Hersh A.

Stumara is a great place to grab delicious and flavorful Georgian (country) food. It's a neighborhood gem and a popular spot among the locals. I have been here only once and I liked it a lot. Not only the restaurant has an inviting atmosphere with nice decor and good service but also, their staff is passionate about their cuisine and their head chef creates a menu with flavorful traditional dishes. We tried the following dishes: Gamarjoba (Shoti Puri) - first order was complimentary Appetizer - Badrijani nigzvit (eggplant with walnut) Khinkali beef pork (large Nepalese Momos lookalike) Adjaruli khachapuri (a traditional and popular dish usually ordered as a starter) Entrée - Shqmeruli (roasted chicken in creamy garlic sauce) Dessert - Opium cake with lemon and berries All the dishes were good in taste. My favorite was Badrijani nigzvit. It was simply amazing with its flavors and had an unique taste. The Kachapuri, Shqmeruli, the Opium cake were the next favorites. We enjoyed our meal and had a wonderful experience. I'd go back.

Matea P.

Oh. My. Gosh. Stumara was a fantastic experience for us. First of all, the service we received was outstanding. Going in, I was not expecting to receive that level of attention and care, but it really went beyond my expectations. Now, the food was unforgettable. We ordered the Badrijani Nigvzit (rolled eggplants), the Pkhali plate, and the honey cake. I've never tasted anything like the rolled eggplants before, and the more I ate them the more I loved it. The Pkhali plate was phenomenal. The flavors of the vegetable spreads were so vibrant, light, and delicious. What really "wowed" me, however, was the cheese cornbread that came with the spreads. They were steaming hot, fresh, and delicious. We also got a complimentary bread with the butter (I believe it was the Goda cheese melted butter), and the butter was phenomenal and so so delicious, I never tasted anything like it before. I loved the glass of wine I had here, it was so delicious. We tried a couple of different samples to see which wine we wanted to order, and we went with Traditsiuli Kindzmarauli which I highly recommend. The honey cake had a good taste, but we felt like we got an older piece of cake. The filling is also not as creamy / milky as other honey cakes, but either way I still enjoyed it. The only thing is, the prices are a bit high and it's a bit expensive. But I am coming back here to try more, one of my new favorite spots!

Cassady H.

I picked this spot for a belated birthday dinner and wasn't disappointed. It's got a nice vibe and ambiance, a little dim for my liking but it would be good for a romantic mood. I'd recommend a reservation if your going at a normal dinner hour, we ate early but it filled up. They started us off with a complimentary bread with smoked butter. Nothing beats a fresh baked bread, and the butter was a very nice touch. I had to try some dumplings! These soup style dumplings are fantastic and definitely a must try. They're pretty large too, so 3 is really plenty for an order. I had the beef cheeks as my entree, what a phenomenal dish! The beef is super tender and the "savory broth" is much more like a rich and mild curry, with a great texture and warming spices throughout. Comfort in a bowl would be a good description. I would have liked a bit of acid in there somewhere, and maybe more onions, just to balance the dish. On the side was a cheesy grain or rice dish, similar to grits, which is nice and filling but again very rich and a bit one-note for me. The lamb skewer actually comes in a smoke-box that they open at the table for you, very cool presentation. The lamb itself had a great smoke flavor and was cooked to perfection. It comes with a great salad, kind of similar to a rustic coleslaw. A perfect blend of acid and greens to balance the lamb. At checkout we noticed a charge for 4 cappuccinos, but we'd only had 1. They fixed it for us with no hassle, but I'm glad I noticed. I really enjoyed this meal and can't wait to come back for some more of the menu!

Jenna W.

Simple, excellent food and great service. The portions are generous and so flavorful. We enjoyed everything that we had. The live music was as a nice touch too. Sorry I did not take pictures of our actual meals!

Siarhei H.

Very nice and authentic place. If you like Georgian food I can recommend this place. Everything was delicious. I'll definitely come here again.

Ariana G.

This was my first time trying Georgian cuisine and it was so good!! The restaurant is located in a plaza so parking shouldn't be an issue. And its located next to a Georgian store owned by the same owner apparently. The restaurant itself was clean and inviting! They recommend family style so you can try a bunch of dishes. I recommend the khachapuri which is bread with cheese and egg yolk in the middle which I'm sure many people have seen before. The lamb chops were delicious especially with the pistachios! Everything tasted very authentic and our waiter told us we chose all the right dishes to try. Also try their lemonades! We tried the pear one and it was light and refreshing. Their lemonades come in a whole bottle so its good for sharing with the table.

Lena M.

Wow!!! This hidden treasure shouldn't be missed! It's probably not hidden or a secret to the Georgian community, but for all those like me who have never had Georgian food, this place is an amazing discovery! Hubs and I took advantage of being without kids and decided to try someplace new for dinner. Stumata popped up on several searches and based on the reviews, everyone was right! The food is beyond delicious and the service couldn't be friendlier! Yugslavko(sp?) our server was so attentive and helpful at recommending things for us to try. We have never had Georgian food before, but the enticing aromas of other patrons' meals made our stomachs growl the moment we stepped in through the door. The inside of the restaurant was so cozy with plenty of seating for small parties like us 2 to a larger dining group of 12 already dining. The seating was comfortable and the decor was welcoming. We felt like we were eating at a friend's house! We were served complimentary bread (gamarjoba) with a yummy butter. The bread was warm and the butter cold - it was a good combination! When we told our server we've never had Georgian food, he told us we were in for a treat and boy was he right! At his recommendation we started with Rolled Eggplant (badrijani nigzvit). It was pretty good. Our favorite of the meal - the bread canoe (adjaruli khachapuri) - OMG - butter, egg, and cheese all mixed up at the table for us by our server at our request so he could show us how it's done. It was so creamy, cheesy and the bread was so crispy - it was all soooooo good! We also had the mushroom khinkali which is this tasty dumpling that's filled with a umami broth and mushrooms. Our server told us to pick up the dumpling by the stem, take a small bite and drink the soup that'll spill from the bite before enjoying the rest of the dumpling. It was all such a delicious combination with the dough being the perfect thickness. We also had the shemcvari gochi (boneless piglet). The skin was crispy on top of juicy pork served with some tender baby bok-choy. It was all so good! We finished off our dinner by splitting a napoleon with the most flakiest puff pastry and sweet cream filling. It wasn't heavy or overly sweet. Perfect end to our meal! Another table ordered the lamb chops and it came in this cool looking box. When the lid was taken off the mouthwatering smell of the dish filled the room. We will definitely be back to try the lamb and the meat skewers! Don't miss out on an incredible dining experience. You won't regret it!

Kesha B.

4.5/5 but round up! Recently opened for their soft opening, and located in a plaza right off of Dundee and Elmhurst by the market. My husband and I decided to try somewhere new for lunch this weekend and wanted to try this Georgian restaurant. We have never had Georgian food because and assumed it would be similar to Turkish food/ Mediterranean but we super excited when the staff came by and shared her recommendations and how to properly eat bunch of the dishes we ordered. We definitely had plenty to take home and enjoy later. To start, I got the strawberry compote drink and my husband got the pear lemonade. The strawberry compote drink was sweet, and tart at the same time. But we certainly favored the pear lemonade, I mean the bottle alone was stunning. While we waited for our food, they brought out complimentary bread with their butter which was a bit harder than I expected, but it was topped with spices and tasted kind of like a bacon butter which was interesting. To start we got the chicken croquette, it reminded me of the texture of an arancini. It wasn't my favorite but it was jampacked with flavor. The adjaruli was probably my favorite bite of the whole experience. When brought out, it was cheese with an egg yolk on top. We learned that it's traditionally mixed up first and you take the bread to dip it in and enjoy. Our server kindly mixed it for us and shared with us the way to eat it. And it blew us away, we had to force ourselves to stop before we got too full just on this! Next up for the pork and beef dumplings. We were told the thick numbs were traditionally used to hold the dumpling. When holding it, you take a bite to slurp the soup first then eat. These were delicious in flavor and had tons of filling so each bite was evenly spread out. Before of the amount of soup though! Just when you think you slurped it all, there is more as you continue to eat. The last two items we got were the pork skewers and the roasted potatoes. The pork skewers were presented in a box, with tongs for us to share. And the potatoes were brought out on a hot plate. The pork was full of flavor and were spare rib cuts. And that potatoes were super crispy and had a tomato paste base and sour cream on top. All in all the restaurant was beautifully decorated, and the furniture and seats were super homey. We had a great time and a great experience. The only thing that I was a bit taken back on was the cost of each dish, granted the items were super fresh and you can taste the flavors and passion there put into each dish. It just felt a tad high for some of the dishes that were on the menu.

Adinai S.

The khinkali were okay, pretty standard. The khachapuri was good but much smaller than expected, more like a single-person portion rather than something to share. The salad was a generous size for a group, and the meat dishes were really good. Service was fine as well. Overall, not the best place ever, but I still liked it.

This was our first visit to a Georgian restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious. Our server recommended some delicious drinks (she makes the syrup), and helped us decide on some dishes. We loved the chicken croquettes, the adjaruli khachapuri, and the khinkali mushroom. The service was great. We loved the decor and the cozy atmosphere. We will definitely be back.

Hannah H.

I am always on the hunt for great Georgian food and found it at Stumara. You know we had to start off the meal with khachapuri and it did not disappoint. We loved trying Georgian lemonade for the first time with their pear and tarragon flavors. The khinkali was great as well which is a Georgian soup dumpling. These tasted so fresh. The butter served with their bread was unique and delicious. Check out this new spot in Wheeling!

Rebecca F.

I adored dining at Stumara, and it earns my most enthusiastic recommendation. Stumara is a destination restaurant located in Wheeling. It's worth the trek from the city. If you come before 7 p.m., you can stop in Pirosmanius, a small deli maintained by the same owners, which shares a wall with the restaurant. Our meal started with Pkhali - vegetable pâtés bound with pureed walnuts served with savory donuts, similar to beignets. Then slices of tender eggplant stuffed with caponata-like eggplant puree, rolled and dusted in a black "dirt" derived from walnuts. Other courses included cooked spiralized beets in a mild creamy horseradish puree served cold, beef cheeks in a creamy walnut sauce served on a comforting corn-derived white sticky pillow that reminds me of West African fufu, and baked chicken with flavorful lacquered skin that is served flooded with a generous amount of garlic cream sauce tableside. My favorite dish is lamb sausage lettuce wraps with tender herbs. Service is welcoming and enthusiastic. Stumara Elevated Georgian cuisine Georgia, a former Soviet republic, is at the border of Europe and Asia, and is home to the Caucasus Mountains. 847 W Dundee Rd, Wheeling Thanks Mike Gebert, Fooditor.com, for putting this amazing restaurant on our radar. See the Fooditor article here: https://fooditor.com/the-buzz.../buzz-list-for-july-8-2024/