The Story of Creating Fiesta: A Mexican Restaurant & Bar in Tbilisi

People ask me all the time: “Why did you create Fiesta?”
A tequila bar. A Mexican restaurant. In Georgia. By a Ukrainian guy who’s lived in Southern Spain, Malta, the UK… and now Tbilisi.

Fair question.

I wish I knew what the short answer is.

It Started With a Pattern I Couldn’t Ignore

Back when I was running Living Vino (as I noted on the About Me page, it was my previous plant-based food + natural wines venue), we used to do themed nights: Italian, French, special weekends…

Then we did Vegano Mexicano.

And it sold out.

So we did it again. Vegan ropes, chilaquiles, burritos, and of course tacos.

And again, it was a hit. People loved jackfruit-loaded ‘carnitas’ tacos so much they wanted them on the menu.

At some point I had to admit it: the “Mexican nights” weren’t a one-off trend. They were a signal.
People in Tbilisi didn’t just “like” it – they wanted it.

Lockdown + Obsession = A New Skillset

During one of the last Covid lockdowns, I made a very intentional decision:
If I’m going to do Mexican food seriously, I need to learn it properly, not just “put salsa on something and call it a day.”

I’d already been to Mexico several times, so I understood the basics and the flavour logic. But this time I wanted to go deeper: techniques, ingredients, structure, history, culture.

So I did what any sane person does during lockdown:

• Took interactive online courses
• Bought more Mexican cookbooks than any one apartment needs (well, actually I no longer make this mistake and buy mostly kindle versions)
• Cooked my first 100 recipes in a few months
• Started geeking out over tortillas the way people geek out over sourdough starters

And honestly? It was thrilling.

Why Mexican Works So Well as a “Fun Place”

Living Vino had become a well-known plant-based Mediterranean-ish brand in Tbilisi. It had its identity, its audience, its rhythm.

But I wanted to build something different:
more inclusive, more playful, more social.

And Mexican food, especially a taqueria + tequila concept, is basically designed for that.

Tacos aren’t formal. They don’t demand silence and candlelight.
They demand friends. Noise. Laughter. Second rounds.

The Cultural Reason I Fell For

Coming from Eastern Europe (where “smiling too much” can look suspicious), I’ve always been fascinated by Mexican culture – how naturally warm, friendly, and open it feels.

And it’s not the “polite by default” kind of friendliness.
It’s the real thing: humour, ease, generosity, and emotional warmth.

That Latin vibrancy – liveliness, friendliness, optimism – is a big part of what I wanted to bring into a space like Fiesta.

Not fancy. Not pretentious.
Just tasty, upbeat, welcoming.

Because honestly:
A few tacos, a margarita (tequila is basically distilled sunshine), and a bit of salsa or bachata afterwards… that’s a complete therapy plan.

And yes, because I can’t help myself, you can absolutely pair tacos with wine. (WSET Diploma & wine Educator habits die hard… if ever)

Authentic-ish, Not Costume-Authentic

Let’s be clear: I’m not trying to cosplay authenticity in my Mexican restaurant.

I take a modern approach – respect tradition, borrow what matters (nixtamal), adapt what makes sense in Tbilisi.

One tradition I will defend passionately is nixtamal corn tortillas (see my Masa post here).
To me, they’re one of the greatest achievements of Mexican cuisine – right up there with real sourdough in terms of transformation, depth, and craft. And of course nutrition.

Mexican food is bold and vibrant, often “nose-to-tail” in spirit, and deeply social and family-oriented.

It’s made to be shared.
It’s made to make people happier.

Fiesta Also Gave Me a New Community

One of the unexpected joys: through Fiesta (and our Spanish-speaking meetups), I’ve met so many people from Latin America.

And I can’t tell you how much I love that.

The warmth is real. The humour is constant. The energy is contagious.
It makes the restaurant feel less like a business and more like a living thing. Or maybe a good business should feel like a living thing?

The Daily Comedy of Running a Mexican Restaurant in Georgia

Running Fiesta keeps me permanently connected to humour.

We still get people walking in and asking for khinkali.

We still get requests like:
“Can you make it not spicy at all?”
Which is a bit like asking:
“Can you make the ocean not wet?”

We can adjust, of course. But Fiesta will never be spice-free.
That would be… a different restaurant.

Three Years In: Still Here, Still Evolving

We’re approaching our third anniversary in a few months – and I’m proud to say we’ve survived a lot:

• Protests in the city (we were near the epicenter and had to close during that period)
• A location change (goodbye, annoying upstairs neighbours)
• Simplifying the menu, so it’s tighter, cleaner, and more consistent (and the consistency is something truly important).

This is what restaurant life teaches you: adapt without losing your identity.

What I’ve Learned (The Hard Way)

After years in hospitality, one lesson keeps proving itself:

Stay true to the core concept. Don’t try to be everything for everyone.

At Fiesta, that means:

• deliciously spicy food
• homemade chipotle and pineapple-habanero hot sauces
• nixtamal soft corn tortillas
• chipotle mole (when we can get everything we need)
• “Mexican-ish” honesty: inspired by tradition, adapted to local reality

Some ingredients are simply hard to source here – and for some, we’ve stopped chasing them (tomatillos, I’m looking at you). I wrote more about that here: Cooking Mexican Outside of Mexico (far away)

But the mission remains: keep it simple, bold, joyful, and real.

What’s Next

This spring, I’m working on a shortlist of:

• party-friendly snacks (I’m thinking queso fundido, shrimps gobernador and some more)
• shareable dishes
• family-style dining nights for our community (birria nights
• more “night out” food that fits the Fiesta mood

There’s a fun journey ahead for my Mexican restaurant, and I want to bring you along.

So whether you join as a guest, a supplier, a collaborator, or just a friend of us – you’re welcome at Fiesta: Mexican Restaurant & Bar.

Until next time,
Dito

My Key Recipes (if you want to learn more)

• Tortillas: How to Make Real Tortillas at Home
• Sauces: My Favourite Hot Sauces
• Fillings: Plenty of Tacos (veggie, pescatarian and meaty)
• Mexi-terranean: Fusion concept of Mexican and Mediterranean
• What is a Taco? A Serious Guide to Real Tacos

For Those in HoReCa

I have been in marketing for over 20 years and spent the last 10 years managing food and wine businesses. If you are interested in a second look at your profitability and marketing, please visit my Food Marketing Studio and request a free checklist and an initial chat.