Aba-Ra!

After visiting Aba-Ra!, the exclamation mark in its name makes sense. Groups in ties and shirts do shots of brandy at 1pm on a weekday. Influencers, drawn to the Georgian spot by its meat feast khachapuri, pose under the neon sign and attempt arm-span cheese pulls. And kindly staff lead those stepping in from Brick Lane to seats with sheepskin throws, beside chalkboard walls scrawled with graffiti tags. If we were writing this Spitalfields spot’s school report, the word ‘characterful’ would come up. So would the phrase ‘just wants to have fun’. The food is mostly great, with the same warm, irreverent sense of fun as the restaurant—soups with little bread lids, inventive takes on khachapuri, and yes, the odd complimentary round of shots.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Spiced Mint Khachapuri

For anyone who finds a classic khachapuri too rich or one-note, this spiced mint version is a nice alternative. You still get that decadent cheesiness but it’s balanced with fresh mint and a slightly spicy ajika sauce.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Dumpling Soup

A soup that will cure whatever ails you. The chicken broth is salty and moreish, the yoghurt adds creaminess, and the dumplings are adorable, tiny, meat-packed boulders that bob about. The baked bread lid isn’t the tastiest bread here, but it’s a fun way to serve this.