Dolmama

"Nice" restaurants in Armenia are kind of like spectacles. Sometimes you feel like you're in Disneyland with the over the top cheesiness, theme decorations, loud music, and costumes. Thankfully, mellow and classy places exist too- you just need to know where to find them. Case in point, Dolmamas! The name is enough to make you a little wary but don't be fooled (They market themselves as Armenia's Restaurant). In a little alleyway  off of Abovian Street, you see a big green door which looks like the gate to a fortress....that fortress is Dolmamas.

Low lighting, candles and dried flowers on the tables, soft music, attentive staff (rare for this country), and great art on the walls...A perfect date spot, or as Armen said: "So this is where people in Armenia come to propose." I think I even saw a  table of Vorogayt-ish mafiozos- you know the ones that try to pass themselves off as classy and cultured. Always a plus to have them around.

As one would expect, we ordered dolma. Lots of it. Summer dolma, winter dolma, lent dolma...and it was all fantastic, I could eat a pot full of it. Another interesting little thing about this restaurant was the bread. It was the first restaurant where they had Western style french rolls with herbs- no lavash. It was perfect with the dolma

Any visit to Yerevan is incomplete without a night at Dolmamas......

(Images from top: Armen and Ani posing underneath the sign, yours truly trying to open the green fortress door, the interior of the restaurant-great art great atmosphere, Armen as King Arthur trying to pull the sword out of the butter, that fabulous dolma-I can still taste it, Armen and I- check out the room in the back, Ani and I smiling for the cameras).