The market is especially colorful from late summer to fall. During this period, it is filled with sellers coming from the villages around the capital, bringing with them organic fruits and vegetables grown on their own land, nuts, homemade dairy products such as sour cream, sulguni cheese, cottage cheese, curd, fragrant herbs, and other goods.
You will experience Georgian hospitality even here in this massive market as villagers invite you to their stalls. You can taste test any product before buying it. Moreover, if you want to know what ingredients a certain product is made of or how it should be prepared or cooked, just ask them.
One of the gems of Georgian cuisine, churchkhela made of grape juice and nuts, dried fruits, and colorful tklapi (sheet of boiled and dried fruit puree), Georgian spices, bay leaves, and cherry or plum sauce tkemali are just some of the wonders you can find here.
The noisy atmosphere of the market gives it an oriental and exotic flavor. Deserter’s Bazaar is a landmark of Tbilisi.
A typical day at Deserter’s Bazaar starts around 07:00.
The marketplace is surrounded by stores, malls, supermarkets and open stalls. You can buy everything from gold to carpets.