All Aboard

New Georgian restaurant brings khachapuri 'bread boats' to Austin

Khachapuri is the main event at Bread Boat, a rare all-Georgian restaurant in Austin.

Photo courtesy of Bread Boat

A new restaurant in Austin is showing off Georgia's — the country's not the state's — main culinary export. Bread Boat is baking up khachapuri, a shallow Georgian bread bowl with egg and cheese, at 1912 E. 7th Street.

The restaurant quietly opened on July 15, and is starting to pick up a bit of steam thanks to a new press strategy.

A press release shares that the restaurant was founded by Georgian friends Giorgi Sharabidze, Saba Shonia, and Chef Khatuna Kopaliani. It also claims the title of "Austin’s first restaurant dedicated entirely to khachapuri," which certainly seems plausible. In fact, there are exceedingly few places to try the dish at all in Austin. (The famous South Congress hideaway Aba seems to be the best-known local restaurant offering it.)

Bread Boat founders Giorgi Sharabidze, Saba Shonia, and Chef Khatuna Kopaliani Bread Boat was created by three friends.Photo courtesy of Bread Boat

In case Austinites haven't tried it, they can expect something like pizza dough folded into a canoe shape (hence the "boat") with short side walls. The flat center is filled with a blend of melted cheeses, butter, and an intact egg yolk. Pizza lovers can also think of it like an open calzone, but with a funkier cheese taste. Diners then share it by ripping pieces off of the sides and dipping them in the cheese with the egg yolk swirled in.

“We’re thrilled to introduce khachapuri and Georgian cuisine to our fellow Austinites,” said Khatuna Kopaliani, chef and co-founder of Bread Boat. “There’s nothing else quite like it — it’s cheesy, tangy, comforting, and fun to eat.”

Of course, the "classic boat" leads the menu for $17.50. There will also be an herbed chicken boat, plus other variations like bacon-bean, savory beef, and tomato-red pepper stew. Other non-boat options (gasp) beef up the menu: kubdari, a flattened meat pie from the Caucasus Mountains; and soup kharcho, a Georgian beef stew. Walnut pates, a veggie boat, and a honey and walnut cake provide options for those forgoing meat.

There will also be Georgian wines on hand for perfect pairings.

Bread Boat Austin interior The interior of Bread Boat on East Seventh.Photo courtesy of Bread Boat

Bread Boat is open from Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 am to 7 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 6 pm. Diners can also order for takeout via Toast.

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Cold Snap

10 best hearty restaurant meals for a short winter in Austin

Ramen Tatsu-ya/Facebook

Austinites keep ramen shops in business year-round.

Austin’s cold fronts may be fleeting, but when they hit, they hit hard. In those rare but glorious moments when the air feels crisp and the sky finally remembers how to be gray, there’s nothing better than settling into a hearty winter meal.

Whether your idea of comfort food is a bubbling hot pot or something Texan smothered in gravy, these Austin restaurants have all your cozy winter needs covered — for all 15 or so days of it.

Mulligatawny Soup at the Soup Peddler
Multiple locations
This Austin classic restaurant has plenty of cold-weather soup options, but when it comes to a hearty winter stew, we're going with their Mulligatawny. It's a velvety, lightly spiced lentil stew that manages to both stick to the ribs and satisfy that nostalgia itch. If that's not enough, Soup Peddler also has a full menu of gooey grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from.

Pork Rib Noodle Soup at Julie's Noodles
8557 Research Blvd. #110
This hearty, aromatic winter soup is filled with thick, chewy noodles, slow-braised pork ribs, and steaming hot broth to ward away those 60-degree temperatures.

Bouldin Creek Cafe's sweet and savory oven cake breakfast. Photo from Bouldin Creek Cafe Facebook

Oven Cake Breakfast at Bouldin Creek Cafe
1900 S. 1st St.
The oven cake breakfast at Bouldin is a great cozy option for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone else who loves a mix of sweet and savory. Diners can choose between two eggs or tofu scrambled "eggs," plus a warm and flaky grilled house-made vegan blueberry cornbread covered in vegan butter and maple syrup.

Chicken Fried Steak at Moonshine Grill
303 Red River St.
A list of hearty winter foods wouldn't be complete without some chicken fried steak. It may be Austin, but we are still in the South. Moonshine's classic chicken fried steak is crispy, golden, and smothered in creamy gravy, paired with mashed potatoes, and a guaranteed post-meal food coma.

Ramen Tatsu-ya has plenty of options for chilly days, but you can't go wrong with the OG Tonkotsu. Photo from Ramen Tatsu-ya Facebook

Tonkotsu Original at Ramen Tatsu-ya
Multiple locations
There's a lot to choose from at Ramen Tatsu-ya (including a vegan option), but we think the Tonkotsu Original is a good order for almost anyone; like the little black dress of ramen. It's a relatively straightforward dish — a bowl with rich pork broth, tender chashu, and an ajitama egg — but a deeply satisfying one.

Matzoh Ball Soup at Mum Foods
5811 Manor Rd.
It's a rarity to find a good matzoh ball soup in Austin, but Mum Foods on Manor Road (a joint that somehow mixes barbecue and New York delicatessen), has done it. This dish combines mirepoix with smoked chicken, fresh herbs, homemade matzoh balls, and pure comfort.

Mum Foods matzoh ball soup The matzoh ball Soup at Mum Foods, a barbecue and delicatessen combo. Photo from Mum Foods Smokehouse and Delicatessen Facebook

House Pho at Sip Pho
512 W. 29th St.
The House Pho at Sip Pho near Campus is simple, but comforting. It's a steaming bowl of fragrant herbs, paper-thin slices of beef, and a rich broth that reminds us why pho is the universal cold weather food.

Golden Chicken Broth at Old Alley Hot Pot
11900 Metric Blvd. F
Old Alley Hot Pot, open since this summer, really goes deep on the communal East Asian dining experience, where the group cooks raw ingredients like thinly sliced meats, veggies, tofu, and noodles in a simmering pot of broth placed at the shared table. The golden chicken broth (one of several choices) comes to the table like a bubbling and fragrant personal space heater, with a choice of meats, mushrooms, and veggies for the whole group to enjoy.

brisket chili from la Barbecue La Barbecue's smoky brisket chili for a cozy winter day.Photo from La Barbecue Facebook

Smoky brisket chili at la Barbecue
2401 E. Cesar Chavez St.
It wouldn't really be winter without some chili, and it wouldn't really be Texas without barbecue. The smoky brisket chili at la Barbecue does an excellent job combining both, with rich, meaty, and slightly spicy flavors. It's available by pint or quart, depending on how long you're trying to hibernate.

Hashbrown Casserole at Phoebe's Diner
Multiple locations
Hashbrowns and casseroles are distinctly comforting in their own, nostalgic ways, and at Phoebe's, diners get a mix of both. This popular dish is stuffed with crispy, shredded potatoes, gooey cheese, onions, and garlic. Phoebe's is open for breakfast and lunch, but it's also well-known for catering, takeout, and delivery for those cozy nights in.

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