Where should you celebrate a special occasion? Zaytinya should be at the top of your list. We finally made it out to check this restaurant out and to be honest I kept holding off because a 4 star review for a celebrity chef restaurant seemed a bit low. I thought maybe they had some kinks to work out and finally decided our 10 year anniversary is going to be a special dinner here. Best of all they have a pet friendly patio so our mini golden doodle joined us and loved all the attention she got.. Ambience: the interior is gorgeous and the exterior is so cozy and green. Five star. Food: I'm not sure why there are patrons who don't seem to like the food, but we absolutely loved it. It's Mediterranean - Turkish, Greek and Lebanese. We did the tasting menu which was so reasonably priced & had plenty of food for both of us to feel full. The lamb was absolutely to die for. I could eat 10 chops myself. We also tried the beet salad, hummus, meatballs, salmon and Brussels sprout. I enjoyed everything. Service: our server Alex was fantastic. He gave us the perfect amount of attention without being intrusive, check on us regularly and made our special day extra nice. My most important quality for a good restaurant is good management and their manager. Alejandro was amazing. The entire staff made sure to wish us a happy anniversary, made us feel extra special and appreciated. Alejandro went above and beyond. Not only did he have the best personality, he made sure we had the best possible experience and we did! We've already told so many of our friends about it and I'm not sure if it's because of the location that people aren't aware of it, but I'll be telling everyone about my experience. The one thing I should mention is since the restaurant is part of the hotel (The Shay) they have valet parking and no validation. If you're like me and hate valet, there are plenty of street parking if you're willing to walk 5 - 7 minutes. Otherwise, you can park at the Ivy station lot but you'll have to get a validation at one of their stores (2 hrs). Taking the metro is also super convenient as it stops right next to the hotel. Oh, and after dinner, you should head upstairs to the rooftop bar and grab a drink and enjoy the beautiful view. I'm sure you can tell by reading my review that I love this place and looking forward to going back again soon. Thank you for making our special day even more special. read more

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Came here for a dine la special and it was very good! Loved every dish and all the different dips and spreads that came with it. The environment is also very chic and very aesthetic which makes sense cause they also have a location in Vegas. Think high end Mediterranean food! Service was also really nice and accommodating with a baby at the table read more

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I'll be saying Zaytinya over and over in my dreams tonight!!! Hidden away in Culver City is some of the best, most flavorful, wholesome, fine cooking on the planet. We ordered the baba ghannouge, falafel, spanakoriso, scallops and shrimps, and topped it off with olive oil cake. Every sauce was wipeable until the plate shined and tears formed in our eyes. I think Zaytinya is a pan near eastern cuisine like I have experienced in London, NY and Chicago, but for some reason the LA Zaytinya is a step above. Maybe its the good California produce? Parking in the near by lot is a little tough, but you'll appreciate a bit of a walk to work off the crazy feast that is Zaytinya!!! read more

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Absolutely obsessed with this restaurant, an incredible selection with very knowledgeable staff read more

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I highly recommend ordering the octopus! Very cute inside, service is ok but dishes come out very fast and portions are decent. read more

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My hubby and I went here for the first time. We decided to do the tasting menu. It was a lot of food but great to sample a number of great dishes.i loved the Greens. The wines were very good too! read more

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Zaytinya is a very decent restaurant with standout dishes and also some "good but not mind-blowing" dishes. We were a party of 2 and wanted to try as much as we could, so we went with the 5-course Mezze Tasting Dinner ($70 per person and the whole table has to do it). There were 2 standouts for me: h'tipiti (course 1 - marinated roasted red peppers, feta, thyme) and the grilled lamb chops (course 5 - served with smoked labneh, tzatziki, harissa chili crisp). Now THE GRILLED LAMB CHOPS!! Wow. This dish was perfect. The lamb could melt in your mouth! It was tender and juicy, and incredibly seasoned. I am not always a lamb person - I don't like it when it's gamey. And everything on the plate is delicious. The smoked labneh, which also goes really well with the pita (more on that next), and the tzatziki were fresh and delicious. Course 1 was served with their house-made pita, which is puffed! There is also olive oil with balsamic on the table. The h'tipiti was super flavorful. We also got the hummus, which was good but honestly nothing special. I know hummus is hummus to an extent, but I HAVE had really incredible hummus, so I'm definitely comparing it! Everything else: crispy brussels afelia (these were okay, relatively large portion), fattoush (very nice and fresh), soutzoukakia (very good, small dish with 3 meatballs and kind of a marinara sauce), soujouk pide (good, it's served like a flatbread and the sausage is tasty), olive oil cake (delicious, a small bite, served with citrus), and Turkish coffee chocolate cake (okay, this almost had the texture of a brownie). It's a beautiful and clean restaurant, and it's attached to The Shay Hotel. The bathroom is by the lobby and is also clean. The service was great. The cost is definitely on the high end - nearly $100 with tax and tip, and we did not have any beverages. Of course we didn't have to get the tasting menu, but it seemed like we would end up spending that amount anyway. But the portions were more generous than we expected, and we both had enough to take home. The ingredients taste fresh and the dishes are thoughtfully prepared. Parking options are limited - valet for $18 up to 3 hours. We found street parking nearby, but there isn't a lot available. All in all, I would return to Zaytinya for a treat meal. The grilled lamb chops alone are enough to bring me back! read more

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Zaytinya is a Jose Andres restaurant located in the Shay hotel in Culver City. We went for date night, but it seems like a lot of big groups dine there for company meetings or just family get togethers. Our servers were super attentive throughout and always happy to answer questions. It's a tapas style restaurant, so they recommended getting a few plates to share. They also start you off with complimentary house-made pita and olive oil with a pomegranate reduction. Delicious olive oil! The pita is great because it's fresh, but in general I wouldn't say it's my preferred type of pita. We started with the baba ghannouge which was perfectly creamy with a nice, fire-roasted flavor. It went well with the pita bread. Next, we had the seared halloumi. The portion was pretty small but the texture of the halloumi was perfect and the dates were delicious; I'm not sure if they were soaked in mint, but the flavor was perfect. The cauliflower tiganites had beautiful preserved lemon. The crispy Brussels afelia had good flavor as well with coriander seeds and barberries. The Adana kebab was very delicious but was much smaller than we anticipated. Overall, delicious food but nothing that blew me away. Everything was presented beautifully and service was great. read more

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Treated my mom here for her birthday and had a really terrific meal! Each dish was so flavorful and the plating was gorgeous. We did valet parking which was super easy. The restaurant itself attached the hotel, large and beautiful interior but very loud. Our waiter was very charming and gave great recommendations since it was our first time. There were four of us with a variety of preferences, dietary restrictions and allergies and we had no problem getting the perfect amount of dishes that we all loved. I was really impressed by the drinks as well. My favorite dishes were the baba ganoush, grilled halloumi (probably my #1), cauliflower and the olive oil cake. Do not skip on the dessert! read more

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Parking: We found free street parking on Venice Blvd, but I believe you can get validation if you park at Ivy Station? Experience: We walked in on a Friday night around 8pm and were seated immediately although the restaurant was fairly full! I loved all the booth seating. It was dark and pretty loud outside. The outdoor patio appeared to be closed. The pita bread was delicious and the waiters made sure the basket was replenished throughout the night. You order family-style. We got the baba ghannouge, cauliflower, scallops, fattoush, and labneh pide flatbread. For dessert, we got the chocolate cake. Everything was solid, nothing outstanding, but I'd come back to try other items on the menu! read more

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First off, the food was just okay. Small portions. Workers don't know what they are talking about. I called earlier asking about parking and asked if they give validation. They said yes and to park at Ivy station. We tried to validated our ticket and front desk said "we don't validate". HAHA, nice! $18 for parking sweet. Great way to spend an evening. read more

Got a chance to visit Zaytinya in Culver City again. I've always been a fan of their Shish Taouk and the best way to eat it is to make small pita wraps with everything they serve on the plate. The Za'atar margarita was quite alright, but the Sidecar to Tangier is my personal favorite. The balance they have going with Ras el hanout, saffron and metaxa is just beautiful. The service was prompt and friendly. Do check them out if you are in the area. read more

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We had such a great experience at Zaytina tonight!! The food is so good, and coming from middle eastern, the flavors were authentic with a little twist. Our server Isaiah was amazing, sweet, and attentive. Celebrated an early mother's day and he was generous enough to bring out dessert! Really cute spot for dinner! read more

Zaytinya - Chocolate Cale - Greek Near Me - Culver City, California

I gave it a low rating because the staff service was bad.... The manager was friendly sweet and engaging but everyone else looked dead in the eyes. The waiter explained recommendations as if he was reading a boring script. The only reason why I won't come back is because of the staff. The food was absolutely AMAZING and looked beautiful. Every dish was cooked to perfection. If only the service was good, it would've been my favorite new spot. read more

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Great delicious food with simple ingredients. Usually we eat in Beverly Hills and it is so refreshing to come to this restaurant and eat delicious food and not be overcharged. We had the $70 prefix menu each and every course came out delicious full of flavor. Brussel sprouts are the best I've had in LA- crispy and just the right amount. Overall, lots of food, great flavors and service. read more

Zaytinya - Falafel and half eaten bushel sprouts. In front is the soutzoukakia - Greek Near Me - Culver City, California

This gem is located off the Culver Expo Line at Ivy Station. We went for my sisters birthday and we had an amazing time. To begin, our server was amazing. She explained everything to us and got us started with the option of still or sparkling water. (We went sparkling) We were giving some suggestion for how to order for the four of us, as we were told the portion was sized for sharing. All of us started with the margarita which packed a punch. Classic margarita with a twist of a sour like cloud on top. My sister has the 3pm in Istanbul which is a perfect pick for those who love more fruity drinks. Ours apps were perfect and quick, fresh salad and baba gnnoush served with the lightest pita made to man. Super yummy. NOW YALL I'm not lying when I tell you the meat here is the SOFTED JUICIEST meat I've had in a while. You do not even have to chew it. It's that soft!! It's plated with three dips and some yummy charred veggies. The place was gorgeous and everything was so wonderful. My only minor thing is that the music could be slightly lowered. Not a huge deal when you're having this amazing deal but if that a deal breaking, there is that to note. Will be back to try the rest of the menu as there were so many good option that we just couldn't choose. Recommend for a nice classy dinner such as the birthday occasion. read more

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I'm a big fan of Jose Andres and would give him five stars for his work with World Central Kitchen but we're talking about Zaytinya. The Space is attractive but too big and awkward. It definitely gives off hotel restaurant vibes. Four of us dined here. Our waiter was awesome. He called himself Steven Schpielburg - his spiel was great and we each had the tasting menu, described (spot on), like Dine LA. It was a ton of food. A few standouts were the dips (baba ganoush, hummus), fetiush salad, the salmon, lamb chops. Shrimp was the least good, grilled halloumi was cold. For dessert, the chocolate (and I'm a chocolate girl) was the weakest. Drinks were also tasty. I had one that had gin, yogurt and apricot. I was curious how it would be with the yogurt but couldn't really taste it or see it. Overall, the food and dining experience is good but nothing like his old restaurant the Bazaar which was innovative and memorable. read more

Stick a fork in me, I'm done ! Food is delicious. At the hands of Jose Andres, Zaytinya is hitting it out of the park with these amazing culinary creations. Staff members are kind and friendly. They really care about their customers. The first time, we came to Zaytinya the waiter gave us a cup of French fries by mistake and they let us keep it at no charge. They are on point every time with good quality and ambiance. read more

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I went here for the Dine-LA menu and it was really fun to get a taste of what this restaurant is all about. This is a mediterranean spot serving elevated small plates that are perfect for sharing. The standouts on this Dine LA menu for me was the babaganoush dip (perfect smokiness to it), the falafel were crispy and full of flavor, the chicken with the garlic and tomato was very tasty and I loved the shrimp in this rich buttery sauce, I could drink that sauce it was so good! They give you pitas in each round of your meal and they are warm and fresh and perfect for all the sauces that are part of all these unique dishes. The service is excellent! Very attentive and helpful in deciding what to order. We parked in a lot across the street, there is not really parking directly along the restaurant. read more

Went here for Dine LA dinner, the portion sizes overall were pretty good. I like the free pitas that they keep refilling with the olive oil dip. But it's really good with the hummus and babaganoush. Inside is very cute and a nice date night vibe. Parking is valet only read more

Great service and staffing. Food was all well prepared and vibrant. Interior decour is just the typical beige-wood slats-minimalist modern, but the entire restaurant is incredibly clean. The unlimited fresh bread was the best and most essential part of the meal. Go with larger groups to try as much of the menu as possible read more

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We were a party of 6. We ordered a variety of items and shared. They bring you lots of food and we could have ordered just 1 dish per person. They suggested we order 2 per person but we are not big eaters so I think that 1 different dish for all six of us would have been plenty. We thought about ordering the Chef's experience but it really is too much food and we have some picky eaters. The service was top notch at the beginning. However, once we determined not to do the experience, the service was still good but not as white glove service as when we first sat down. read more

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Food was good overall, but the service was pretty slow even though the restaurant wasn't busy. We waited a long time to order and even to get water. I also wish they would've mentioned that one of the recommendations was an off-menu item because it ended up being more expensive than I expected. Overall, the food was good, but the service and communication could definitely be better read more

The best of times for my first Valentine's Day with my boyfriend. He chose well, as always, when taking me out, and everything was perfect Excellent service and food--no complaints. We will definitely come back soon! The setting was nice; not too loud or quiet, with beautiful decor. read more

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Had my first dining experience here about ~3-4 months ago for a corporate event with about 10-12 people We ordered pretty much everything from the menu and the food was fantastic! Great service, knowledgeable and fun staff, lovely ambience...would definitely return! read more

Came by for dinner last night, just a party of 3. I parked at the ivy lot which was pretty pricey (ended up being over $18) and they sadly don't validate. Really big space inside, nice ambiance. They serve ballooned pita and olive oil with pomegranate molasses to the table. They refill the pita which is nice! We ordered a few dishes. Oddly, they all came out together instead of the starter coming out first. Baba Ghannouge: We're all big fans of baba and 2/3 girls liked it. The reason why one of the girls didn't like it is because it was too smoky. I didn't mind it so much but it wasn't a standout baba dish. It was topped with pomegranate. Octopus Santorini: Loved this dish the most out of everything. Really flavorful. I do feel like they skimp out on portion. It's cubed up which does make it easy for sharing but it doesn't seem like a lot of fish is on the plate and it's not a cheap dish. Lamb Baharat: This was pretty good, comes with a small dollop of tahini on the side and some tabbouleh. But again, very tiny piece of meat. We each got a single bite of it. We were still quite hungry so added on another dish... Black Cod: This was good but again, small portion. Overall, food is decent but it does feel overpriced for the very small portion you get. I liked the octopus and the black cod best. Biggest reason why I've docked them in the stars is because of their service. Service was painfully slow and inattentive. The waiter rarely checked on us. We had to flag someone down to get our waiter so that we could order food. We then had to flag him down when we needed to order another dish because we were still hungry, and flag him down yet again when we were ready to pay. Really unimpressive and frankly bad service. read more

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The restaurant was totally dead and now I understand why. We had a 5:45 PM dinner and we're there until 8:30 at night. The service was so bad and so slow. It was very disappointing. We also ordered way too much food based on the recommendation of the server. If you do the tasting menu, it is A LOT of food and you do not need anything else. I'm not going back here until they clean up their act, which is a bummer because their food is actually very good (except for the desserts - not good. Skip those) read more

I haven't been to many upscale Mediterranean restaurants, but I can confidently say Zaytinya is not just the best Mediterranean spot I've tried, it's easily one of the best restaurants I've ever been to, period. Our server let us know that most of the plates are small and recommended we go with the chef's tasting menu. We took his advice and wow, what an experience! Twelve dishes and two desserts later, our taste buds were completely in a surprise! I've never been a big fan of tasting menus, but this one totally changed my mind. The meal started off light, built up to the main proteins, and wrapped up with more veggie dishes. And the desserts? Mind-blowingly good. No joke, I'd go back just for the coffee and dessert. Bonus points for their heated patio, which means my furry buddy can join me too. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

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We went last night with another couple and all of us ordered the tasting menu. Our waitress suggested we each get something different so we would have everything on the menu. Although we were all together we were only sharing with our partners so we did not follow her advice. The first course was these fluffy homemade pitas and a rather (too) large dip- I chose the hummus and my husband chose the Lobneh. The best thing about my hummus was the chili crisp. I asked if the chili crisp and included pine nuts (which I am allergic to and told her before ordering) and the waitress said she didn't know. She didn't say " let me check". There weren't pine nuts in the chili crisp, but we had to dig around with a fork to find out. The next course was a salad, I chose the smoked beet salad, my husband chose the fattoush. Both were good but I didn't taste or smell any smokiness to the beets. For the next course we chose the spicy sausage and the cumin spiced meatballs. Honestly these were a total fail-the meatballs didn't taste like cumin and the texture was like raw meat. The spicy sausage was served as a flatbread/pizza and was oily and tasteless. Our 4th course choices were the sautéed shrimp and the grilled lamb chop. My husband shrimp was rubbery because it was overcooked, but my lamb chop was pretty great, although it was very very rare. The staff seemed to not be prepared nor did our waitress let the servers know who was getting what so they would just come to the table and stand there we told them what we were each having. Each couple spent $216 before tip. Parking was $18. We are never going back- there are so many better restaurants out there. read more

Zaytinya is my ideal kind of restaurant - I love any menu that encourages you to try as many dishes as possible. I ordered the ancient olive martini and had no idea it would come as a deconstructed martini! I think it should be a little more clearly labeled on the menu, but regardless I loved it! You have to really enjoy olives to order this since it comes with an olive infused gin martini, juiced olives (almost like an olive smoothie), and gin oil olives on the side. As pretty much every review here mentions, the pita is thin, puffy, warm, and plentiful! At first, I was saving a piece for the hummus we ordered but by the time the hummus came around, it was cold and hard so it was quickly replaced with a fresh batch. Lesson learned, no reason to hold onto the pita! We ordered a little bit of everything. The lamb hummus was the perfect way to start things off, and the tabbouleh was exceptional. The bone marrow kibbeh were a little forgettable, especially when combined with such flavorful alternatives. I loved the cauliflower (with a sprinkle of preserved lemon, it was exceptional) and the cod as well. The biggest bummer was we ordered the lamb baharat, and it took forever to come out. All of our other dishes had already been long cleared away before it arrived, and at that point we were to stuffed to enjoy it. read more

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A good spot in the long line of restaurant concepts by Jose Andres. It's in a newer location, beautiful spot, with great drinks. Service was good. Some items were better than others, with various degrees of excellence. Great ambiance, adjoined to a hotel with nice decor. Would have rated it higher if not for one of their main courses coming out significantly overcooked. Ironically, one of the kebabs came out a bit cold. We went at a time that was not too busy. All in all, would give it another try but maybe lean into the drinks and bites instead of going for the mains. read more

Yummy brunch! Food service was fast and the food was flavorful. The portions were small for the price but that could just be their brunch items. Complimentary pita and oil to start was a nice treat. Massive interior with extensive seating options - indoor/outdoor/bar/table. Staff were all friendly and helpful. read more

Zaytinya - Menemen - Greek Near Me - Culver City, California

Came here for dinner with a family of 3. We ordered the baba ghanoush (ghannouge) $13, four lollipop lamp chops $65, huge sea bass or branzino with three accompaniments $110 and Brussels sprouts $16. Pita bread was light and the olive oil and balsamic vinegar provided a nice dip. My brother said when he first had the Brussels sprouts at Zaytinya in Washington DC, it was the best Brussels sprouts he ever had bc the outer leaves were crispy. When he went back a second time years later, they were no longer crispy. He was disappointed. We decided to try the Brussels sprouts at Zaytinya in Culver City. Again, they were not crispy. Due to the lighting in the room, they looked like black blobs in white yogurt. We were not impressed with the dish. It wasn't until I took a pic with a flash could I see this dish properly. There were a lot of tiny bones in the Branzino (sea bass). Big fish though. Baba ghanoush was ok. Lamb chops were tasty. Impeccable service - we were constantly asked if we wanted more pita bread - rare in restaurants nowadays, constant refill of water, and attentive server. Nice ambience, but better lighting was needed to see the food. The music was a little too loud for me, but not for my brother. While I admire Jose Andres' work around the world, his cuisine in Culver City and DTLA, from my experience, has a tendency to be overpriced for what you get which has been a disappointment, and this restaurant was no exception. We had a better experience with Butterfly DineLA lunch upstairs. read more

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I'm a big fan of José Andrés and his restaurants. I went to the original Zaytinya in D.C. years ago and was wowed by the quality and variety of the food and vibe of the place. Too bad that didn't translate to Culver City. It pains me to write this review. I like the meze concept in general, but when they say small plates here, they mean small. They bring you these wonderful dirigibles of pita bread that are truly wonderful and encourage you to order a couple of "spreads" for them. We tried the baba ganoush, which was fairly bland and had a sprinkling of pomegranates. The one at Trader Joe's is just as good for a third of the price, and we ended up leaving half of it untouched. And I never do that. The spanakopita sounded good, but when it came we burst out laughing. There was only one, the size of a large frankfurter encircled with crumbled feta and completely unmemorable. When the Octopus Santorini arrived, we didn't know what to think. First, we had to find the six small chunks of octopus buried under a mess of greens. My partner thought that the yellow split pea purée tasted like baby food. The bite-sized chunks worked out to $4 apiece (the dish is $24 and not worth it). The $20 martinis were served in the smallest glasses imaginable. What a joke. Two good things: the service was excellent and the french fries were delicious and plentiful. But you can get great fries in lots of places. It's not worth coming here for them. read more

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Zaytinya stands in the place that etta once occupied Cute lil space in the Shay that was actually pretty busy on a Sunday afternoon My friend and I came here following a tour at the eco star station because it was close and they offered a dine LA menu for a decent price We ordered the hummus, babbaganoush, Brussels, beet salad, salmon, falafel, and they only had the olive oil cake as the apricot and yogurt dessert was sold out Everything was delicious. They brought out warm pita, olive oil, and pom molasses to dip the pita in The babaganoush was super flavorful and garlicky The hummus was a nice flavor Brussels were flavored well The beet citrus salad was also a nice mix of flavors and had a little of beet pieces I didnt have the falafels but the salmon was delectable and crisp to perfection - a bit smaller than most place portions even during dine la The olive oil cake was also moist and the perfect end to the meal A pretty solid meal but not sure id be back read more

Zaytinya - Greek Near Me - Culver City, California

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Such a great experience at Jose Andres new spot! It was hard to see etta leave but so glad a wonderful new place has taken this prime spot in the Shay Hotel. I was seated right away for my 5:30pm reservation and the staff were quite helpful and friendly. Such warm and welcoming modern and Mediterranean vibes when you walk into the space. The format of the menu is tapas and mains and they generally recommend 3-4 per person but depending on what you order you can probably order less. You get bottomless pillowy fresh pita bread which goes great with any dip you order. We got the baba ganoush and it was amazing! Also order the beet salad and Brussels (yum!), the octopus, cod and the kibbeh. Really liked the seafood dishes, the kibbeh was good but really rich, I'd aim for lighter options next time. Drinks are also fabulous! The magic carpet was so great to go with the meal! read more

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As a regular of Zaytinya DC, I don't think they should even call this place Zaytinya because it's a huge disservice to the original location. The flavors were BAD and fail capture the essence of Greek, Turkish, and Mediterranean cooking. Service was slow and chaotic despite the large waitstaff. To start we ordered: - HOMMUS MA LAHM: I'm not exaggerating, the ground lamb in this tasted EXACTLY like Taco Bell meat. - BABA GHANNOUGE: good if you like very smoky - TZATZIKI: extremely watery! - ZA'ATAR PIDE: our favorite of all the starters Mezzes: - FATTOUSH: really plain, could not taste the pomegranate dressing, pita chips were too hard and inedible - CAULIFLOWER TIGANITES: standard roasted cauliflower with yogurt dip, nothing to write home about - BANTIJIAN BIL LABAN: crispy eggplant was the favorite out of this set Protein: - BLACK COD: tasted fishy and I had major doubts this was actually black cod given the texture (overcooked) and leanness - KEBAB PLATTER: we liked the chicken and adana kebabs with the accompanying sides I'm a fan of Jose Andres and have dined in nearly all of his restaurants. Zaytinya LA has been the biggest disappointment. I'm not convinced he's actually tried the food here. read more

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A refreshing meal realized with inspiration from your World Market vision board. Went for dine LA lunch on a double date, which was the perfect move to have 4 people try every option for each course. My favs pictured include: * the roasted al dente beet salad with tangy mandarins and sodium laded feta for the perfect bite * brussel sprouts with yogurt is a game changer * double one hitters for dessert tho I have a penchant for the orange cake * not pictured but also boom boom were the standard dips (labneh, baba ganoush, and hummus). the pita bread served here is almost like a deep fried lavash texture unlike the fluffy pillows you might be used to from the levain bonus points for having both delicious cocktails and NA options (the cucumber spritz was divine) read more

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I came here excited to recommend this place to friends after having a great experience at the DC location, but this visit was a huge disappointment. The restaurant was half empty, yet service was terrible. We could barely get any attention from our server and were repeatedly pushed to just order drinks instead of being properly helped. The server recommended the $80 chef's menu, which turned out to be the worst part of the experience. We ordered two, and instead of receiving separate portions, everything was combined onto one plate. The portions were shockingly small--micro-sized dishes. One piece of falafel, one lamb chop, and a bite-sized scoop of hummus. It was nowhere near enough food, and we had to order additional dishes afterward just to feel satisfied. Even the server agreed that the portions were extremely small. The food itself was average at best--nothing memorable or worth the price. Overall, this was a horrible experience, and I won't be returning. I also don't see this place lasting very long if things don't change. Lastly, the wine selection was very poor. There were no Pinots or red wines available, and no recommendations were offered. If you do come, make sure to read up beforehand and ask for tastings, since they do offer that. read more

I have gone to zaytinya in dc and had high hopes when I heard it was opening in Culver City. I made 4 visits here (3 sit down and 1 takeout) since I really wanted to give this place a try and I have to say it's alright. In December on the second week of opening, service was immaculate and food was just what I expected: the hummus, tzatziki, scallops, octopus, branzini sea bass, and lamb shoulder. It was so good I came back taking my parents here and noticed a slight degrade in the quality of the food but still carry the luster of enjoyment. Dinela came about and we went and had the following based on the photos attached and that's where I noticed some quality loss in the scallops, the BEEF SOUTZOUKAKIA, and SEARED HALLOUMI. Meatball was a mush and the halloumi was overpowering that anything along with it was not possible to coat the taste. I did ask the waiter about this dish and he mentioned that it was an acquired dish which I didn't seem convincing. Now the takeout is what I find disappointing when I ordered the lamb shoulder , I was expecting a large portion when it was served a month ago and noticed the price did go up from 85$ to 105$ so I expected more decadent taste, but instead I get a small cardboard box of a diced sliver of lamb shoulder with the sauce dripping out of the container when I got home. Honestly not great and disappointed I called to order which they don't accept and have to order there at the bar since I knew the dish takes awhile to make. Parking can be done at the metro station but I did manage to find free parking at defunct coop market Just say I am a believer of the Jose Andre's restaurants, but when things get shortcut and price adjustment were made not even a month in service, it's a bit disappointing and hard to share that this is zaytinya that I rave how great in DC. Decor is clean and has the open Mediterranean vibe of the well lit bar and cozy seats. Though I do see the crowd is starting get less and less as the menu changes. PLEASE zaytinya Culver City don't become the next ETTA. read more

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