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Hours
Sun
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Mon
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Tue
11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Wed
11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Thu
11:30 am - 11:00 pm
Fri
11:30 am - 11:59 pm
Sat
11:00 am - 11:59 pm
MICHELIN
Reserve a table
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
Travellers' Choice 2024
MICHELIN
View more on MICHELIN GuideRATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Lebanese, Mediterranean, European, Turkish, Greek, Middle Eastern
Special Occasion Dining, Romantic, Groups, Bar Scene, Business meetings
MICHELIN Guide's Point of View
Chef José Andrés' ocean-blue ode to the cuisine of Greece, Lebanon, and Turkey means an ample, wide-ranging carte. The space too, sleek and modern, spe...
Read more on MICHELIN GuideBib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking
Details
About
Zaytinya offers an innovative mezze menu inspired by Turkish, Greek and Lebanese cuisines, under the direction of renowned chef José Andrés, served up in a sleek and modern setting. Shared small plates, creative cocktails and unique Mediterranean wines make this spot one of DC’s top dining destinations.
PRICE RANGE
₹2,687.00 – ₹2,771.00
CUISINES
Lebanese, Mediterranean, European, Turkish, Greek, Middle Eastern
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Valet Parking, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available
Contribute
4.5
4,660 reviews
Excellent
2,903
Very good
1,256
Average
344
Poor
114
Terrible
46
Travel_Girl_Reviews
London702 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
This restaurant is busy so do book a table in advance. Even when one arrives, one will still need to stand and wait about 10 mins to be seated. It is a lively restaurant so this is not the place to go if you are expecting a quiet and cosy night out.
The menu is full of beautiful Greek dishes which looked so tasty we could not decide so we went with the chefs menu to take away the decision making.
The food is varied and tasty. The chefs menu is a lot of food so don’t keep eating the delicious pita bread as I did as there will be no space for pudding!
Drinks are expensive but one can purchase wine by the glass which helps.
Service is mixed. The waiter was friendly and passionate about food. The actual servers bringing the food literally mumbled off what the dish was and raced off to the next table. We had to ask the waiter to come to our table a few times to tell us what we were eating. I guess this could be avoided by not having the chefs menu which is essentially a surprise menu.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BigTime247
Winston Salem346 contributions
Nov 2020 • none
I thought I had reviewed this place before when my wife and I had the tasting menu for dinner in which they tried to kill us with dish after dish after dish after dish of delicious food. We were back recently for the Thanksgiving weekend and decided to have lunch outside on an unseasonably nice day.
As before, the food was delicious. Our waiter recommended 4-5 small plates for lunch. We chose 4 and it was plenty. I especially enjoyed the cauliflower and kabob, and my wife enjoyed the tzatziki and mushroom kapnista.
They were running a "Sparkling Festival" so we had the sparkling flight - 3 sparkling wines for $22. We enjoyed the tastes so much we bought the three bottles to take home for $108.
Zaytinya is on our "must eat" list when we visit DC.
Written 29 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zach84Jake62
New York City292 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
About a month prior to the reservation I could only secure seating for 9:00PM on a Saturday night. I was worried that 9PM could turn into 9:30PM but was pleasantly surprised and we were seated about 9:10PM. The restaurant is very crowded and it's not a calm place to eat but the food is exactly how I like to eat - vegetable heavy with some fish. My table had wine, beer, tequila and I had a delicious sangria with a touch of cinnamon that was incredibly tasty. I would definitely return.
Written 3 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amymone
50 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
I ate at Zaytinya twice during a recent trip to DC. Its location is very convenient to the Marriott Marquis; the food is Middle Eastern. My first meal was solo, a late-night meal after my arrival. The service was excellent; I was seated at a table of my choice and right away presented with tasty puffy breads and a hummous dip. For my meal I chose a bowl of chicken soup with avgolemoni sauce, roasted beet salad, smoked Halloumi, and a glass of white wine. Everything I ate was very well prepared; simple though it was, it was one of the best meals I had in Washington. The soup was particularly delicious!
Another night I dined with a friend, and shared a chicken dish, crispy brussels sprouts, and again the roast beet salad, with a bottle of Retsina. No complaints -- though I thought the first night was even better!
I'd highly recommend this for its good service, interesting menu, and comfortable atmosphere.
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessica
Indianapolis180 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
Delicious lunch and great atmosphere. I always love going to places with a fancy named chef. We got the $25 mezze lunch which is an assortment of little plates and I recommend that if you are going for lunch and want to try different things. Not everything was top notch and the timing was off so that is why I did not give 5 stars. I recommend making reservations but if not you could sit at/near the bar. You must get the brussel sprouts because I am still thinking about them.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thats-me-at-3
Baltimore106 contributions
Mar 2020 • couples
The weather was warm enough today that my date and I were able to dine outside.
I enjoyed everything from the appetizers to the dessert! I definitely appreciated the uniquely chosen ingredient pairings which kept the menu original from competing restaurants of the same genre.
The service was great. Our waiter made several excellent recommendations and checked back frequently while giving me and my date time to chat without feeling rushed.
The prices are extremely reasonable and the food and service both high quality.
I definitely recommend Zaytinya and hope to return soon!
Written 8 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bill D
London9 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
We had a family dinner at Zaytinya on a weeknight. We sat at a high table by the bar as we didn't have a reservation (highly recommended). Since a family member has Middle Eastern roots, we were well acquainted with the dishes and placed some lofty expectations on delivery. We were not disappointed. It's small plates to be shared in a communal sort fo way. We satisfied a vegetarian at the table as well as the carnivores. Service was impeccable, informed, including wine selection (which is primarily Lebanese and Turkish). Wine was reasonably priced. Four with drinks and shared dessert (great cocktails!) came to $375 CAD. Moderate value.
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Connector771644
1 contribution
Aug 2021 • none
I had such high hopes for this restaurant as I think Chef Andrés and his work is such an inspiration. BUT Zaytinya was a total disappointment. It was our daughter's 21st birthday and we were dropping her off in DC for a fall semester program so it was a really exciting time for us. From the hostess stand to the waiter, we were barely acknowledged, made to feel as if we were a burden, and then discovered we were charged extra once we checked our credit card statement. The restaurant was full of staff, maybe they were in training? I don't know what the issue was but it didn't seem like short-staffing which is something that's easy to understand. With so many choices in DC, we will not go back to this restaurant and I highly recommend you keep looking if you are searching for a good spot.
Written 26 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caroline C
Camden36 contributions
Sept 2020 • couples
We had our hearts set on the lamb shoulder - this dish must be ordered a day ahead of time, unbeknownst to us, if they do not happen to have extras, but we still had a wonderful dining experience. All the food was delicious and service was excellent. We will be returning in the future, and next time will order the lamb shoulder in advance. I particularly enjoyed the brussel sprouts. The other lamb dishes we tried were also flavorful. They are a must-try.
Written 18 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
guana007
Miami158 contributions
May 2022 • none
I nerve write reviews on restaurants since I believe this is very personal and variable as well as very subjective for everyone, but this is since a lousy experience that I felt compelled to do so.
I came here with the highest expectations, but from arrival and not having our reserved table ready (I had to wait 30min) until the service, awful, tapas were brought to the table before drinks or even water, complete disorganized, poor service then the quality of the food: AWFUL, worst tabouleh I have ever eaten, not to mention I paid $10 for that small good for nothing thing. After a poor service, awful food, bad experience overall, we were not even done and there is a waitress with the bill, so someone else can sit and continues to serve an overprice and poor food!!!!!
I think the food truck in the National mall are much better than this thing called a restaurant, stay away please do yourself a favor and go somewhere else
Written 10 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
210hooks
New York City2 contributions
Jun 2022 • solo
The food was overall good, but the service! Waitstaff were mostly pleasant enough, but the timing of dishes wasn't paced well. I understand it's still tough to recruit employees to meet demands of restaurant patrons, but basic things like not asking if I wanted to order a drink with the meal (and asking for one that never came), overflowing my water glass during a refill pour, and having to grab back plates I was still eating by over-vigilant bussers really detracted from the experience. (that, and the wobbly table that had painter's tape that got stuck on my shoe). I was hoping for this to be an extra special night out given my prior experience at Jaleo, but I left feeling kind of sad and over-stuffed from the large portions on the tasting menu.
Written 26 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greg C
Ottawa60 contributions
Apr 2022 • solo
Beautiful decor and a lively scene inside and out, worth the visit even if for a drink.
The plates are tapas petite so leave your appetite and clear off your Visa 😜
The Brussels Sprouts were a major disappointment for an aficionado who eats them 350+ days a year.
They were over fried and somewhat shredded.
The cauliflower was great without the mint dip, tahini much more suited.
The hummus and tabouleh were very good, pita bread very fresh and warm.
I had another dish 🤔 which was good although I cannot remember it?
The Staff were very friendly and helpful.
I’d go back and challenge the Chef to deliver on the Brussels sprouts 👌
Written 2 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
globe-trotter_2023
Washington DC57 contributions
Aug 2021 • none
During the pandemic, Zaytinya has dramatically expanded its outdoor seating, increasing it maybe 2-3 fold, while simultaneously maintaining 100% capacity of its indoor seating. It was clear that, as a result, the kitchen and staff could not keep up with the amount of diners. The food was still very good (though not as exceptional as it was before the over-expansion), but we sometimes had to wait a half hour between courses, remind the staff repeatedly of our orders, and ultimately spend nearly 3 hours to complete our meal.
As a side note, I should add that the women's bathroom did not lock, leading to the potential for some very awkward and embarrassing moments.
Zaytinya used to be a great restaurant with excellent food and excellent service, living up to the Jose Andres title. Under the strain of the expanded capacity, it has become a mediocre restaurant with very good food and poor service. In order to fix this, if the restaurant can't get the staff, it shouldn't have so dramatically expanded the seating. Cut it back and get back to basics, and there's still a chance this can be salvaged.
Written 17 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scousema
83 contributions
Mar 2021 • family
I am reminded of how wonderful this place is every single time I go back. Have loved this restaurant for over 5 years. Dined here recently (indoor) and it felt perfectly safe. Staff wore gloves and double masks. Everything was contactless. Tables were placed far apart. The restaurant did look emptier with fewer tables and made me miss my earlier visits (pre-pandemic) when it was busier. But it didn’t matter because the food stood out. We got the Cauliflower Tigantes (amazing collection of flavors), Octopus Santorini (beautifully flavored and presentation of colors was bright and happy) and the Lamb Baharat (tender flavorful meat). Wiped all the dishes clean!!! We were full but not stuffed. Can’t wait to go back and try more dishes.
Written 19 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NJass
74 contributions
Dec 2019 • none
The venue has a welcoming feel to it, very spacious and nicely decorated. We had reservations but still had to wait about 15 minutes for our table. The waiting area is very small so we had to stand in the walkway as people kept on passing by. Not the most comfortable waiting area. Once we were seated, our waitress was lovely and very attentive. We ordered family so we can taste everything. The food would of been good if it wasn't too salty! Everything was salty so it made it difficult to get the real taste of each dish. I gave it a 3 instead of 2 because the waitress was impressive.
Written 13 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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