Ok meu amigo, living in paris taught me to sniff out tourist traps and tbilisi old town around freedom square is full of them. Avoid anything near shardeni street for food - you're paying double for location.

Instead, take metro line 2 to samgori then 10-min walk to dezerter bazaar. Tiny stalls selling khinkali 0.80 gel each instead of 12 gel near bridge of peace. Fresh mtsvadi 8-10 gel vs 20 gel on tourist rustaveli avenue. Churchkhela candy sticks 2 gel from babushkas vs 6 gel in old town souvenir shops.

Best move is morning shopping like paulistanos do - hit dezerter market early when vendors want to move product. Brings me back to feira da liberdade vibes but with georgian hospitality. Locals at bolkvadze market in vake appreciate when you try to speak georgian even if pronunciation is terrible.