New Cheese & Bread Restaurant Brings Georgian Cuisine To South Norwalk
NORWALK, CT — Cheese & Bread, a new casual neighborhood eatery specializing in authentic Georgian cuisine, recently held its grand opening in South Norwalk.
Located at 68 Washington Street, the restaurant is owned and operated by Andrea Archvadze and Akaki Andguladze, seasoned restaurateurs who came to the U.S. from Georgia.
“Our Georgian cuisine is a nice compliment to the diverse cuisines already found in this city,” Archvadze said to Patch. “It’s a great indicator that consumers here have an educated palate and are open to trying new cuisines.”
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According to Archvadze, many of the restaurant’s ingredients are imported from Georgia, including vegetables, cheeses and herbs and spices, to ensure customers enjoy authentic Georgian dishes while dining at Cheese & Bread.
“We pride ourselves with providing exceptional service,” Archvadze said. “Our team, mostly Georgian, is extremely knowledgeable and will provide guests with a true Georgian restaurant experience.”
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Located between Turkey and Russia, Georgian cuisine draws from a diverse food culture influenced by Iran, Asia, Turkey and the Mediterranean, according to additional press materials provided by the restaurant.
Prior to opening Cheese & Bread, Archvadze and Andguladze owned and operated Royal Garden Tbilisi and Royal Palace Tbilisi in Brooklyn, N.Y., which they sold to their business partners last year to begin their own restaurant journey.
The duo opened their original Cheese & Bread concept in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn in 2023 before connecting with real estate collective AGW Partners to secure a new space on the corner of Washington and Main streets in SoNo.
The restaurant officially opened to the public over the weekend and a grand opening celebration was held Thursday, during which Mayor Harry Rilling took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Cheese & Bread team.
Rilling, who noted that he and his wife come down to South Norwalk at least three times a week to patronize the restaurants in the area, warmly welcomed Cheese & Bread to SoNo’s growing roster of local businesses.
“The thing about SoNo is you can come here and you can get virtually every kind of food that you would like,” Rilling said. “Now we have Georgian food, we have Mexican, we have Italian, we have Asian fusion…so the good thing about SoNo is you can can come down here ten nights in a row and go to a different restaurant. It’s certainly a growing area, and area that we’re very proud of and we’re looking to make sure that we support them in any way possible.”
The menu at Cheese & Bread is comprised of traditional Georgian dishes deeply rooted in meat, vegetables, leavened bread, cheese and the spice route, according to the restaurant.
Among already popular items on the menu is the khachapuri, which is canoe-like in shape and has melted sulgani cheese baked into the middle with a large pad of butter and an egg cracked on top. These breads come in various incarnations, such as smoked or with double fillings, according to the restaurant.
Also on the menu are khinkali, pillowy dumplings filled with meat or even soup, and Georgian comfort food classics like homemade kupati sausage, meat and fish shish kebabs and chakapuli veal stew.
Archvadze noted while the restaurant does offer unique meat and fish dishes, there are also a number of menu items offered vegetarians will love.
“There’s quite a lot to choose, from our popular khachapuri Georgian cheese bread to a variety of vegetable dishes such as spinach, beet or eggplant pkhali, a type of ‘pate’ made with vegetables and walnuts,” Archvadze said. “Georgian food is very similar to the world gastronomy, so many influences, everyone will appreciate certain dishes being similar to their own cultural influences. For example, dumplings, while looked at as an Asian cuisine, ours are wonderful pillowy steamed dough bundles filled with meats or vegetables, or even cheese, with our distinct Georgian flavor profile.”
Cheese & Bread serves lunch and dinner, in addition to a coffee bar menu throughout the day and a full beer, wine and spirits bar. The restaurant will also open for breakfast starting in August.
The restaurant seats about 140 people, which includes a private event room and bar that can accommodate up to 50 people.
Archvadze also noted they plan to add an extended beverage program soon that will include specialty cocktails and beer to accompany the restaurant’s extensive Georgian wine list.
“We also have wonderful Georgian musicians perform at our restaurant,” Archvadze said.
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