Ernest M.
Google
My friends and I always used to go to Teji's, and I heard that a new Georgian restaurant had arisen in its place. I had been wanting to go to a Georgian restaurant; several have opened in the greater Austin area lately and my hankering for the cheese-bread concoction khachapuri is strong.
So we went to a Friday lunch to Nikala! The interior is beautiful and clean. The staff was super friendly and helpful and guided us with advice on what to order and then how to eat it!
We started with eggplant rolls, a cold and refreshing starter, as well as some beef and pork khinkali (soup dumplings) and the star, a cheese khachapuri, a bread boat with baked cheese in the middle, topped with an egg yolk and butter. The waitress showed us how to mix it and tear pieces of the bread off to eat it. It was delicious and we polished off the round promptly. One friend got a Georgian beer and shared it with us, a lovely clean lager.
For a main I had the lulu kebab (mixed ground pork and beef, similar to a kofta kebab) and, on the waitress' recommendation, the spicy Adjika sauce. I enjoyed it, and it was definitely the right sauce choice, I had a friend who went here the next day and got the same thing with the normal tomato sauce and thought it a bit basic.
The owner came over and met us, and kindly comped me a dessert for my birthday, a pelamushi - a kind of grape juice and flour jelly with walnuts. It was interesting, not bad though not something I'd seek out.
All in all we had a great experience and plan to return. Good food, ambience, and service!
Also don't miss the market next door - Teji's was a restaurant and market all in one, they've separated the spaces now and Nikala is separate from the Eastern European import shop next door, Qvevri.