Georgian Supra – A Traditional Feast of Toasts & Food

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Last updated on June 17th, 2025 at 11:08 am

Before travelling to Georgia for the first time, we had no idea what the Georgian Supra was.

During our five-week stay in this beautiful country, though, we enjoyed enough Supra feasts – others planned and others impromptu – to know exactly what the traditional Georgian Supra means and represents.

We decided to dedicate an entire article to the Georgian Supra because this wonderful tradition is integral to the local culture, an experience you shouldn’t miss while in Georgia.

What Is The Georgian Supra?

The word Supra translates to table cloth. The Georgian Supra is a traditional feast with abundant food and wine that can go on for hours.

However, eating and drinking aren’t central to this quintessentially Georgian feast. What turns an otherwise ordinary lunch or dinner into a Supra is the art of toast-making.

The Role of The Tamada

The Georgian Supra is led by a Tamada, the traditional Georgian toastmaster.

The Tamada is the very protagonist of any Supra feast, responsible for creating an inviting setting and keeping guests engaged for the entire duration of the feast.

Each feast has a designated Tamada. In smaller Supras, the Tamada is usually the head of the household.

However, in bigger feasts and special occasions where hundreds of people are present, like weddings, guests choose their Tamada.

A good Tamada should have excellent rhetoric skills, a great sense of humour and the ability to keep his audience engaged.

Surely, you must have noticed the pronoun used here: his. Since the Georgian Supra is a very old tradition, the Tamada is always a man. The women of the household are usually occupied with the preparation and serving of food.

There are two types of Georgian Supra: the festive Supra and the mournful Supra. The latter is held after funerals and has very strict rules. A festive Supra does follow a pattern, too, but it’s generally more casual.

Usually sitting at the head of the table, the Tamada introduces each toast and then the guests can share a few words or make their own toasts in their turn.

Each time the Tamada finishes a toast, everyone raises their glasses before downing their content – almost always homemade wine.

There are many toasts to propose throughout the feast: to God, peace, life, health, guests, Georgia, the list goes on. A great Tamada can also come up with original toasts.

During the toasts, plates are constantly refilled with delicious food and Georgian wine flows in abundance. At some point throughout the feast, music, dance and singing ensue, usually led by the Tamada himself.

How To Experience a Supra During Your Trip To Georgia

Georgians are famous for their lavish hospitality. In fact, Georgian hospitality is one of the reasons why you should visit Georgia in the first place.

However, even when visiting one of the most hospitable countries in Europe, it’s unlikely to be spontaneously invited to a local’s home for a traditional Georgian feast. Especially if you’re in Georgia for just a few days.

That said, it’s easy to experience a real Supra in Georgia. Some Georgian restaurants have a Supra-like feeling. One fine example is Ethnographer Restaurant in Tbilisi.

This restaurant spreads in various different rooms, boasts exquisite Georgian cuisine and offers a show of traditional music and dance.

It’s the ideal place to enjoy a special dinner in a warm ambience, especially if you’re visiting Tbilisi in winter.

Moreover, cooking classes may sometimes result in Supra feasts.

During our winter trip to Mestia and Upper Svaneti, a mountainous region in northwestern Georgia, we attended a cooking class amidst a snowy landscape, followed by a Georgian Supra feast in a warm family home.

However, if you want to experience an authentic Georgian Supra, the best way is to join a Supra-themed tour.

The Best Supra Tour in Georgia

During our trip to Georgia, we had the pleasure of joining what must be the best available Supra-themed tour.

Run by a locally based tour operator that specialises in wine and food activities, this tour was one of our favourite travel experiences to date.

This full-day tour comes in two versions: a winter tour and one that runs throughout the year apart from winter. Both versions explore the best wine region in Georgia, the blessed land of Kakheti in the country’s eastern part.

No matter which version you choose, don’t forget to add our code triptome5 at checkout to receive a 5% discount.

We joined the winter tour, which included two winery visits, a walking tour of the beautiful town of Signagi and, of course, a traditional Georgian Supra feast.

During the tour, we learnt loads about the history and unique techniques of wine-making in Georgia. All this will be part of a separate article we plan to publish very soon.

Here, we’d like to focus on the final part of the tour, the Georgian Supra. The latter was held at a winemaker’s house, one of the most welcoming places we visited in our entire time in Georgia.

Our Tamada, Bacho, and his lovely family welcomed us into their home not as clients but as close friends they hadn’t seen in a while.

At first, we didn’t know what to expect. That was until we were ushered into a kitchen filled with the sweet smell of a local dessert Bacho’s mum, Maia, was preparing for us.

We suddenly felt at home as Bacho poured the first wine into our glasses and we all engaged in light conversation like old friends.

Then, Bacho led us into the family’s dining room, where a large table filled with local delicacies and some of the best wines from the on-site winery awaited.

To our relief, there were many vegetarian Georgian dishes, including mouthwatering Khachapuri or Georgian cheese bread, alongside the mandatory meat dishes.

Soon, all the family members – Bacho, his parents and his sweet grandmother – joined us for dinner.

After the first toast, the Tamada proposed additional toasts to us, our good health, peace and so on, before surprising us with his superb voice when he started singing traditional songs.

Then, Bacho’s dad, Zaza, started playing the piano and Darejani, the grandma everyone would want to call their own, led the way to the dancefloor.

The hours were passing, but it felt like mere moments when, still mesmerised, we had to say our goodbyes.

By then, we were no longer complete strangers. We’d found a family to wait for us next time we’d travel to Georgia.

How To Survive Your First Georgian Supra

As you might have guessed by now, a Georgian Supra feast involves a lot of unique moments, loads of food and, inevitably, plenty of wine.

To make the most of your Georgian Supra experience, make sure you take it easy on the wine. Otherwise, you’ll end up drunk and, worst case scenario, you won’t remember much of your Supra feast.

Even if the Tamada empties his entire glass of wine at every toast and the other locals follow suit, you won’t be frowned upon if you don’t.

Keep drinking at your own pace and make sure you don’t do so with an empty stomach. After all, that won’t be hard with the dozens of dishes you’ll have before you.

Just remember to nibble on your food throughout the entire feast. Not only does this help with the alcohol, but it also conforms to the Supra etiquette. You’re honouring your host by showing you’re enjoying the food served.

Speaking of which, it’s completely fine – if not encouraged – to eat during the toast-making. However, it’s rude to talk when it’s the Tamada’s or any other guest’s turn to speak. That’s the most important thing to remember.

There are many souvenirs from Georgia you can take back home with you.

Yet, the memory of the authentic Georgian Supra, this seemingly unending celebration of life and friendship, is the most cherished gift you can offer yourselves and one to last a lifetime.

WORDS & EDITING: Maria
IMAGES: Katerina