Gullami Oniani is a prolific restaurateur. His Gullani Group has more than 30 restaurants dedicated to the cuisine of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. The restaurants range from casual to fine dining in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, and Moscow. Last month, he opened his first restaurant in the United States, with Laliko debuting in New York City’s West Village neighborhood.
“I came to New York with a clear purpose: to help Georgian cuisine gain the recognition it deserves,” Oniani explains. “Georgia has a vibrant culinary tradition full of bold flavors, ancient traditions, and warm hospitality, but it is still relatively unknown to much of the world.”
He believes New York’s cultural diversity and openness to global flavors will be the perfect stage to introduce Georgian cuisine to new audiences.
Designed by Surgula Studio, the 42-seat restaurant reflects Georgian heritage with custom details including hand-painted Tbilisi tiles and artistic nods to Georgia’s winemaking and cultural history. The restaurant also features a communal table inspired by the traditional Georgian feast and social gathering, the Supra.
The menu features a wide range of Georgian dishes that celebrate regional flavors and traditional techniques. Appetizers include freshly baked bread topped with garlic and rosemary, served with traditional spreads and sauces such as tkemali (a sour plum sauce), ajika (a spicy chili sauce), and pkhali (a walnut sauce).
Some staples include khachapuri, a soft cheese-stuffed bread, and khinkali, Georgia’s iconic dumplings filled with beef, pork, lamb, cheese or mushrooms and served with truffle sauce. An interesting dish is the “mother khinkali,” a giant dumpling made up of six smaller dumplings.
Other dishes include chashushuli, a rich beef stew with tomatoes and bell peppers, and kupati, a grilled sausage with celery root puree and pomegranates.
Laliko has three chefs running the day-to-day operations. Executive chef Manuchar Tsikolia oversees the kitchen and menu, while two other chefs (Jimi Kurtanidze and Ruslan “Ucha” Giorgberidze) are responsible for the restaurant’s most popular dishes, khachapuri and khinkali, respectively.
Oniani says there is more awareness of Georgian cuisine now than there was five years ago, especially in New York. But many of Laliko’s guests are still trying Georgian food for the first time. “Honestly, we love it. One of our favorite moments is watching people discover dishes they’ve never heard of.”
Khinkali, in particular, is almost always a recipe that requires some guidance, he notes.
“It’s not just about the food, it’s about the experience,” Oniani says. “So we created step-by-step, illustrated instructions to show guests exactly how to do it. Pick up the soup, take a bite, blow on it, sip it, and then enjoy the rest of the soup. It’s fun, interactive, and always sparks conversation. Sharing these little rituals is part of what makes the culture come alive.”
For now, Oniani and his team are focused on making sure Laliko remains operationally strong.
“Over the next four or five months, we’ll be working on perfecting every aspect of the guest experience and internal operations,” he says. “We’re learning a lot from our day-to-day work, and that’s directly informing our next steps.”
He eventually hopes to open more restaurants in the U.S.
“One of the main reasons we came to the U.S. was because of the great expansion opportunities here,” he says. “We’ve built and grown chain restaurants before, so we know the ropes, and we really enjoy taking a strong concept and turning it into something bigger.”
One thing Oniani has already confirmed is that the next concept will also be in Manhattan.
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