of Georgia and art. It is just too bad they draw the shades because it is very easy to miss from the outside tgat way. Our local friends had no idea it was there for years. read more

Delicious as always! Been here many times and always feeling great leaving. Recommend hinkali mix pork and beef

Great food authentic Georgian fo& ambiance. Brought some friends who never had Georgian food and they loved it. I would definitely record this place read more

While Khinkali Lamb, Imeruli, Achma, Chicken Shawarma are good some other dishes were not that enjoyable. Satsivi had a big chunk of dry chicken and not much flavor and I had better lobio in a few other places. read more

The service was very slow It took about an hour after we received our appetizers in order to get our main dish. And that was in the setting of only one large party being present who had already been served when we sat down and did not get more food. The food was good: -imeruli kahapuri: deliciously cheesy as in other Georgian restaurants -lamb khinkali: good -beef lula kebab: delicious, good size -ideali: okay, relatively small and leas sweet compared to other Georgian and Russian restaurants read more

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Classic Georgian cuisine prepared the way my grandmother would do it. The servers let you take your time and the courses are properly spaced out. I like the fact that they don't bother you or ask you how the food is very couple of minutes. Small and cute restaurant, no crazy frills, as Georgian vibes should be. I celebrated my birthday there recently and Shoti Bread House made it super special read more

Not friendly service, food and so-so, time will close, not recomendet, The girl at the cash register behaves very unfriendly

The Adjaruli khachipurri is a must! We also really like the kharcho. Service is friendly and quick. read more

Shoti Bread House - Adjaruli Khachipurri - Georgian Near Me - Fair Lawn, New Jersey

Omg, where do I begin? The food is to die for, I'm a huge cheeseoholic and all the different breads stuffed with cheese make me feel like I'm in cheese heaven!!! Make sure to try khinkali and adjaruli khatchapury. You will not be sorry! read more

I was born in Tbilisi. I know exactly how authentic food tastes like. The restaurant is not authentic Georgian food! Most over salted! Went there with my husbands family and was embarrassed how bad it was. They liked it, but they don't know how authentic Georgian food supposed taste like. Also never ever get their desserts! Horrible! Not fresh. I would never recommend this place to anyone who wants to taste real Georgian food. read more