Every B-Side review is earned, never bought.

Photo credit: Matt Hague

DakaDaka — founded by Giorgi Mindiashvili and Mitz Vora, has found a home at Heddon Street’s dining oasis. It’s a dive into Georgian cuisine with open-fire grilled dishes in spices and herbs you would find across Tbilisi and beyond. Despite London’s diverse selection of cuisines across the city, it can be easy to fall into the usual safe choices — that’s why DakaDaka is perfect for the Eastern European aficionado or for when you’re craving something a little different. But it’s not without moments of muted plates that can do with refinement.

Judging a book by its AI generated cover

I had kept an eye on DakaDaka for quite some time before its opening, and it was mainly for the wrong reasons. Their Instagram page was focused on documenting the heart of Georgian food and the DakaDaka concept — endearing, yes. That’s until I saw the stale AI copy in their captions and logo designs. When I see more and more places adopting AI in the dining industry for their branding, I see it as an obvious intention to cut corners around intention and thoughtfulness. And it makes me wonder if it stops there or that mentality trickles down into the production of the food itself. It’s not that I look down on the business using AI, it’s that I think they deserve better than to be associated with unoriginality. To many discerning Londoners, it would be assumed as cheap. And that does not bode well when your postcode is based in Mayfair.

Stepping into Tbilisi

As I muscle my way through a manic Regent Street, I hit the pocket of Heddon Street — good company to be in given the recent Michelin success for Sabor and Ambassadors Clubhouse. The interior, designed by Katya Samsonadze, takes all of the melting pot influences of Europe and Asia that meet at Tbilisi’s doorstep. The upholstery on the seating weaves earthly Georgian textiles and match well with the dark lighting for this evening’s meal. Accents of ancient art are subtly populated across the space — if you look closely, you’ll notice the wooden carved columns and touches of Soviet-era brass. The exposed kitchen has chalk boards perched atop with daily specials. The space is not trying to emulate elegance, its quintessentially Georgian comfort. That said, I have seen images in the day without the intimate candle light that expose the the brick walls painted in black and a hot red bench against it — which make for an un-chic and undesired part of the room. I happened to have been sat there.

Homely hospitality

Don’t let the Mayfair location fool you, this is a Georgian restaurant. Leave white-glove dining assumptions at the door and expect a boisterous team who make you feel like you’re being hosted rather than served. Expect a couple of jokes cracked and a lack of ceremony. For some Londoners who come in stiff, take that as your cue to order a liquid libation to ease the frustration — the team here want you to have a good time.

Plates of coriander, tarragon and khmeli suneli

The meal has peaks and troughs. I wasn’t up for the natural selection of Georgian wines, so I tried their plum margarita which was far too sweet. Regular margaritas it is. We started strong with Soko — crispy oyster mushrooms. Good texture and the anise tarragon aioli defines the following plates ahead as a staple Georgian palette, especially in the Iberia pork pluma — beef dumplings that had a very subtle licorice-like fragrance. You take the doughy top knot with your fingers (optional to eat — it’s a tad too doughy and dry for most), bite a small hole in the base and slurp the hot broth inside before devouring the rest. The Penovani, a flatbread with ogleshield cheese and fennel, was on the duller side. Usually this is flakey and the cheese is gooey and indulgent. Ours had set. The Shkmeruli, a spatchcock roasted chicken cooked in a buttery, garlic and creamy sauce went down a treat with the Tapis Kartopili — pink fir potatoes. Our last main, Karcho, was a beef short rib stew seasoned with khmeli suneli — a Georgian five spice that’s complex, bitter-sweet and earthy. We finished off with Napoleon Medok — a mille-feuille that’s a common reinterpreted classic across Eastern Europe. Here, the honey was great but the filling was dull. All in all, a meal of peaks and troughs, but no doubt a welcome visit after trying one too many similar cuisines in the city.

DakaDaka
10 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BX

Modern Georgian cooking rooted in fire and seasonality.
Small plates from ~£8–£18, larger dishes ~£20–£34; service charge applies.
Open Tue–Thu 12–2.30PM & 5.30–10PM; Fri–Sat 12–2.30PM & 5.30–10.30PM; Mon & Sun closed.
Dress code: Casual.