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Riverside Grill Station

“Can't Miss Culinary Experience”

Forbes Magazine

Our Wild Food Adventures are 5/5 star rated 3 course dining experiences in Armenia’s most beautiful natural settings, hosted by professionally trained local chefs and benefiting local wildlife conservation. All the dishes on our menus are authentic to each location and are prepared using fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients.

Come hungry for this experience set on the banks of the Akhuryan River, near beautiful Marmashen Monastery, where professional local chefs will share with you a delicious meal from the grill. You can choose from local steak or traditional kyalla [kyah-llah] for your main dish. Kyalla is a lamb’s or cow’s head that’s slowly cooked in a closed, smokey oven. It’s a local delicacy in the Shirak province that we’d love to share with you (available only during the winter months)! But if you choose to stick to a familiar steak we’ll understand completely. Aside from your main course, your hosts will also prepare some other tasty dishes from the grill. You’re welcome to join us in the outdoor kitchen and cook with us, or kick back with a cold local beer and enjoy the views and the fresh air – the choice is yours. See all the details and book this Wild Food Adventure through the form below!

Your Location

This Wild Food Adventure takes place in an open field on the east bank of the Akhuryan River, which flows through the Shirak Province near the international border with Turkey. You’ll enjoy beautiful views of both the river and nearby cliffs, as well as of Marmashen Monastery, a monastic complex built in the 10th century and comprising five churches in various states of ruin. The ruins are beautiful in their own right, and will set the mood for your experience. During the late spring and early summer months, you can expect the field to be bursting with colorful wildflowers. Just a 20 minute car ride from Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city and cultural capital, this culinary experience is a perfect respite from the city. 

Your Hosts

Tigran is your host and head chef at the Riverside Grill Station. He’s always loved cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, and as a local of Gyumri, wants to share local foods and ingredients with travelers like you, but with a modern twist. When he was younger, Tigran’s parents always encouraged him to cook. Today, when he’s not working in IT by day or hosting diners at the Station, he’s experimenting with new recipes while staying true to his culinary roots.

Your Ride

You’ll meet your hosts at Marmashen Monastery, from where you’ll take a short stroll to the Riverside Grill Station just 5 minutes away. If you need transportation from Yerevan or Gyumri to Marmashen, we’d be glad to arrange that for you at extra cost. We’ll confirm that and other details over email after you have submitted your booking request form through this site.

Your Menu

The menu of the Riverside Grill Station was carefully created by your hosts and ONEArmenia, our nonprofit arm. All ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced. Scroll down to see the full menu! Please note that the menu is fixed, and includes options for vegetarian diners. If you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies, we will be sure to ask during the confirmation process after you have submitted your booking request form through this site. 

4 – 5 hours

•

8 people max

•

3 course meal

•

Vegetarian friendly

•

Professional local chefs

•

Untouched nature

•

4 – 5 hours • 8 people max • 3 course meal • Vegetarian friendly • Professional local chefs • Untouched nature •


Menu

Welcome Craft Beers & Amuse-Bouches

Appetizers

Tarragon salad with ricotta cheese and
local wild pear

Grilled vegetables

Main Course

Local steak marinated with Chef’s special spice blend, served with grilled vegetables and homemade sauce

Dessert

Armenian-style pakhlava

Drinks

Local craft beer | Homemade fruit compote | Still and sparkling water | Coffee and tea

This menu was carefully created by your hosts and ONEArmenia, our nonprofit arm, and is based on the culinary traditions of the Tavush province. All ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced.

Your table is ready, book now

Use this form to send a booking request and our team will get in touch with you to confirm the details of your adventure, including pricing, transport & dietary restrictions. Pricing by group size below.*

2 people: 27,000 AMD per person
4 people: 20,000 AMD per person
6-10 people: 18,000 AMD per person

*Free cancellation up to 72 hours before each adventure.

Adventuring for Good

Transforming the lives of both travelers and local people through meaningful and responsible experiences is why we do what we do at 2492. We believe that Armenia can be a wonderful place to both visit and live in, which is why each of our experiences are thoughtfully built not only to connect you with local people and ways of life, but also positively impact the lives and communities that you encounter. For our Wild Food Adventures, that means: 

  • Local, seasonal ingredients: All our dishes are cooked using seasonal ingredients sourced from local communities.

  • Native, authentic recipes: With the support of an expert Armenian food historian and our nonprofit arm ONEArmenia, your hosts have created a menu that is true to the culinary and cultural traditions of each location while preserving its cultural heritage with local and near-forgotten recipes.  

  • Expertly trained community hosts: Your hosts have been trained in the culinary arts, hospitality, customer service, hygiene, food waste management, first aid, and environmental protection at the Yeremyan Academy, Armenia’s top culinary school, so that you can enjoy the Armenian Highland in comfort and feel good knowing that your experience has little to no impact on the environment. 

  • Untouched natural landscapes: Our Wild Food Adventures are set places of outstanding natural beauty, and to ensure that we not only keep them beautiful but also contribute to their wellbeing, every booking supports local wildlife organizations. We are proud to collaborate with the Caucasus Nature Fund, the Arpa Protected Landscape, the Khosrov Forest State Reserve, and Trails For Change NGO to protect Armenia’s natural environments.

FAQ

Questions? Concerns? Burning existential queries on life? We can help (with the first two).

  • Unfortunately not, as our menu is fixed.

  • If you are a vegetarian then absolutely yes. Some dishes in the lineup are already vegetarian-friendly. For dishes that are not, we have prepared vegetarian alternatives. Simply make sure to inform us if you or someone in your group is vegetarian when submitting your booking request. Unfortunately though, not all our vegetarian alternatives are vegan and dairy products are used extensively in Armenian cuisine so at this point we are unable to cater to vegans.

  • It will depend. Please let us know of any allergies and/or dietary restrictions anyone in your group may have using the booking request form, and we will see if we can remove/replace ingredients affected, though we cannot guarantee that there won’t be cross contamination.

  • No, however do bear in mind that some of our experiences include off-road driving on bumpy roads in order to reach the final location. If you have any physical impairments like back problems that might be affected, please inform us and we can advise on whether or not your desired experience is suitable.

  • Unfortunately, our regular itinerary is not. However, we aim to make our trips as accessible as possible so please let us know if you have any special requirements and we will try to find a solution within our means.

  • For safety reasons, children under 12 are not able to participate in the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Cliffs and Mountaintop Eats experiences. However, children are welcome in the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Vineyards experience.

  • English, Russian, and Armenian.

  • There are no pets allowed at the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Cliffs or Mountaintop Eats experiences, as both are set at high altitudes with rough terrains, and the former is also set within a protected area. As for Areni Vineyards, pets are welcome so long as they remain on their best behavior.

  • No, Armenian cuisine is not very spicy by nature. But that doesn’t mean it lacks flavor!

  • Of course! A fixed amount is included in the price of your experience and you can order additional alcohol during the experience itself, depending on what is available in the location. Note that we are unfortunately not able to provide an extensive menu given the wild nature of the experience. If you do not drink alcohol, don’t worry – a non-alcoholic alternative will be provided.

  • Though we cannot control the exact conditions on the day of your experience, insect repellent will be available for you to use in case of insects. We have done our best to select locations where there are few such critters but there is a chance you will come across other animals such as snakes (though they generally avoid people anyway). Our guide and local partners will advise you what to do in such situations.

  • We will notify you 48 hours before the experience start time if we need to postpone or cancel, in the case of a heavy rain forecast. Still, we recommend you bring a raincoat anyway in case of unexpected rain. Otherwise, the Armenian sun can be quite strong and while your dining area is arranged under a canopy, we recommend bringing a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen in case. As the evenings can get quite cool, we also suggest bringing warm layers.

  • There are no fixed toilets, however your hosts will of course show you a safe, comfortable and private place to “go in the wild.” Hand washing equipment will be provided. In case you need a fixed toilet, these will be available at the start and end points of your experience.

  • Not at all. The ride to Areni takes around 2 hours and transportation is easy to arrange. You can contact us for more information. As for Yeranos, transportation from Yerevan is included in the price of your booking.