Service is super slow took 2.5 hours for the dinner. Food was mediocre at best. Either salty or bland no in between. Would not come back.

Must come for lunch! Had the best lavash wraps and the Margaritas are a must have. Very tasty and strong. Had a blast. Our server Jess is wonderful and attentive to our needs. read more

Four of us had lunch here on the Friday before Christmas. The interior is beautiful and the space is large with plenty of seating and nice spacing. It was the first time for three of us, so we ordered quite a few items from the menu. Almost everything is designed to be shared anyway - so that's what we did. We had hommus, labneh, baba ghannouge, crispy brussels, zatinya fries, halloumi flatbread, kebab platter, lamb chops, and a dessert made of greek yogurt and pears. The lunch was served with their house made pita bread. Everything was delicious - excellently prepared and presented. There was plenty of creativity in the dishes also. For example, the crispy brussels sprouts were served on a bed of garlicky yogurt sauce that made them extra tasty. So good in fact that I started dipping the fries in that same sauce. Yum. We loved all the garnishes and dips that came with the various platters. I was a bit dubious of the dessert (which our server recommended) - but it turned out to be a great choice. Everyone loved it. Service was friendly and helpful and food arrived promptly after we placed our order. Pacing was also good. Even though the restaurant was full, we never felt rushed. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I look forward to coming back and trying more of the items on the menu. read more

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We had such an amazing experience here! Our server MJ was incredibly knowledgeable and attentive. Everything we ordered was fresh and perfectly cooked. There wasn't a single item that we didn't like! Chef Amiran did an amazing job with everything! My personal favorites of the night were the h'tipiti spread, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and lamb chops! The lamb chops in particular were the most tender, perfectly seasoned, to-die-for dish I have had all year. Our table was in complete silence as we were enjoying that dish. We also had a steady flow of freshly baked pita bread all night. We will be back for sure! read more

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I've had some rough dining experiences, but this place takes the cake for absolute incompetence. We sat down, ordered drinks and appetizers right away, and then waited... and waited... and waited. Forty minutes later, not a single thing had come out of the kitchen--no appetizers, no bread, no drinks, nothing. The server literally disappeared after taking our order like they'd gone on a permanent smoke break. When I finally flagged someone down to ask what was happening, they just shrugged. No apology, no offer to comp anything, no sense of urgency whatsoever. Meanwhile, tables around us who arrived after us were already eating. Zero stars. Never going back. If you value your time (and your hunger), do yourself a favor and eat literally anywhere else. This was a complete disaster from start to finish. read more

My other half and I came here for the first time, and I have to say we had an amazing experience. The energy at the bar was absolutely beautiful. Huge shout-out to bartenders Dodo especially Gil they were phenomenal. Their energy, personality, and attention to detail were truly next level. These guys were on it! Great conversations, incredible service, and fantastic drinks. I absolutely loved their martini. It was presented in such a unique and fun way. The gin martini came alongside their olive purée and whole olives, so you sipped the gin, tasted the purée, and then popped an olive in your mouth. It turned drinking a martini into an experience fun, exciting, and genuinely interesting. I also tried another cocktail (the name escapes me), but it was just as impressive and beautifully crafted. If you're not ready for that kind of high-energy, engaging bar experience, I'd suggest not sitting at the bar because they bring it, and they bring it well. The restaurant itself is stunning classy, elegant, and modern. I also had the pleasure of meeting the manager, Brittany, who was just as impressive. She has a wonderful personality and clearly delivers exceptional customer service. She was warm, welcoming, and genuinely appreciative when I shared how great the bartenders were, and she made us feel truly invited to return. I haven't tried the food yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it. Thank you all for such a spectacular start to the new year. This was the first restaurant I dined at in January 2026, and it set the bar high. We had a wonderful time thank you so much. (The restaurant is a mix of Lebanese, Turkish and Mediterranean) read more

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Randy gave us incredible, caring service during our dinner . Highly recommend him, made made our experience memorable.

Sydney was amazing!! Top notch customer service, with great recommendations! Checked in with us often and made sure we had everything covered. Ambiance at the restaurant was great as well. Food was delicious, shareable plates. read more

We waited quite some time to be able to get these reservations and it was well worth it. Ambience is a beautiful setting with neutral tones and a cool bar. Anna Maria was our server. She was very attetiive, friendly and knew the menu quite well. Her recommendations were on point. We ordered the kebab family platter. All of it was excellent, but my favorite was surprisingly the kofte. The fried brussels sprouts were delicious with the yogurt and pomegranate sauce. Cocktails were perfection we ordered the lavender infused vodka drink, as well as the sangria style cocktail. Both delicious and refreshing. We will definitely be coming back. read more

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Really good food , amazing service especially from Adrian our server, very attentive, taking care of us all the time. Really really good.

Adam was wonderful! The food was delicious! Everyone should get the smoked beet salad!

Came here to celebrate my friends birthday and it was a very cute place. It was smaller than what I Imagined and the food was okay. I don't think it was that special. The dolmades were very delicious I strongly recommend that for appetizers. We got the celebration rice and it was kinda bland not worth for the price. Also, our waiter was not the most attentive, I had to keep asking others for help. Overall, it was an okay experience. Atmosphere was the only thing worth it. read more

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We had a really frustrating experience here on Saturday, Jan 10. We arrived around 4:45pm and checked in with the front staff. We were told they didn't have wait staff yet, and that we should come back at 5:30pm for first-come, first-served seating. We returned at 5:20pm and checked in again. This time we were told to wait until 5:30pm. At 5:31pm, we were told there were no tables available. This felt extremely unprofessional and like a complete waste of our time. If the restaurant was already fully booked or unable to seat walk-ins, they should have said so when we checked in at 4:45pm, or at least when we came back at 5:20pm--instead of repeatedly telling us to wait and then turning us away right after opening. Because of this, we had to scramble for another option and ended up waiting an additional 30 minutes at another restaurant. It completely ruined our evening. If you can't accommodate walk-ins, that's fine--but please communicate clearly and don't send people away to "come back" only to refuse seating minutes later. read more

A pre-review TL;DR: I was served severely undercooked - raw on the inside! - chicken in a $70 dish. Now, to further extrapolate. I was thrilled when I heard a Jose Andres concept was headed to Palo Alto, and even more excited to see it was Zaytinya. I've been to several of the Jose Andres restaurants and have always been pleased. Sadly, this trip to Zaytinya will likely go down as my worst restaurant experience of 2025, because several of the fundamentals of an upscale restaurant experience simply were not present. The worst of it, by far, was food temperature. We ordered a dozen or so dishes and the only one served at the proper temperature was the hummus. Everything else, from the mezze to the main dishes, arrived lukewarm. It was unfortunate, because the food seemed like it'd be delicious when fresh from the kitchen, but we didn't get to enjoy anything like that. Timing was also a huge issue. One item, ordered with our main courses did not arrive for nearly 30 minutes after the other main dishes arrived, and even then, it arrived 10 minutes after we asked our server to cancel the item. It was terribly odd, because the item (scallops) were likely the easiest and simplest to cook. The main courses we ordered - the lamb shoulder and kebab platter - came with a great mix of spreads and sauces that were probably the best part of our meal. However, there was nothing besides meat and sauce, which I found sort of insulting for the price. Also, those beautiful sauces (the toum was a standout, but the tzatziki was also excellent) really could have used some of their fresh pita, and while we were served pita earlier in the meal, we received another basket after sitting at the table with the mostly untouched sauces for at least 15 minutes. Keep in mind, this was around an hour into the meal. I also want to echo other reviews about the restaurant's low lighting - we had to use our phone flashlights to read the menu as the night progressed, and we were not the only ones. It is absurdly dark in there, and not in a romantic way. Temperature was also a key issue of this one-star review. On the $70 kebab platter, all of the chicken served was severely undercooked. Totally raw on the interior. The moment we discovered this, we lost our appetites. Given the entire experience, we did speak to management. Initially, the response was a very typical "would you like a dessert" brush-off. However, and to their credit, we asked they remove the kebab platter from the bill and they did. They also removed the scallops from the bill, and did give us the scallops in a to-go container. They also removed one of our mezze from the bill, which was appreciated. The primary issue I have with the response was the reasoning management gave: that the restaurant had growing pains and was still spooling up. Any restaurant, let alone one with this pedigree and at this price point, should know how to cook chicken and know how to pace dishes. Zaytinya was a deeply disappointing experience for me and my family. read more

Zaytinya - raw chicken served on kebab platter - Turkish Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I recently had the chance to try this restaurant with a friend, and was pleasantly surprised! Im usually picky with my food so this cuisine was somewhat out of my comfort zone. However I will say the presentation of the dishes were VERY classy, and I felt it was a fair price for what you are receiving. Everything came out in a timely manner, and was tasty! One of the best parts was the service. I genuinely felt like all my needs were met. The person helping me that night was named Dodo, and he was very sweet and was very quick. I really didn't have to ask or even think because he was right there with his impeccable timing. Would definitely recommend this place for people trying new foods and wanting perfect service!! read more

First time trying Zaytinya. Amazing experience and especially the service by Ann Marie. Food was delicious and the recommendations by Ann Marie were spot on. Beautiful atmosphere and vibe. Will definitely come back. read more

Zaytinya - Kebab platter and Brussels sprouts. - Turkish Near Me - Palo Alto, California

A fan of them since visiting their DC location. Lucky to have them in the bay! All the mezzes and kabobs were delicious. Our server, Ana Maria, was also a joy to be around. The interior is also gorgeous!! read more

Ive been to locations in NYC and DC, was excited to see they opened location in west coast went there for my girlfriends birthday. Absolutely amazing place, every Jose Andress restaurant are amazing. Our server was Jessy, great guy and know the menu very well, his recommendations were amazing. I loved all the desserts. Must visit place read more

Great Mediterranean fusion food and attentive service! Very much enjoyed our birthday dinner!

Dinner was excellent! Adrian was a great server. We shared many different dishes as a group, including the fish, taboulle (awesome), the oysters (delish) the shrimp (amazing) the hummus (mildly smokey) and the bread (addictive). The drinks were great too. We will be back. read more

Had the baba ghannouge , fries, brussels sprouts, pita with three dips, octopus and the kebab platter. Sat in an alcove that made it a nice quiet place to sit. The main room could get noisy. The baba ghannouge was ok. Was expecting more eggplant flavor The fries came with a nice yogurt dip The pita was different. It puffed up. It looked more like a torpedo. The tazitki was very good The kebab platter should be on a bigger platter so it looked more appealing. It was pieces of cut meat that were mostly overcooked. The octopus was ok but covered in sauce. Brussel sprouts came covered in a yogurt sauce Had the chocolate cake and olive oil cake The chocolate cake was like a lava cake. The olive oil cake came with orange slices and was decent Service was very good. Lots of empty tables. Why are reservations so hard to get? Food was ok but nothing great. Was expecting fantastic flavors. This is a miss for Jose Andres. He needs to actually come and supervise the kitchen until his staff is trained Would not come back. There are better hummus, Greek/Mediterranean restaurants in the area. read more

The service here is wonderful! We had a great time with our waitress MJ, who took care of us during our meal. The food was incredible. The beet salad had a lovely smoky flavor, the seared halloumi was crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, and our pide had very flavorful sojouk and the egg was cooked perfectly. The celebration rice was incredibly fragrant and had so many flavors that just came together. Can't recommend it enough! read more

Zaytinya - SEARED HALLOUMI - Turkish Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Great food and service from Jess today. Always glad to be back. Tried tasting menu today and it had some new items like pea tantalizing that were pretty good read more

Had a really wonderful experience at Zaytinya. The food was outstanding across the board--thoughtfully plated, balanced, and full of flavor--but what truly elevated the evening was the service. Our server, Anna Maria, was exceptional. She was warm, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable, guiding us through the menu with great recommendations and perfect timing without ever feeling intrusive. You can tell when someone genuinely cares about hospitality, and Anna Maria absolutely does. She made the experience feel relaxed, celebratory, and memorable. Zaytinya already sets a high bar with its cuisine, but service like this is what brings it all together. Looking forward to coming back soon. read more

What a lovely experience! My friend and I went for lunch on Sunday, and Andies was our server--so friendly and welcoming. We loved the atmosphere. My favorite dishes were the hummus, köfte kebab, fries, and their amazing bread. The Greek yogurt with pear dessert was incredible and reminded me of a dessert I had in Greece. A special shout-out to Damla as well, who did everything to make us feel comfortable. I will absolutely be back! read more

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Lovely and will be back. Great cozy setting that felt inspired. Delish every item! Will be back very soon and recommend! read more

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Baris was a fantastic server. He was attentive and friendly and helped us celebrate my moms birthday

This restaurant is amazing. Best pita bread ever. Every course is delicious. Love the baba ganoush, falafel, and chicken kabob in particular. Jess - our server - was so hospitable: cocktails clean and refreshing. I have been here over a dozen times already. Never disappointed. read more

Had dinner last night and the place was packed. Everything we ordered was delicious. Highly recommend the kabob platter and the celebration rice . So so so good. The textures and flavors were amazing, i really enjoyed the sauces that came with the kabob platter each one was really good I couldn't pick a favorite item if you asked me because everything was just that good . Also had the crispy Brussels sprout and tsaziki. The vibes were great too. -1 star bc we waited a good like 20 + min for the bread to come out I was a little hangry. I did ask, then waited another 5mins . It came out finally with our 1st entree ... read more

We liked everything, the interior design, the food, and most of all the pleasant treatment by our excellent server Andres. Highly recommended! read more

Went to Zaytinya today evening with my family for dinner; $300 later, I am absolutely disappointed. Let me start with the good: - Nice looking restaurant; nice enough service; good ambiance Outside of that, everything else was underwhelming at best. 1. We ordered the kebab platter, the beet salad, the salmon dish, one of the Pides, the Brussel sprouts and the dips. The best I can say about the food is it was ok, except the Brussel sprouts which were good. The flavors were mehhh...nothing jumped out...I/we were expecting way more from a Jose Andres place. 2. The wine they served was heavy with sediment, and our waiter's response to it was, sorry about that, the next time we will ensure that's not the case If you enjoy mediterranean/greek food (like we do), then places like Mazra, and/or Dish Dash are significantly better. Maybe we went there on a bad evening for the chef? I don't know....but doubtful we will go there again.... read more

Amazing first visit to Zaytinya...the food was delicious the service was wonderful and the ambiance superb

Was excited to try this new Andres spot but the food was barely edible. The decor and vibe, which they clearly sunk millions on, is beautiful and welcoming, both indoors and outside, especially during the summer, outside seating is gorgeous, as is the bar. But the food, no matter what we ordered was meh. The chicken ricer dish was bland, the sizzling halloumi I was surprised at the portion size, the vegetables as an appetizer we ordered were not pickled nor dressed nor anything--literally cut up, which I could've done a better job of within a minute. The grilled octopus I didn't like, I'm not sure there was anything objectively bad about it, just didn't sparkle. The only thing remotely worth talking up about was the lemon cake, which was great, zesty and not too sweet with a beautiful texture, moist and flaky with just the right amount of density. Customer service friendly and on the ball, super sweet. Parking is easy, given it's in the mall. Prices for what you get are too much, though if they improved the execution and/or portion, they'd be fair. read more

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Jess was the BEST! He immediately picked up that we were in a bit of a rush and was super kind and attentive from the start. Somehow we were able to sit down, get amazing service, and enjoy delicious food so quickly without ever feeling rushed or pressured. He really made the whole experience feel easy and welcoming. Thank you for the amazing service -- we'll definitely be back for another food adventure at Zaytinya! read more

Randy was amazing and he's damn sure a professional at what he does from start to finish. He's very knowledgeable, with extremely refined etiquette and overall, a well poised individual. You can tell he loves what he's doing just by noticing his bright light and contagious smile. Randy's just oozing with passion. Everything he recommended was exactly how he described it. The scallops had a beautiful sear, cooked perfectly. The smoke beets with crisp apples and feta cheese was amazing. Will definitely be back. read more

We had a lovely meal. The food was delicious and our service from Randy was amazing! He was warm and attentive without being intrusive. Will be returning for future outings with friends and family. read more

Great experience here for our first time. Phenomenal food but spectacular service from Adrian. So attentive, kind, and knowledgeable. He truly made our experience here so special. Thank you Adrian! read more

Food, service, and ambiance is excellent. Andres took care of us! We appreciated his recommendations and honesty. The brussel sprouts are a must. Will be back! read more

Had a great dinner here, the food is so good and the beet salad was the best I've ever had. We had Adriana as our server and she was so nice and attentive. Would definitely come back. read more

Came here for a retirement dinner with a group. Everything we ordered was delicious and not too heavy. Ivan was our server and all of his recommendations were spot on. Standouts were the lamb chops, crispy brussel sprouts and the fried eggplant. For dessert, we tried all of them and I would have ordered a whole bowl of the pear sorbet. So refreshing. Bonus was the free "bread" at the beginning. read more