Sesilya, a Georgian bakery and restaurant, opens its bakery in the old Negril space on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope

A Georgian bakery has opened on Park Slope's Fifth Avenue. Sesilya began serving at 254 Fifth Avenue, at Carroll Street, on Thursday, Oct. 22, in the space Jamaican restaurant Negril BK left behind, Park Slope Pulse reported. A full restaurant is planned in the same space later, with no opening date announced.

Who is behind it

Co-owner David Kitiashvili moved to New York from Tbilisi, Georgia, more than two decades ago and is opening Sesilya with childhood friends. He told Park Slope Pulse that many dishes come from recipes handed down by their grandmothers, the people who made sure they always had good khachapuri, Georgia's cheese bread.

Kitiashvili, who has more than a decade of front-of-house experience in city restaurants, told Park Slope Walk that the team had been working on the location since January. The triple-wide storefront, between Garfield Place and Carroll Street, had been one of the strip's most visible vacancies since Negril moved out last year. He said they chose Park Slope because there are few Georgian restaurants nearby and the neighborhood is growing.

What to expect

• The bakery, open now, serves bread, pastry and coffee. The restaurant's website lists bakery hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
• Later: a dining room with a seasonal menu, a bar pouring chacha, the Georgian grape spirit, and a cellar for qvevri wines, made in clay vessels, plus a long table for private parties. The site says bookings open 30 days ahead.
• Wine classes: Kitiashvili told Park Slope Pulse he eventually plans private lessons on Georgian wine, a tradition about 8,000 years old.

Sesilya is the second Georgian business on this stretch of Fifth Avenue this year, after Lileo, a Georgian coffee and wine bar a few blocks north, Park Slope Pulse noted.

Sesilya, 254 Fifth Ave. (at Carroll Street), Park Slope, Brooklyn. Phone (718) 255-3637. The opening was also noted in The Park Sloper's weekly newsletter.