Tamada

We had a great meal and there were lots of superb choices on offer. You have to appreciate Georgian food, but if you do then Tamada compares with the best of them.

A Georgian friend of ours (now living in London) recommended this restaurant knowing we would be in London. 4 of us went. Three of us ordered the Jarkoe — Tamada Special baked layers of veal, onions, potatoes, cheese, herbs & tarragon which required a 45 minute wait. We had high expectations that were shot down. The veal was close to jerky as it was so over cooked, dry, and stringy.
The service was fine.
Needless to say we will not be going back.

Delicious Georgian food! Went there with my wife and tried a lot of different dishes and Georgian wine with it. Really great food and the server was very nice and attentive. Will go back to try more dishes for sure.

Unfortunately, Tamada missed the mark for me and my husband. When comparing to another Georgian restaurant in Notting Hill, Colchis (now closed, gasp!), Tamada doesn’t compare to the food once served at Colchis. Additionally, we both felt that for the location, Tamada’s prices were too high.
Food:
–Cheese filled bread (Khachapuri) — I have to admit that when I read a prior review which stated that the cheese filled bread tasted like cheese in a tortilla, I thought the reviewer had no idea what she was talking about but, unfortunately for Tamada, she was spot on with her description. Would never order it again.
–Chicken soup (Chikhirtma) — I added salt which made it palatable. I could get a similar tasting soup served in a pot made by Sainsbury’s.
–Beef soup (Kharcho) — I didn’t try any of this but my husband said that it was just OK.
–Minced meat dumplings (Khinkali) — The first two I ate, the meatball inside was overcooked. It had good flavor but was tough. The third one I ate was great but unfortunately 1 out of 3 is not a good ratio!
Service:
Our welcome was icy but the hostess/​server did warm up to over the course of 1.5 hours that we were there. Starters came out relatively quickly but then there was a huge 50 minute wait for our main which were the dumplings. I don’t know why it took so long as there a total of 10 diners in the restaurant, two of which were us and the other 8 were in the same party.
Space:
Temperature in the restaurant was cold. I wanted to wear my jacket. The amount of seating upstairs also exists downstairs. Toilets are really nice.
Left the restaurant feeling hungry and thinking we will not return because the food at Colchis is better but then found out that Colchis has closed and now we are sad. (But still not returning to Tamada.)

Tamada — Delicious Georgian food, friendly service and a relaxed atmosphere in a beautiful neighbourhood restaurant.
First of all, I find it irritating how one-​sided Unilocal filters the reviews for this little restaurant. Almost all good reviews are considered «not recommended» for reasons that are beyond me. I think, Tamada definitely deserves a higher score than 2.5 — it might not necessarily be a straight 5, but it is without question worth a visit and the current score does not mirror that.
Now to the review…
Living in Maida Vale, I decided to venture once again to nearby St. John’s Wood for dinner. This time, I went to Tamada, a Georgian restaurant on Boundary Road. The restaurant has beautiful photos on the walls, supposedly of Georgia. The clean and white interior creates a nice but still somehow warm atmosphere. Tamada seems to be popular among the locals in this area.
The place was not empty, but also not overly busy that evening. The friendly manager and waitress showed me a table to sit and brought me the menu. She quickly noticed that I was fiddling around on my iPad and asked if I wanted to use their wifi — I did not see any notice that they had free wifi, so it was an unexpected bonus when she gave me the sign in details.
I started my dinner with a crisp white wine from Georgia. The wine had a distinct taste, good, but a little bit different. After a few sips I got used to it and really liked the flavour.
For starters I ordered a cheese-​filled flat bread. When it came, I thought that it was quite a big portion for a starter. Because it tasted so delicious, I ate it all and felt already a little bit full…
A little later, my main arrived: chicken in tomato sauce with fresh herbs and mashed potatoes. I was surprised when the mash potatoes came in a different bowl. I found the tomato sauce a little bit watery at first, and the dish was piping hot. I quickly figured out, that by mixing the mashed potatoes with the tomato sauce and the chicken, I could cool the dish down a little bit and at the same time thicken the sauce. This transformed the sauce into a nice and smooth tomato potato mash sauce that complemented the chicken perfectly. The dish reminded me a little bit of a very mild curry.
The side effect of mixing the mashed potatoes into the sauce was that it all became very rich and filling. I liked that the the sauce contained large pieces of chicken, but also little tiny pieces you usually expect in a soup.
After the main, I was too full for a dessert. Instead, I ordered a Georgian coffee and was offered a tiny piece of the walnut cake. Georgian-​style coffee is different from the usual espresso and the walnut cake bit was sweet and very tasty.
Overall, I had a very interesting and delightful dinner at Tamada in St. John’s Wood.

I need to congratulate Tamada for making Georgian food and wine live up to its high reputation of being one of the best in the world.
The four starters and mains I had a chance to try (no I don’t have four stomachs — it was shared between a group of five ;)) were served in hot clay bowls and plates making it even more authentic.
The Meze had an original taste and unusual ingredients. All meet dishes were well cooked, flavoured and nicely decorated and the roast pork was served with a famous unique Georgian plum sauce — heavenly delicious!!!
The restaurant is relatively small but very clean and has a nice vibe despite being almost empty.
I would have scored this place as four stars however the dessert section was slightly lacking quantity and taste. There were also certain dishes (like dumplings for example) which have to be eaten in a specific way. Had one of us not been previously to Georgia, we would have ended up struggling with a knife and fork.
The deserts were quite expensive as for what they included and I was quite baffled with the ‘tea and jam’ dish which was indeed a pot of tea with a pot of jam (£4 by the way).

I must be honest — I have never been to Georgia so cannot comment really how authentic the food is. It has some classical dishes from the area — great stews and some dumplings… etc. food is quite good — especially the stews but it is also not too cheap… The interior is also not very extensive — it feels like a local venue with minimum frills. I think I would try once to see it yourself and see if you like it. It did not wow me but I was glad that I have tried.

Went here on a small occasion and the whole party had a good time the food was nice and delicious and we were served properly. The prices were a little steep but it was worth it.

Don’t go here. What a disappointment. We though, «Ohh, Georgian food, this will be interesting!» It was not. The Khachapuri which people supposedly «raved» about tasted like grilled cheese made with a tortilla. The Chaqapuli — in my experience, casserole isn’t usually a soup. I understand, Georgian food is different, but it tasted like dishwater. I quite literally almost spit this stuff out, it was disgusting. The service was subpar. Also, this place was quite a ways from the nearest subway station, and although we aren’t from London, did have a hard time finding this place. I couldn’t believe the prices, either. I am so surprised this place is still in business. Out of our entire 2 week trip, this was the meal I was most disappointed in.

Tamada serves decent but unremarkable Georgian food. It is rather expensive (6 chinkali for 15 pounds seemed excessive) although this may be due to the pricey location as well admittedly we are not locals!
The chatchapuri (cheese bread) with adjika (spicy sauce) was very good, although rather expensive (10 pounds 50 for bread and sauce together). Wine (Saperavi) was excellent, 20 pounds per bottle. The hot lobio (bean paste) was average, and the ajapsandali (ratatouille) disappointing it should have been much more flavourful. The schaschlik meat was rather dry but improved when adjika was added.
The service started out great but became less friendly from the moment that we ordered and it was clear we were only (!) going to spend 75 pounds between three people. The other two people working there seemed very welcoming and nice, though.
If you’re unfamiliar with Georgian cuisine this is an OK introduction, but it can be much better than this.