Sharon H.

Located in the Stanford mall, in the corner with Blue bottle coffee. I loved the menu and the welcoming modern decor . Always enjoy the ambience of a spot with indoor olive trees and the laterns hanging from the ceiling were so pretty. My main gripe would be that I wish they offered a sampler plate with multiple dips, because it's always hard for us to choose amongst them. We ended up getting the eggplant dip and the labne which were both really good. Comes with the pita that is baked into a huge puff, and is nice and thin for dipping. You can add on vegetables to dip with which is a nice option - but it's hard to dip with the leaves that make up the majority of the bowl! The carrots, bell peppers and cucumbers were nice to dip with though The crispy Brussels sprouts are a must. I usually find the brussels sprouts at restaurants to be too greasy, but these were well crisped without feeling oily in the mouth. I was intrigued by the Spanish crudo on the menu. It comes with on top of a potato purée and a sprinkled with some chips, most of my family thought the dish was a little weird, but I was into it ! The octopus was also beautifully pleaded, and also came on top of a puree, it comes as a chopped up arm, but you can see all the tentacles as well, which we prefer. We also enjoyed the cheese pide that came with halloumi cheese. Overall excellent food, beautiful decor, sufficient service We'll be back !

Samantha S.

Came to zaytinya on a Sunday night in a group of 4. Inside the restaurant is very modern and clean. Lots of natural light, love the ambiance. Service was good. Food was amazing!! We shared a bunch of dishes. Our favorites were the seared halloumi, hummus and kofte kebab. The Turkish coffee chocolate cake was soooo good too. They have pitas for the table, ask for as many as you want ;) Would definitely come back

Brandon L.

Came here with coworkers so we ordered a lot. Good excuse to try almost everything. All the spreads were solid, we got the baba ganoush, labneh, hummus, etc. The pides were good too, can't go wrong there. The octopus was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Table favorite for a lot of us. But the real star was the lamb shoulder. Perfect amount of woodiness, seasoned perfectly, came with a bunch of sauces and paired with the bread they give you it was such a simple but great combination. Tender but still meaty, which is exactly how I like lamb. I don't like when it just falls apart. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium for the group. The whole fish was moist and cooked well, though a little bland on its own. Paired with the other sides on the table it worked really well though. The cocktails were also really good. The 3PM in Istanbul was a group favorite. Not too sweet and the flavors kind of evolved as you drank it. They also have a lot of solid vegetarian options which is always nice to see. The ambiance inside is sooo nice and the decor is really well done. This would make a fantastic date spot. Service was extremely friendly. Wish I had caught our waiter's name because they were amazing. I'll be back!

Tina K.

First off, the decor and details inside this place are beautiful. It's a large spacious restaurant with lots of seating. One thing to note, it is a noisy dining experience (maybe because our booth was right by the bar area). Our server was great and all the staff we interacted with were very nice. We opted to order everything family style so we could try as many dishes as possible. The portions are pretty small, but the flavors were great. The dishes that stood out: * cauliflower was perfectly cooked * smoked beet salad was incredible and truly had a smoky flavor * the chicken blew us away, the perfectly crispy skin was 10/10 * kebab platter was a good assortment of different types of meats for all of us to try. Everything was well seasoned. The dips and bread were really great too, but nothing extraordinary especially based on the price. Overall, a great elevated dining experience. I look forward to coming back.

Tiffany H.

Had high expectations for this place since it's one of Jose Andres restaurants. Loved the decor and the service was first class. People came around to check on us frequently and to refill our water. For the price, however, I was expecting more. Tried the smoked beet salad and hummus to start. The portion for the salad was quite small and was like a side salad but I enjoyed the flavors and it was delicious! The pita bread was a nice fluffy puff and served hot. The hummus had a good blend and flavor as well. We split the kebab platter which had 4 different kebabs, onions and tomatoes. It was enough for two mildly hungry people to split but was also a fairly small portion for $70. It had good flavors and we liked the meats and sides which we put in our pitas. We overall enjoyed the meal and service.

Ivan B.

What an amazing experience in a Mediterranean restaurant at Stanford Shopping Center! Really excited to come here with my mom and her friends. I'd like to thank them for inviting us here! Place looks really nice inside and I like how staff takes care of the tables while we're still dining here. Just imagine living here. I mean it's nicely decorated with good materials to build this place. About the menu, not really much options when scrolling through everything since obviously there were a few pages, but definitely know that they will serve good food. Food is really tasty and authentic here. Not really big portions though the quality of the food is very peak. Also, the bread tastes good. Highly recommend wrapping around meats and other sauces with the bread. My favorite dishes are the ones that come with three meats and ones that look like cheese pizza. If you're planning to come here, it can get crowded especially on the weekends. Just be sure to plan ahead since it can get packed during that time.

Hutch C.

We did the tasting menu which my boys loved! Plenty of food even though I skipped a few things (oysters and shrimp). Waitress was awesome and she offered to sub things for these courses, but boys were happy to eat the extra. Also did the wine tasting which was fine and reasonably priced. The kebabs were the star of the show. Lively atmosphere, good drinks, a nice addition to Stanford Mall (actually coming back with a friend 2 nights later!)

Lin C.

We went for the Mother's Day menu and it was a disappointing experience. Seems like there might have been a mix up with items coming out of order- we waited almost 50 min for our 2nd course to come out, and instead they brought out our 3rd course. We then had to let them know that we never got the 2nd course and so they brought it out after. We did not get any refills of pita breads after the first basket and no one really checked on us to see if we had questions or concerns. We absolutely love the Zaytinya in DC so we were really excited for the Palo Alto location. Unfortunately it did not live up to our expectations.

Karla M.

One year to celebrate my best friend and I's birthday. We made reservation reservations for the evening and we were sat down within 10 to 15 minutes. Firstly, the ambience is pretty loud for dinner time. Felt like I had to definitely yell a little bit to have a conversation. The restaurant inside, however it was really chic and classy. The order of brussels sprouts and a salad for starters and for our main dish we got the platter. The bread that was served is also very delicious. I definitely see their brussels sprouts are a must-- you can never go wrong with that and I really loved the taste of the salad. I felt like I never got tired of it. The platter was also very interesting because they allow you to try different meats I did think that I had liked the chicken a bit more and there was also some lamb but it's still a good experience to try.

Luc Y.

Great food but expensive. Very nice ambiance with high ceilings and spacious dining room. Located inside Palo Alto Shopping Mall. They have a lot of smaller mezee appetizers if you want to mix and match items. About $25 apiece for those. They also offer larger shared plates under the family platter section. Kebab is very good and comes with 4 types of meat skewers. Very flavorful, you can taste the spices blend and it comes with tahini, garlic, and red dipping sauce. Rice platter is flavorful but portion is not big enough for more than 2 people to share. Coffee cake was fine and fairly priced at $13. As a side note, this is one of the few restaurants supporting Bilt mobile checkout so Bilt cardholders can get $25 off their meal with CC redemption. Overall conseus, an authentic Mediterranean / Middle Eastern restaurant with upscale vibe and pricing.

Let me say something good first and that was about the service, which was absolutely fantastic. Also, the dessert was all right. The Turkish yogurt mixed which was more like Panna cotta was absolutely perfect. The problem really was with my main course as a pescatarian, which turned out to be a combination of the shrimp and a scallop appetizers. These were both undercooked and lacked flavor and were overpriced three little scallops, which were still pink in the inside without flavor at $21 was ridiculous. I asked our waitress to get my scallops well cooked and return them to me and she had the whole dish redone. Even after that, the result was still not much better. My family enjoyed the kebab combination, but for the price it was too little. My overall take for this place is that the ambience and the service is great but the prices do not meet the quality.

Phong T.

Zaytinya is a restaurant nestled at the Stanford Shopping Center by renowned Spanish-American chef José Andrés. They opened in December 2025 so my friend and I were excited to try as this is my first experience at one of his restaurants. We walked in on a Sunday afternoon around 1PM for lunch. Since it was sunny and warm, I asked for an outdoor seat when checking in with the host, but the wait was up to 45 minutes. Fortunately, there was a table inside right by the opening to the outdoor seating near the bar, so we were able to catch partial sun rays. SERVICE Based on previous reviews, there was a lot of feedback about the customer service. Like any restaurant, there is a period when improvements are made. I can assure anyone reading my review that the service was excellent. From the host to our server, Gil, great personalities and good vibes all around. FOOD We ordered a few apps & mezze to share. - Complimentary Bread with Oil & Vinegar - HOMMUS purée of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, harissa chili crisp - FALAFEL traditional crispy chickpea fritters, tumeric pickles, cherry tomato, tahini - ZAYTINYA FRIES crispy potatoes, house mushroom salt, roasted garlic yogurt - OCTOPUS SANTORINI grilled mediterranean octopus, marinated onions, capers, yellow split pea puree - SHISH TAOUK grilled chicken skewer, sumac onions, garlic toum, grilled tomato Everything was fresh and tasty. Highlights we really enjoyed were the hommus (so smooth and fresh!) and falafel. My only main feedback was that the octopus was overcooked and dry. The pea puree was flavorful but quite thick and slightly gritty. We thoroughly enjoyed our server and the delicious food. I will definitely return to try more menu items and explore the dinner offerings. The interior decor is immaculate, truly transporting you to a Mediterranean destination.

Tina A.

Sitting at Zaytinya, you'll be transported to the stunning Mediterranean. This beautifully decorated space, with its whitewashed walls, terracotta pots with olive trees, and soothing hues of blue, will make you feel you are sitting at an elegant seaside taverna. Throughout our meal, service was exceptional - friendly, efficient and attentive. We started with the Hommus dip, which was as creamy and flavorful as it should be! The green chickpea garnish added a great finishing touch to the dish! The warm, puffy pita bread with olive oil swirled with pomegranate molasses was so one of the highlights of our meal and our server was kind enough to keep replenishing the warm bread. The Garithes Me Anitho (Shrimp with dill, shallots, lemon and mustard) was excellent. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and we couldn't resist dipping our bread into the zesty lemony sauce. The Fatoush Salad, while refreshing, surprised us with its absence of the traditional lettuce component. The Crispy Brussel Sprouts Afelia was one of our favorite dishes & the fried Brussel sprouts contrasted nicely with the barberries & garlic yogurt sauce. It was also one of the more generous portions of the dishes we ordered. The Octopus Santorini was tender and succulent & it was complemented by the creamy yellow split pea puree. However, we couldn't help but be taken aback by the small portion size of the Kofta Kebab, priced at a hefty $19. This was a recurring theme throughout our meal - the dishes were incredibly tasty and beautifully presented, yet the portion sizes were shockingly small for the prices. We understand the high rents in the Stanford Mall, but customers also deserve value for their money. The Chicken Muhammara was the only dish that was a decent portion size. I guess that is considered a "main dish" but that too came with a hefty price tag of $45. So our final thoughts are that Zaytinya is an excellent choice for those seeking upscale Mediterranean cuisine. However, be prepared for small portion sizes and higher prices.