Georgian cuisine isn’t exactly known for its sweets (though there are a few traditional desserts out there) – which might be why ice cream has caught on with such popularity.
A surefire way to beat the heat in summer, Tbilisi has a range of gourmet ice creameries and time-tested parlours where you can taste artisanal and handmade ice creams, many of which use local ingredients and Georgian flavours.
Whether you’re a cone or a cup person, there is surely something on this list to entice you!
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Are you planning a trip to Tbilisi?
Here are a few quick links to my favourite accommodations, tours & services.
Where to Stay in Tbilisi:
- The House Hotel Old Tbilisi – wake up in your own typical Tbilisi courtyard.
- Communal Hotel Plekhanovi – my favourite boutique hotel has a wine bar & gift shop.
- Vagabond B&B – budget-friendly option for solo & social travellers.
- Unfound Door Design Hotel – luxe rooms set inside a historic mansion in Chugureti.
- Fabrika Hostel & Suites – popular creative space & co-working hangout.
Best Tbilisi Tours & Day Trips:
- Tbilisi Food & Drink Tour – a food-themed walking tour of the city.
- Day Trip to Kazbegi – with plenty of stops along the Georgian Military Highway.
- Off-road Adventure to David Gareja & Udabno – use WANDERLUSH for 10% off.
- Kakheti Wine Experience with Eat This! Tours – mention WANDERLUSH for 5% off.
- Day trip to Northern Armenia – another stamp in the passport!
Last-minute Private Transfers in Georgia:
Plan the perfect mini road trip & find a professional driver on GoTrip.ge. The price is locked in when you book, and you can stop wherever you want along the way.
Go Your Own Way:
Car hire in Georgia doesn’t have to be expensive – I regularly use Local Rent to find great deals. Pick-up & drop-off from any address in the country for complete flexibility.
Top 6 places to grab an ice cream in Tbilisi
1. The Cone Culture: Gourmet ice cream with a Georgian twist
My favourite place for a sweet treat in Georgia, The Cone Culture whips unlikely local flavour combinations into all-natural, velvety ice creams. Grabbing a waffle cone here is one of my top things to do in Tbilisi.
The signature flavour was originally developed for a food festival in Zugdidi. It blends fiery adjika spice mix with vanilla bean for a super fragrant, deliciously hot-cold dessert.
If piquant ice cream isn’t your style, The Cone Culture has a nice range of tamer tastes that build on local and seasonal ingredients: Apricot and tarragon, strawberry and basil sorbet, black tea and brownie, and orange and cloves – to name just a few.
Or you could go for something more daring: Black sesame, blue cheese or sea buckthorn.
- Location: 5 T. Shevchenko St & inside Bazari Orbeliani (Atoneli St)
- Hours & info: Facebook
2. Ice Crime: New indie ice creamery in Tbilisi
With some of Tbilisi’s coolest bars and hippest restaurants as neighbours, Ice Crime is an indie dessert shop in an up-and-coming corner of Chugureti.
A refined selection of handmade ice creams are all lovingly prepared by the owner – and the flavours are dangerously good. Ice Crime does a churchkhela ice cream inspired by Georgia’s famous nut-and-grape-roux candy, and a luxe biscotti and bergamot.
Pistachio is the flavour of the week, every week… And I can confirm that it is indeed punchy and perfectly sweet (though mine was a tiny bit icy). There were no labels at the time of my visit – just ask the staff for a recommendation and they will point you in the right direction.
Servings are generous – three scoops for a small cup – and cash and card are both accepted. The shop is tiny, with a cute neon sign and a single bench to sit on out front. They also offer take-home tubs via the Wolt app.
- Location: 60/11 E. Ninoshvili St
3. Luca Polare Tbilisi: Popular Georgian-owned chain
Georgian-owned Luca Polare launched its first parlour in 2008 and now has 20-odd branches in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and on the Black Sea Coast. In the capital, you can find their polar bear mascot off Rustaveli Avenue, inside Dedaena Park, and in every major pedestrian area and shopping mall.
My favourite is their Aghmashenebeli Avenue location, which is set inside a beautiful Art Nouveau-style building and has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
The ice-cream wizards here have 60 flavours under their belt – I do wish they rotated favourites such as the sabayon and meringue more frequently.
You can’t go wrong with Italian-style classics including chocolate, pistachio, coffee and bourbon vanilla. The seasonal fruit-based (and dairy free) desserts flavoured with fig, kiwi, feijoa or cornelian cherry are also very good.
Any flavour can be whipped up into frappé on request. They also serve a handful of pastries and cakes plus hot and cold coffee.
- Location: 2 D. Kakabadzeebi St, Dedaena Park & a dozen more locations around Tbilisi
- Hours & info: Facebook
4. Tolia: Locals’ favourite ice cream in Tbilisi
Founded in 1997, Tolia is a shoo-in for Georgia’s oldest ice cream brand. It might not have the trendy branding or the ‘cool factor’ of other places on this list, but what it lacks in branding finesse it makes up for with super affordable prices.
Tolia is the most ubiquitous ice cream brand sold at supermarkets. If you’re ever at someone’s house and they crack out the single serve, foil wrapped Tolia ice cream cones, then you can consider yourself a very special guest!
While Tolia is known for its pre-packed tubs, paddle pops and ice cream sandwiches, at their ice cream shops, it’s all about the cups and cones in classic flavours: Vanilla, chocolate, and vanilla AND chocolate.
Find Tolia inside one of the restored heritage buildings off Orbeliani Square.
- Location: 3 Pkhovi St
- Hours & info: Facebook
5. Udabno Shop: Gourmet gluten-free ice cream
Spearheaded by the Adjara Group (of Fabrika Tbilisi and Rooms Hotel fame), Udabno Shop is the Tbilisi outpost for Udabno Farm, Georgia’s first regenerative agriculture project.
Vegan-friendly pantry staples including oil and flour made from nuts grown on the Udabno orchards in Kakheti are available to purchase by the packet/bottle. Everything is produced across the road at Udabno’s zero-waste ‘almond lab’ inside Stamba.
The shop doubles as a gourmet gluten-free ice creamery, with ultra luxurious, creamy almond milk soft-serve on tap. Choose from four flavours: Pure almond (my personal favourite), strawberry, vanilla or coffee. At just 3 GEL for a healthy sized cup, it’s great value for money.
- Location: 5 T. Chovelidze St
- Hours & info: Facebook
6. Spaguletti: For something different
If alcohol and ice cream are a natural pairing, spaghetti and ice cream are certainly strange bedfellows. Nevertheless, Spaguletti has a cult-like status and is a local favourite.
As the name suggests, their signature dessert is ‘ice cream spaghetti’ – literally a pasta hybrid where the ice cream is passed through a mincer-like machine to produce sweet strands. The plate is then topped with tomato (i.e. strawberry) sauce and finished with a dusting of parmesan (i.e. flakes of toasted coconut or white chocolate).
If that all sounds like a bit too much, they also do old fashioned waffle cones and cups. Flavours include brownie chunk vanilla, matcha, pomegranate sorbet, and the very creative eucalyptus, honey and chia.
Spaguletti started out in the archway next to Stamba Hotel but has since moved across the road to the laneway, very close to Rustaveli Metro Station. The small kitchen also serves milkshakes, sweet and savoury waffles, and crepes.
- Location: 1 Vashlovani St
- Hours & info: Facebook
Ice cream Tbilisi FAQ
Are there any unique or traditional ice cream flavours in Tbilisi?
Many ice cream shops in Tbilisi use local ingredients including Saperavi, an endemic grape used for making wine, and fruits such as pomegranate, cornelian cherry and feijoa that are all popular in Georgia.
Ice Crime’s churchkhela ice cream plays on the traditional sweet, and The Cone Culture does a gozniaki (walnut brittle) ice cream with the flavours of the traditional Georgian candy that is traditionally eaten around Christmas time. Don’t forget their adjika ice cream, either!
Another one to try is the ‘Sokhumi ice cream’ at Amra restaurant on Lisi Lake. Inspired by Abkhazian flavours, it is a sundae of vanilla scoops topped with mandarin jam and crushed nuts.
Are there any vegan or dairy-free ice cream options in Tbilisi?
Georgia caters exceptionally well to vegetarians and vegans, thanks in part to its Orthodox fasting traditions. Every ice cream shop in Tbilisi has at least a couple of dairy free options as a result.
Luca Polare has the widest range of sorbets that are fruit-based and suitable for vegans. They also do at least two fruit flavours that are made with fructose and branded as diabetic-friendly.
The Cone Culture has a vegan chocolate sorbet and several ice creams that are marked as gluten-free. Udabno Shop has gluten-free and vegan-friendly ice cream made on almond milk.
How much should I expect to pay for a scoop of the best ice cream in Tbilisi?
Ice cream is relatively inexpensive in Tbilisi. You can expect to pay 3-6 GEL per scoop depending on the establishment.
Where to stay in Tbilisi
See my Tbilisi neighbourhood and accommodation guide for a detailed break-down of the different areas and options. Here are my top overall Tbilisi hotel recommendations:
TOP CHOICE: The House Hotel Old Tbilisi (⭐ 9.7). Located in the heart of Kala Old Town, this intimate 17-room hotel features turquoise balconies overlooking a typical Tbilisi courtyard. Complimentary breakfast is served at the onsite restaurant-bar, Blue Fox, while some of the city’s best restaurants are an easy stroll away.
BOUTIQUE: Communal Plekhanovi (⭐ 9.2). Located in my favourite Tbilisi neighbourhood, this boutique hotel is among the finest in the city. Rooms are thoughtfully decorated with modern art and antiques, and there’s a fantastic restaurant, a wine bar and a gift shop onsite.
MID-RANGE: Graphica Hotel (⭐ 9.2). Explore the lesser-travelled Avlabari neighbourhood when you stay at this chic boutique hotel. Graphica is footsteps from the metro for easy access to the rest of the city. Rooms feature work desks, and a complimentary breakfast is included.
BUDGET: Pushkin 10 Hostel (⭐ 9.2). Located footsteps from both Orbeliani Square (near the Dry Bridge Market) and Freedom Square, this popular hostel has bright dorms and private doubles. The breakfast room overlooks the city from its 3rd floor location.
More Tbilisi posts you’ll love
- Georgia Travel Guide – all my 200+ posts for Georgia
- 25 Tbilisi travel tips – essential reading for first-timers
- The ultimate Georgia itinerary – the best of Tbilisi & beyond in 1-4 weeks
- How to plan your Caucasus travel itinerary – discover Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan
- What to pack for a trip to Georgia – and what to wear in Tbilisi
- How to get from Tbilisi airport to the city – 5 best transport options
- The best things to do in Tbilisi – the ultimate insider’s city guide
- Where to stay in Tbilisi – best neighbourhoods & accommodations
- The best restaurants in Tbilisi – where to find the best Georgian food
- The best cafes in Tbilisi – for coworking, coffee & more
- The best breakfasts in Tbilisi – cafes that open early
- The best gift shops in Tbilisi – where to buy authentic souvenirs
- The best walking tours in Tbilisi – discover the city by foot
- Tbilisi’s best walking streets – architecture, people-watching & street photography
- The best boutique hotels in Tbilisi – art hotels, wine hotels & more
- The best hostels in Tbilisi – accommodation on a budget
- Visiting Gulo’s Spa – the best sulfur bath in Tbilisi
- Visiting the Dezerter Bazaar – Tbilisi’s incredible green market