| Address | 701 9th St., Washington, DC 20001 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (202) 638-0800 |
| Fax | (202) 638-6969 |
The pita is fantastic. A small detail like the quality of the bread can really make a meal. The 4 (small) courses for lunch at $22 is a good deal.
I've eaten here a couple of times, now, and each time have been very, very pleased with the quality of the food. Especially for the price - it's one of the cheapest places for the quality I've found in town. The food is hard to describe, if you haven't had it before - I don't really know what to compare it with. It's sort of like Thai, but with its own spin. Very, very tasty; I've had the pickled bamboo, and the black bean pork, and am more than happy to go back and try something new. The service is pretty good, considering there's only one waiter and he's responsible for being on top of things all the time.
In other words, a wonderful little gem of a place behind the Verizon Center: if you're looking for something different I can't recommend it too highly.
There is a lot of natural light in the dining area, which has large windows and high ceilings. The food is served in small portions (mezze). A dinner consists of several mezze, which can add up to a substantial bill if you're not careful. Two glasses (small pours) of good wine set us back $22.
The wine list has some unusual offerings, including some red wines from Lebanon. Lebanon's wine country is in the Bekaa Valley, the home of Hezbollah. As good as they are, we had to avoid these wines because we didn't want any of our money to wind up in the hands of Hezbollah. I'm deducting half a spork for Zaytinya's selling of these wines, and another half a spork for the waitress' recommendation of these wines.
Gracious, this place is amazing. Fun, exciting, new food that you certainly don't see, even at your neighborhood falafel/pita shop. You are meant to order a number of small-ish dishes -- a tapas-dining style that makes sense, because Spaniard Jose Andres is the owner.
Service was impeccable in my experience. They do have an obnoxious, if reasonable policy of not seating you until your entire party is there. Really no need to make reservations, because they accept very few in the hopes of being able to serve walk-ins. They'll provide you with limitless baskets of fresh hot pita bread, not a bad touch.
Finally, atmosphere is hoppin', a little loud, but festive, modern, and celebratory always. Bar itself is a great destination. Random: I had the best martini of my life here.
I love Zaytinya. Each time I have gone the food has been delicious and the atmosphere is always fun, especially in he evenings. Its a great place o go with a group of adventurous eaters and order several things to share affordably.
I adore this place - the space is gorgeous with the 80 foot window bank and the light and dark wood. I have heard it gets loud at dinner, but at lunchtime on a Friday it was fine. The service was good, although there was one dish that took some time to come out, but we were so busy gorging ourselves on everything else, it barely registered. I highly reccomend the grilled octopus which was light, delicious, tender and not even a little rubbery and the cheese/desert platter where each cheese gets paired with a sweet sauce. The combinations of salty and sweet, chocolate, orange and cheese were almost too much for us. Thumbs way, way up.
This is one of my favorite restaurants. The food is, well, in a word, orgasmic: the amazing puffy bread, the carrot/apricot/pinenut fritters with pistachio nut sauce and a balsamic reduction, the zucchini patties, the fried skate, the sirloin of beef with aforementioned pistachio nut sauce. The combinations of flavors are perfect in the more exotic-sounding dishes. The restaurant is beautifully decorated (especially the bathrooms) and well located. The drinks are too expensive, but as a foodie, I come for the food and the food here is top notch. That being said, the service is patchy. Some servers are very helpful, others are aloof and pretentious. On this last trip, our server fell into the latter category. Our first round of mezze came almost immediately, but our second round took almost a half hour. I think that our waiter forgot to put the order in, but he was unapologetic. He grew more apologetic as the computer system crashed and he was having trouble processing our payments, which took another half hour. Happily there were belly dancers, so I watched them and that made the time pass more quickly and enjoyably. It was very busy. I would strongly suggest arriving early for dinner and preparing yourself for a fulfilling culinary experience.
zaytinya was a bit of a letdown. the food was great, but it was not good enough to mask over the pretension of the staff and the overall atmosphere of the place.
Maitre'd acted like he'd prefer we'd go away. Place seems to take itself too seriously. Interior design is made to impress, kind of like D.C monument, with all the coldness that that implies.
A friend and I went to celebrate a special occasion and Zaytinya delivered. The wine our waiter suggested was reasonably priced and perfect; the shared plates were as scrumptious as they were diverse. The space itself is breathtaking and my friend and I settled in for a great night of indulging.
I always have a problem filling up on small plates, but this time it was no problem at all. I ended up going home stuffed. The food was excellent. The service was a little slow in between plates, but it didn't detract from the good time. The hummus was fabulous. The lobster cous cous was a favorite at our table. The spanikopita was not like you'd normally expect (much heavier on the spinach part), but still delicious. The ginger chocolate dessert was to die for. Oh...and definitely try the pomegranite punch...they sell it by the pitcher, which works out to be quite a dangerous deal.
Overpriced. Lamb kabab was tough. Menu is too "busy"; the food would be better if it focused on one region instead of three.
I think it's common knowledge that this place is noisy, so there is no need to belabor the point. The waiter was friendly enough, though all his tables appeared to be on exactly the same schedule. He certainly was nowhere to be found when his pen exploded in my hand. We were very pleased with all the mezze dishes we ordered. My friend, the olive addict, raved about their olives. The grilled salmon and vegetable kababs were first rate. The raw beef was actually tasty, though it's hard to get past what it is you're eating and no attempt is made to disguise its appearance on the plate. The stuffed grape leaves were better than I've had in most places, though I don't understand why restaurants have taken to giving odd numbers of items for dishes that are meant to be shared. There has to be a much larger percentage of tables of even numbers of people than odd. The only item on the dessert menu that looked interesting was a Turkish coffee concoction that was like a rich chocolate torte with lemon-flavored whipped cream. It was quite good.
If you come on a Saturday night, be prepared for a long wait in the very crowded bar area. But our wait wasn't too unpleasant, thanks to Middle Eastern chillout music (the fine electronica CDs Arabesque v.1 and v.2). The wait was also worth it, since the food was delicious and interesting. I especially liked the Puff Boresi (fried pastry with cheese inside), and the utterly perfect chocolate cake with ice cream. The downside: meze portion sizes are small, maybe even smaller than at Jaleo. If you're with a group of ravenous friends you might end up fighting over some of the dishes.
This was an excellent meal from start to finish. The atmosphere and service were great. I wouldn't change anything!
The outside table area is what makes this restaurant great. The inside can be loud and crowded. The later you get there, the longer the wait. The dishes, although small portions, are definitely worth it. The drinks look very good, but are quite expensive. They serve an unlimited supply of freshly baked bread. The bathrooms are definitely worth visiting. Our waiter even took a picture of us when we asked. Definitely will re-visit, and definitely would recommend this restaurant to tourists and locals.
It's one of our area's most talked about 'hip' joints. and yes, the place is beautiful- sort of an IKEA-esque ode to minimalism. Funky, clean lines take you away from the hustle and bustle outside (but the $10 valet parking tab brings you crashing back to reality- come on guys, it's d.c., not south beach).
The service was great- our waiter was able to recommend a few good dishes. This is a tapas/mezze heavy place- very few actual entrees- so be prepared to experiment and share.
The tables are very close together on the back wall- so don't be afraid to ask your neighbor- who is 3 feet away what that cool dish is they're having.
Uupon being seated you get a warm bread basket with mini-pitas and olive oil (Zaytinya is greek for olive oil) with pomegranate reduction drizzled in- wonderful.
Everything we tried was great- from baby squid to salmon kebab to hummus to a lamb special to veggie fritters. The portions are good for 2, probably a little small for 4 unless you're really looking for just a bite.
The desserts, while good- did not match the tapas in quality- the turkish coffee cake just a tad dry.
In a town dying for something slightly hipper than Clydes and Tony & Joe's, it's easy to see why this restaurant, is taking off and has been voted on so many critics "best" lists. Good food, a great atmosphere, good service and a reasonable price (45 per person for drinks, 5 mezze and dessert) add up to a winner. Now just work on that valet parking.....
Andres' Zaytinya never fails to impress with a varitey of tasty meze from a number of mediterranean culinary traditions. Coupled with its trendy decor, it is a great place for a date, a drink, a group dinner with friends, or a business lunch. The best way to go is to order a number of dishes to share. The braised lamb with eggplant and cheese is my favorite dish on the menu, and likely my favorite dish in all of DC. When choosing wine, I like to stick to the different (often cheaper) Mediterranean selections (from Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, etc.) This costal regions tend to produce strong, yet under-recognized wines. Stick to a wide selection of Meze -- it's a far better choice than traditional entrees. The service is ok, but not superb. Sometimes they have a band and belly dancer for entertainment.
We visited Zaytinya once again. We called in advance to make sure the kitchen would still be open. They said it would and that they didn't take reservations after 6pm. When we got there we still waited but only for about 30-45 minutes as opposed to over an hour the last time, when it was just the two of us.
We went late on a Saturday nite with some friends who were in town. We just wanted a little something and thought Zaytinya would be perfect. And it was! We all ordered tapas that we felt we would enjoy and shared them with everyone at the table. It was a lot of fun and our out of towners loved the place. We sat all the way in the back of the restaurant at the very top of the balconies that are placed facing out. It was a great place to sit.
We had a blast and the food was great as always. The bread is fantastic. I could eat that alone!
This visit wasn't as good as previous ones. Perhaps it was because we hit it at an odd hour -- mid-afternoon.
Famous for the din at night -- try it at lunchtime. Service is less than crisp but free of attitude. Classic spreads (taramosalata, baba ghanouj) are better on average than grilled items like chicken kebabs (dry, and in absurdly small portions).
The food here is terrific and perfect for sharing. Also, they have the best bathrooms in the city!
A bachelorette party dinner that was made easy and efficient by the wonderful, friendly staff.
For my money, Zaytinya (Turkish for 'Olive Oil') is one of the top 3 restaurants in DC (along with Ceiba and Kuna). First, the restaurant itself. Simply stunning. Want to impress a date with the look of a restaurant? This place cannot be beat. From the eye-catching colors, the beautiful bar area, the coziness of the fireplace...even the gorgeous bathrooms, Zaytinya is a visual joy. Ah, then comes the food. Mezze-style (Zaytinya is owned by the same peeps who run Jaleo), the small plates are an absolute delight, springing with flavor and spice. Don't miss the Katinbudu Kofte or the wonderful Pastirma. Avoid the tenderloin and the chicken dishes, as they are just boring in a place as amazingly ecclectic as this. Definitely sample some of the suprisingly wonderful Greek wines and you just have to finish off the meal with their powerful coffee and a shot of ouzo. The bartenders are friendly and fun and on occasion there's a belly dancer to add to your dining pleasure! Do not miss this place, people. Trust me.
Zaytinya is a cool place to hang out...the bar gets very crowded like most places around MCI on event nights. The food is delicious and different from what you get elsewhere in the immediate area. You must have a dinner reservation if you don't want to eat at the bar or wait forever (but they do have a full menu at the bar). Try the lobster tail, the dill shrimp, and the lamb chop.
The restaurant was really good, and a great new addition to DC. It is like no other place here, which is nice. The atmosphere is great--very clean and modern. However, it was kind of noisy and hard to hear. The food was also great. The service was only okay. Our second course of tapas took about 25 minutes to come and there was no apology or anything from the server.
The food was mostly good, but there were a couple of duds; one of beef dishes stands out in my mind, it was like ultra-thin beef jerky. Service was pretty uneven, it took forever to get a second round of drinks and our server was never around when we needed him.
Unlike many Mediterranean restaurants where flavors are muddle, the high notes in each of Jose Andres' Zaytinya mezzes shine brilliantly. Its amazing how much flavor can be coaxed from a simple chilled cucumber and yogurt soup. Other dishes like braised lamb in an eggplant puree and the grilled baby octopus are divine. Be wary of the whole fried snapper, as some work is required to avoid the bones. Not to be outdone, the desserts, like the mezzes, manage to combine different textures and flavors in a harmonious marriage—this is not your ordinary Turkish Delight. The only downside is the very noisy cavernous main dining hall and the sometime less than attentive waiters.
So its tapas, dont expect to be full when you leave. These small plates add up. The food is great and the bread can fill you up (sorry you carb haters). The speciality drinks needs some work, because all of them taste pretty bad. As a veggie barbarian, the place was great and gave me and my vegetarian friends alot of options but still gave the meat-lovers a good choice of protein. The place is gorgeous, the people who go there are gorgeous, makes you think for a moment you aren't in the mundane DC.
Well we arrived and got on the list and headed straight to bar. Where the bartender mixed one of the best grey goose martinis I have had in a long time. The bar area was a little crowded and not comfortable to stand. The host told me about an hour on the wait, but we hadn't even finished our drink before we were signaled. Once we sat the down and began to eat, we could not get enough. I am a 6'4" 215lbs meat eating man. But I must say, the salad there excuse my french but "Holy shit." It was amazing. I will be going back.
-Belly dancers and live music are a fun addition to the meal!
-outdoor patio
-best for a group, as it is a tapas sharing menu
A place to see and be seen. This place screams of attitude but somehow the servers and staff manage to come off as very friendly.
I think this place is really nice for a date or romantic evening. It's a gorgeous restaurant.
I've never been a fan of tapas, mezzas, etc.
Our waiter told us that 2 items each would be a minimum on a hungry stomach. Hah. I could have EASILY gone through 6 plates by myself. The portion sizes are WAY too small, even for these types of dishes. I mean, 3 small mushroom caps? For $7? Absurd.
Basic rail drinks were almost $9.
The food really is delicious and the whole experience is very nice. But you get so little for your money, it's not a place you'll likely visit often.
One of the bad things about the restaurant is that they do not take reservations for dinner. Only between 5pm and 7pm for pre theater folks. We had to wait an hour and they told us it would only be 45 minutes. We were hungry but felt it was worth a wait, not as long as it was but in any case the food was worth it. Its like tapas, you order a few small dishes. It was very tasty and our waitress offered up her suggestions, whether we wanted them or not, which was good and bad. I would go back in a second, still loved it.
I absolutely love this place. This time around, the service was kind of slow (I suspect it was because it was late), but usually the servers and wait-staff are very attentive. Great food, great atmosphere.
Jose Andres's Zaytinya is a marvel of beautiful design, attentive service, and most importantly, outstanding food representative of the Mediterranean.
Jose rarely misses, and Zaytinya is the best example of his commitment to quality ingredients...seafood and vegetable options are readily available, and more complex dishes alongside the more traditional mezze like hommos, fattoush (amazing here!), kibbeh, etc.
A group can opt to share several of the plates or individual diners can design their own.
Another fun aspect of the menu is the "deconstructed desserts," such as the "Baklava" that is reduced to individual ingredients on a gorgeous plate.
After approximately 5 dinner experiences and 1 lunch experience at Zaytinya, I am confident that this is one of the best restaurants in town. The bartender recommended that we go for a weekend lunch to avoid waits and to get prime menu options, and he was right. Planning in advance and going for lunch is probably the best way to enjoy the wonderfully nuanced food in a leisurely atmosphere. Try the braised lamb on eggplant puree, or any vegetable with the lemony lavolemono sauce. I have found the seafood to be less perfect, often tending toward overcooked, but tasty nonetheless. Desserts are also a highlight - consider fewer mezze if it means you can enjoy the yogurt cream or the turkish delight!
This is a beautiful restaurant and indeed unique Middle Eastern cuisine.
This place would be infinitely better if it accepted reservations.
I love Zaytinya, Im a vegetarian, so it's wonderful to go to a restaurant that has a huge vegetarian menu. The food is good and I love the ambiance and decor. The problem I had there the 2nd time I went there was the wait. It was a Sat night, we were told that there would be an hour and 1/2 wait, but it was longer. It was my friend's birthday, so that was not a very pleasurable experience. Because we complained, they gave of free desserts and we were placed at a wonderful table by the fireplace. Overall, I would go back, but not on a weekend night and not without a reservation.
Zaytinya's selection of Mezze (similar to Tapas) is remarkable. This is a great place for any situation (birthday, first date, etc.) if you like to share your food. Their couchy booths are amazing in the summer when they keep the doors open. The food is fresh and always served with a smile. Some of the waitstaff can be very helpful if you cannot decided on a dish, but some will also just pick the most expensive whether or not it is good. Feel free to ask questions because while what you get will always taste glorious you may think "this is not what I ordered" upon first sight.
Zaytinya is a wonderful restaurant. I had been wanting to try it out for some time, so when I found out they had an unlimited mezzes menu for New Year's Eve, I decided to go. The food was amazing...lobster, salmon, spanikopita, tomatoe fritters, oyters, etc. The beef-stuffed pasta was wonderful. Our waiter explained that the tiny pieces of pasta were all hand made to perfection. The meatiness of the pasta with the hearty creamy yogurt sauce was incredible. I also enjoyed the tender rabbit served over extremely tasty smoky lentils. I am not usually a fan of spanikopita, but this one was done just right. It was extremely balanced, rather than overpowered by feta. The spinach was wonderfully fresh. The spanikopita is definitely worth trying. I highly recommend Zaytinya for the trendy, warm atmosphere, the friendly, knowedgeable staff, and most of all, for the food.
Let me add my voice to the chorus of praises. This is the fourth time we've been there, and I have two upcoming reservatons. Go with a crowd to share tastes. Unless all are vegetarians, be sure to get at least one order of the Hnkr Beendi --braised lamb in a miracle sauce (it says eggplant but my eggplant loathing spouse kept coming back for more)--which is amazing.
They also serve the most grownup chocolate in town; both their ice cream and sorbet of that flavor are almost sugarless, and I am still dreaming about the intense chocolate jolt I got from their sorbet last summer.
Just one quibble--their on-line presence is annoying and overdone. I don't like all those shockwave entries and the pdf menus are tricky to get to.
But that just means you have to read it when you get there, laying yourself open to ever more lovely possibilities.
This restaurant needs to drop the NY/Euro-wannabe act. First, it needs to accept reservations. Keeping people in a "bullpen" (bar and entry way) as they wait for a table to become available is ridiculous. I don't see the point: either you are a staff or seated patron and you are forced to keep looking at those who are waiting for a table (i.e. eyesores), or you're waiting for a table and trying to look anywhere but the people seated and the entryway host (whose purpose I don't know since they aren't taking reservations). Hey, you can sip some wine or nurse a drink trying to look cool and patient as you move up the queue for a table. Yeah, that's a fun time.
Then the menu: there are probably 2 entrees, but one of them is usually horrible, so there's a 1 in 2 chance that you'll eat a good entree. Since when is 50% good odds? I know of another 50% stat and it's regarding couples staying married or divorcing. One word to describe both: abyssmal.
On the upside, if you order tapas, then you'll be somewhat impressed. Nothing against tapas, they are, after all, the hot cuisine choice of the moment; however, all this drama and posturing to be a chi-chi restaurant just to get you to feel special for waiting out the queue so you can eat APPETIZERS is not only disgusting and reaks of self-importance, it is insulting for folks who consider a dining experience to be just that, a dining experience, not a circus act, or a competition for who's the coolest with the most patience. I think if a reality show for the most obnoxious restaurant were started, this would be a contender for 1st place. Two thumbs down (or another finger of choice).
Great food, location, and ambiance, but we expected better service. We dined early in the week and the restaurant was not nearly full, but our server was not around when we needed him. Hopefully the poor service was an abberation and not the norm because the Htipiti(roasted red peppers with fea cheese) and Elies Tis Elladas(Greek olives with oregano and kalamata balsamic oil) are mouth watering.
Zaytinya is a special restaurant -- superb food, unusual and highly potable drinks, spectacularly designed space -- all of which have also attracted a fantastically hip and beautiful crowd, adding further to the atmosphere. But I am devoted if only for the food, which is served in tapas-like portions and quantities (many small plates) and thus invites a crowd. It's mainly Turkish with some Greek and Middle Eastern dishes mixed in. There are at least 40 menu items making it a bit hard to choose -- but the manti (beef or duck), are ethereal -- speck-sized meatballs wrapped in pasta. The potato kofti are also wonderful, fried but light, potato based but with the addition of spinach and cheese in various bites. All vegetable patty varities are delctable -- tomato, zucchini, and a tasty combination of carrot, apricot and pistachio. Lamb is abundant -- particularly surprising is to taste the sausage like ground concoction, slightly sweet then spicy. Varieties of shrimp and fish and salads and dip all add delicious depth to a highly comprehensive menu. With each visit, this becomes closer and closer to being my all time favorite restaurant in Washington; combined with drinks at the bar, the decor and architecture and the music and scene, it is certainly already my favorite restaurant experience.
The New Year's Eve dinner at Zaytina was amazing and well worth the money. The set price of $100 dollars per person included a pommegranate champagne cocktail to start, followed by unlimited mezzes (small Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese dishes), dessert wine, choice of dessert, and champagne toast at midnight. We went wild with ordering and tried a multitude of different mezzes. Highlights were the beef stuffed pasta with yogurt sauce (we were told are hand stuffed every morning), Sesame crusted salmon, a special lamb skewer, and really fresh oysters on the half shell.
The ambiance was welcoming and much more comfortable than Jaleo, but a little more hip.
We had a variety of Meze (Mediterranean equivalent of Tapas), which we're all of excellent taste & texture. It's a bit misleading when ordering lots of little moderately priced dishes for 8 people, not to mention the wines, which are also exotic and delicious. You feel as though you're paying very little due to the size and price of individual meze. However, once the bill comes, you soon find the the truth hurts. Overall, a great place for a handful of people in an area that's up & coming... Especially if you enjoy med-fusion comestibles!
All the good stuff you've heard about Zaytinya is true. The food and atmosphere are absolutely top notch. In three visits, I have tried over a dozen of their small plates (mostly vegetarian), and they were all excellent. The tzatziki (a yogurt dip) is the best in the area. All of my cheese-eating friends rave about the spanakopita and the zucchini-cheese fritters. And even the ubiquitous hummus is so creamy and flavorful that it's worth ordering. The hidden treasures on the menu include the carrot/apricot/pine nut fritters and the best-in-the-city fattoush salad. Take advantage of the wait staff; they are very helpful both in describing and recommending dishes. Aside from the food, the decor is hip but dignified, and even the bathrooms are memorable. The only problem with this restaurant is that everyone knows how good it is, so expect an obscene wait on a weekend night (no reservations past 6:30 p.m.).
The setting was fabulous--chic decor, fun ambiance, stunning architectural details such as the high ceiling and the waffle wall. A great date place, as the food is all for sharing and wonderfully prepared. Wines by the glass are diverse in origin in taste, included Greek and Lebanese wines.
This was actually my second visit to Zaytinya.
I would suggest a larger beer selection and a descripton of the beers that are offered on the menu. Not all are familiar with the selections.
Our only real problem this time was compatability. I noticed that if you are dining with one other person and your taste in food is not similar, or compatible, you run the risk of eating all of one item and missing out on the rest.
I did not have this dilemma the first visit because I was with a good friend that has my taste in food.
Other than that, great experience.
