Tbilisi
Fêted as one of the best techno clubs in the world and mentioned breathlessly in a thousand magazine articles, Bassiani is the Berghain of the Caucasus…
Must-see nightlife in Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan
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Yerevan
A favourite Yerevan wine bar, In Vino features a great selection of new-world and old-world wines from France, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and, proudly,…
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Armenia
Named after the nearby 13th-century Silk Road bridge, this terrific winery offers the region's best wine-tasting experience. Reds (the speciality) derive…
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Yerevan
Through an archway of a 19th-century building that once housed Soviet literati, Mirzoyan Library is much more than a cafe. It's also a photo book library …
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Tbilisi
This somewhat hidden 2nd-floor wine bar is one of the best of scores of places in the Old Town to try Georgian natural wines. The selection is superb, and…
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Baku
Old School is a wonderfully off-beat hang-out for intellectual young Bakuvians. The sign is a typewriter and the interior decked with clocks, cameras and…
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Yerevan
With the look and feel of a Parisian boulevard cafe, Gemini keeps its band of regulars happy with the city's best coffee (we love both the Armenian and…
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Baku
Kefli can take you on a full oenological tour of Azerbaijan with a book-thick menu of bottled vintages organised by grape (or pomegranate) type, and some…
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Tbilisi
Meaning 'the Bridge' in Georgian, KHIDI is quite literally built into the hillside under one of the main bridges across the Mtkvari, and is an…
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Tbilisi
Fiendishly cool Drama Bar is in a residential building with no sign. Go up to the 3rd floor and you'll find a bouncer – door policy is tough and you may…
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Azerbaijan
Grafitti and hanging plants, a battered old piano and plenty of offbeat paintings combine to bring a fun, alternative vibe to Gəncə's quirkiest cafe in a…
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Baku
Each storey of this enticing Old City bar has its own character, including a gallery lounge on floor 2, but the most spectacular feature is the rooftop…
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Yerevan
Sharing a floor with a vinyl store and carpet shop, this bar is one of Yerevan's funkiest places to grab a drink. The vintage-vinyl theme is evidenced…
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Yerevan
A favourite among diaspora Armenians, the always-busy Calumet (French for 'peace pipe') is a great place to hang out on cushions and chat over a Kilikia…
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Yerevan
The craft beer revolution has finally arrived in Yerevan. Over 20 different flavours are on tap at Dargett's massive brewery, including a great pilsener…
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Northern Armenia
The sign says it's a refrigerator shop and you have to ring the doorbell to get in (tell them Lonely Planet sent you), but there's a good reason for that …
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Yerevan
The Velvet Revolution is alive and well at this underground cocktail bar and vinyl club. Illuminated in a red hue cast by Victorian lampshades, Yerevan’s…
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Northern Armenia
Popular with Vanadzor's youth, Teynik is an anticafe, meaning you pay per hour to get unlimited tea or coffee and snacks. It's a great deal considering…
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Baku
Small and wonderfully understated, this wine shop with tasting bar is run by real experts who know all there is to know about Azerbaijani vintages.
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Baku
Cute, quiet and quirky, the atmosphere here is like sitting in a friend's front room, albeit an intellectual friend who has covered the walls with trippy…
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Tbilisi
Founded by a group of Georgians and American Peace Corps volunteers, Dive has become a Tbilisi institution, and is the best place to go for cheap beer and…
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Azerbaijan
Stunning panoramic views from this mountaintop restaurant make it ideal for an early beer or daytime coffee. The decor is loungey with ski posters that…
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Tbilisi
Despite the impressive queering of Tbilisi in recent years, this small two-room basement bar is the city's only officially gay establishment, rescued by…
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Tbilisi
This former Soviet-era fish restaurant with a wraparound balcony overhanging the east bank of the Mtkvari River is a great space for a nightclub. Mtkvarze…
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Baku
Already on its fifth venue in as many years, iN is Baku's original rave-style club, currently operating from a converted factory in a rather obscure…
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Tbilisi
This fabulous cocktail bar in a crumbling building is one of the most atmospheric places to have a drink in Tbilisi. We love the precarious balconies, the…
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Northern Armenia
Established to give local teens a place to hang out, study, work on social initiatives and/or make a few bucks serving tables, this cafe is an excellent…
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Baku
Made using a La Marzocca espresso machine with beans that are freshly roasted on-site, it's hardly surprising that Kofetearea's coffees are among the best…
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Northern Armenia
With beer on tap and 670 wines in the cellar, many of them Armenian, Carahunge is the best place for a drink in Dilijan. There's plenty of seating indoors…
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Tbilisi
This friendly and hip bar is a favourite for locals looking for a pre-club hang-out and is a popular place to meet up with friends. There's a small…
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Yerevan
Housed in a mansion once owned by a Soviet oligarch, the Kond House feels a lot like an underground house party. You can chug beer by the kitchen bar,…
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Azerbaijan
This charming teahouse hides within an 18th-century bathhouse building, whose interior is more atmospheric than the peeling faux-gilt on the domed roof…
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Tbilisi
One of Tbilisi's most popular hipster bars, gay-friendly Dedaena attracts a skater crowd due to its location by the skate park, as well as their friends…
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Armenia
Conservative Gyumri is slim on nightlife options, so this basement pub opened in 2018 is a welcome sight. Dimly lit with wooden crate seating, funky decor…
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Baku
Beloved by the laptop brigade but also great for a quiet chat over a flat white or glass of local pomegranate wine, Coffee Moffie finds that sweet spot…
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Tbilisi
This minimalist temple to coffee (the wine is a bit of an afterthought to be honest) is hands down the best in Tbilisi, and offers a full range of hot and…
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Azerbaijan
Naxçivan's most stylish watering hole stocks some very fine vodkas in its full range bar, but also serves barista coffees if you're not boozing. Decor is…
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Tbilisi
Vino Underground is Tbilisi's brick-vaulted temple to natural wine, so you can be sure to get the authentic tastes of traditional Georgian wine here. It…
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Tbilisi
A tiny, brightly lit Polish cafe-bar almost on Freedom Sq, Warszawa has the most affordable drinks in town, and, at GEL 5, quite possibly the world’s…
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Azerbaijan
Qәbәlә's quirkiest pub has a choice of three draft beers, all at AZN1. The charming owner lived in Canada and speaks good English. Good-value local food…
