Rioni – Tampere

Like Rioni in Turku, this is an interesting and comfortable Georgian restaurant that offers an extensive menu plus a selection of bottled beers, wines by the glass and other drinks. We have been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, and both times had a very pleasant time. While we are not 100% sure about the dog-policy given that we had no problems on each visit here, and he was welcome in the Turku branch, we are confident that dogs are welcome.

The menu offers a wide-selection of interesting and delicious sounding dishes with many vegetarian options. There is a section of cold starters, warm starters and snacks, breads, dips, mains, and desserts. Given the extensive menu and the fact that we have only been twice, our knowledge is limited, but we have tried enough to feel justified in giving a review.

On our first visit, we went for lunch so just had two mains from the lunch menu, both of which were very flavoursome and came with two types of bread including the amazing cheese bread (see below).  Unfortunately, I do not remember the names or specifics of the dishes, however, they were both a kind of stew, but each distinctly different to the other. The lunch dishes generally range from €10 to €13.50 including the breads and sides (our was salad).

On our second visit (dinner), for starters we opted for the meat-filled Georgian dumplings (Khinkali – €10) and the chicken salad (Qatmis Salati – €8) and washed them down with a bottle of Georgian beer each (Argo lager – €9). The dumplings were very tasty, and while they are not a delicate or thin dumpling (like Chinese ones for example), they were full of flavour and very filling. The chicken salad was lovely and fresh with plenty of flavor from the Georgian spiced mayonnaise. Next, for mains, we went for a “famous” beef stew with tomato and herbs (Chashushuli – €24), the chicken in walnut sauce (Megruli Kharchothe – €21), and the house bread with cheese filling (Imeruli Khachapuri – €10). Both of the main courses were very flavoursome with lots of unusual spices; more flavour than heat. As for the bread, like the one we had in the Turku branch of Rioni, the cheese bread was excellent, and we could have happily had more if we were not so full.

In terms of drinks, we have only had the Georgian beer mentioned above so cannot comment on the wines and other beverages. The beer is very good, but is served a little warmer than we generally like our beers. Nevertheless, a tasty dop that perfectly suits the food.  

We visited Rioni in Tampere after having such a nice experience in the Turku branch, and we were not disappointed. We were worried that we had “blown it up” in our minds over time, but it was just as good as we remembered. The Bill was €110 for four beers and the five dishes described above, and we left very satisfied and overly full.

All in all, given our experience at both the Turku and Tampere branches, Rioni seems to offer a consistent range of great food and some nice drinks in a comfortable and seemingly dog-friendly atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit, especially if you are looking for something different.