J'Ivan

J'Ivan sits on Amiryan Street in Kentron and works through a long Armenian menu built around slow-cooked meat and shared plates. Soups include chkhirtma with chicken, borscht with beef, akhta with chicken heart and liver, and a sorrel and lentil soup. Dough dishes cover beef and chicken minced meat pide, Adjarian and Mengrelian khachapuri, and beef lahmajo. The hot dish section leans into bughlama: beef tail bughlama with vegetables at 14000֏, and lamb neck bughlama with grape bush at 2700֏, alongside harissa with chicken and butter, boiled homemade chicken with rice porridge, and grape bush dolma. Barbecue runs from grilled pork chalagaj, ribs, tenderloin and neck to a lamb barbecue set for 14000֏ and tender beef barbecue at 7700֏. Kebabs range from chicken and beef to Adana on the bone and Urfa with eggplant. Sides are mostly potato and grain based: mashed potatoes, country potatoes with dill and garlic, and emmer pilaf with mushrooms. For groups, there are four fixed sets, including the Jivan set for five at 42000֏ and the Ancient Armenia set for five at 34000֏. Snacks and salads add pickles, smoked meat assortments, Caesar, and a veal and prune salad. With an average check around 4500֏, it suits travelers and locals looking for a full Armenian meal with barbecue and soup rather than a quick bite, and groups who want a set menu instead of ordering item by item.