Georgia’s rich culinary traditions get reimagined with plenty of open-fire action
DakaDaka sits on Heddon Street, a short but serious stretch of Mayfair real estate alongside Sabor, Fonda and Ambassadors Clubhouse. It’s the debut London project from Berkeley Square Hospitality and is the vision of Giorgi Mindiashvili and Mitz Vora, who are behind some of our fave spots in Tbilisi. At DakaDaka, they’re putting Georgian cooking front and centre with confidence.
The 105 covers are split over two floors, with carved wood, handmade ceramics, earthy tones and tactile finishes making it feel like Georgia by way of Mayfair. With a glowing charcoal oven, chefs led by Adrian Hernandez Farina (formerly of Canal, Humo and Chiltern Firehouse) moving behind the Persian marble pass, deep conversations over the menus, and glasses being topped up, it’s inviting and buzzy. Grab a seat at the counter to fully experience the theatre.
Eat This
Our meal opens with chvishtari, a cornbread laced with Westcombe cheese, maize and green chilli. Soft inside with a crisp exterior, it’s comforting without being heavy-handed. Khinkali arrive next, plump hand-folded dumplings filled with a mix of Iberico pork, aged beef, tarragon and summer savoury. These are eaten by hand, no cutlery allowed. You bite, slurp the broth, then finish it off. They’re deeply flavoursome and full marks if you manage them without dribbling.
The lamb kebab is a highlight; gently smoky with Roscoff onion, parsley and sumac folded through the meat, it’s moreish and disappears quickly. The kubdari, a traditional Georgian stuffed flatbread that arrives puffed up like a Hackney pigeon in the height of mating season, is also a winner. Filled with Iberico pork, Svaneti salt, ajika and walnut dip, it’s indulgent, comforting and dangerously easy to keep eating.
Karcho, a beef short rib stew with incredibly tender meat, walnut, coriander and khmeli suneli, is the richest dish on the table but exactly what you want on a wet winter night. A grape salad with rose radicchio, Castelfranco, St Tola and honeycomb is the perfect counterpoint – visually striking but also light and refreshing.
Drink This
Georgia’s eight thousand year winemaking tradition underpins the wine list at DakaDaka. There’s a Georgian pet nat on the opening page that we loved but there’s plenty of skin-contact styles to explore too, so be curious.
Why Go
DakaDaka is off to a very strong start. The cooking is grounded in Georgian traditions but polished for its Mayfair setting. Plus it’s served alongside a banging selection of some of the best natural wines from the country where wine was created. True story. Come for the bread and the dumplings, stay for everything else.
Key Infomation
Address | 10 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4BX
For more information | @dakadaka.london
