Ministy of Foodies Review
Cuisine: Georgian
Average price per person: 30€
Environment: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Other: Gluten-free options, Pet-friendly
Website:https://kinzamadrid.es/
Kinza is one of the most famous Georgian restaurants in Madrid. It serves a wide variety of traditional Georgian dishes and is quite popular. Apart from 2 locations in Madrid, it also operates a few restaurants in Barcelona.
Georgian cuisine has a lot of carbs, cheese and meat in most of its popular dishes (sounds like a dream, I know). There is also a wide variety of spices that give a distinct character to each dish. Kinza has been able to properly reflect that through its dishes.
We visited with a group of friends for dinner on a weekday at their San Bernando location.
Location/ Environment
Kinza has 2 locations in Madrid, both in the city center. The decoration is an effort to mix both traditional and modern elements of Georgia. Kinza is able to execute well, creating a welcoming environment.
Service
The service is at the expected level, the staff communicates well in English and there is a very good pace between the dishes.
During weekends, they also often host a traditional Georgian dancer who does a small show for a few minutes and is a great entertainment for guests.
Menu
The menu includes all the classic dishes of Georgian cuisine including the famous khinkali dumplings with different fillings and the cheese-filled khachapuri.
The actual menu card is very long and descriptive. It only includes 1-2 dishes per page with elaborate pictures and explanations. There are different sections including one about the spices used in Georgian cuisine and other parts that introduce you to the Georgian dishes.
Kinza – Food
We started with the tolma, a traditional dish which you can encounter in different variations in the Middle East, Balkans and Eastern Europe. In Kinza, they served the delicious vine leaves filled with minced meat and rice. The dish is accompanied by a yoghurt base dip which is a great combination with the rice and the vine leaves.
The sulguni cheese was served in a small oven pot with bread and 2 shots of chacha. Chacha is a traditional drink in Georgia and it’s similar to Italian grappa or Greek tsipouro made by the distillation of grape residues. A great combination with the salty and melty cheese.
Khachapuri is a very traditional Georgian dish. A bread bowl filled with metly cheese and egg. Extremely flavourful as you break pieces of bread and dip them in the cheese and egg mix.
Khinkali are the famous Georgian dumplings. Kinza in Madrid has a few different varieties with meat, salmon and potato, which we tried. I believe that khinkali is one of the best dumpling variations in the world. Very juicy and flavorful if they are prepared correctly and Kinza has a good version of this dish.
We also ordered a salmon dish, which was very tender and had interesting spices that enhanced the flavor.
Finally the pork skewers, also with a tasty blend of spices and a nice tomato and Satsebeli a tomato and garlic Georgian sauce to complement them.
Conclusion
Georgian cuisine is overall underrated and it hasn’t received the appropriate exposure considering the variety of its dishes. Kinza is a great place to visit in order to discover this country’s rich tradition in the food world. The staff will guide you and give you all the necessary information on the different flavors, ingredients and best options for your tastes.
Visit: April 2024
Address: Calle de San Bernando 22, 28015, Madrid
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