Like at Home (Yak Vdoma)

Adorned with colorful murals and Ukrainian ornaments, this small cafe near the center of Batumi serves the borsch, holubtsi and deruny that owner Irina Dotsenko brought with her from Kharkiv. Why it matters: Dotsenko fled Ukraine in 2022 and built the cafe into a lifeline for fellow refugees – around 30 of her 44 staff are Ukrainians who fled the war, and she opened a second location in December 2023 with a microloan program designed for refugees. Order the borsch with pampushky and save room for deruny with sour cream; portions are generous and prices modest. The original spot at 13 Zurab Gorgiladze St fills up at lunch – the second branch at 24 Noe Zhordania St is usually quieter.