After many years living in South Glendale, I still haven't tried every hole in the wall restaurant within a few blocks of my apartment, and not for lack of trying. Many of these restaurants serve regional specialties that you could never find in most of the country. While walking down Central, I noticed Red Top Burger. Beneath burgers and pizza on their sign, they listed "ajarski khachapuri". Intrigued, I ordered the ajarski. It's a Georgian specialty that is similar to a calzone with two eggs over-easy on top, generously sprinkled with pepper. The bread was excellent - crusty exterior and tender on the inside. I worked my way around the perimeter of the ajarski, pulling crisp strips of bread from the edges and dipping them into the soft egg yolk. The cheese was smooth, mild and enjoyably salty. I topped mine with basturma, which gave it a bacon-and-eggs feel. It’s $12 with basturma, $10 without -- but it’s more than enough to feed two. You could serve it at IHOP if you called it a Breakfast Boat.
501 S Central Ave
Glendale, CA 91204
(818) 500-1376
Ajarski khachapuri is also available from Pizza Boy on Colorado - and they have a smaller, one egg variant. I've also heard that a few other local pizza places nearby have them as well. Red Hat's ajarski was delicious. Are there others worth trying?
The definition of hole in the wall.
