My company hired out a space for 50 guests for a couple of hours at Zaytinya. The organisation was excellent and the food was delicious. Staff were friendly and helpful but discreet and did not disrupt the conversations taking place. Great experience and recommended,

Excellent service and very high quality food and wine. the braised lamb over humus/cheese/ eggplant puree was excellent as were the sorbets.

Horrible service, sat at bar while waited for friends on sunday night 6pm. Slow bar 4 other guests, had to flag bartender to get a drink. Shortly my 5 friends came, asked for table, half restaurant empty bit not tables available for next 2 hours....They Sat at bar, bartender unable to accommodate request of extra rice and extra chicken nor a salad available for lunch. As he stated was afraid of Chef screaming. Restaurant was still half empty 2 hrs later as we left. Very disappointed despite hearing so many good things about this place!!!More

Not a great experience at all...despite decently good food. Don't bother to go! When you enter the restaurant, one of the rudest Hosts we have ever encountered "greets" you with an inhospitable hello. We had no reservation and wanted to eat outside. There were plenty...of free tables...yet we were told that because we had no reservation we had to wait 15 minutes to be seated. He kept pushing us to eat inside, probably because he wanted the indoor waiters to be serving. We said we would wait it out...and we did. When ultimately seated, we were given the worst table, over by the side, right in front of the kitchen door....his "punishment". None of the 5-7 other free tables were ever used, despite having been told they were "reserved." Get the picture? Either they need to replace that guy...Saturday afternoon lunch host...or pick another way to make a living, because the whole experience, including the wait staff, was totally ungracious. Too bad!More

Zaytinya's menu is a combination of Turkish, Lebanese and Greek cuisine, a delightful Mediterranean melange. Most dishes are served as "small plates" (which would be called tapas in a Spanish setting or mezze in the Middle East). Our weekend lunch included some of the creamiest,...purest and best hommus ($10) we've had in a long time, and a plate of crisp falafel ($12) served with cherry tomatoes and delicious tahini sauce. We also enjoyed a plate called "bantijian bil laban" ($11), which turned out to be crispy-fried eggplant balls with roasted garlic sauce and mint, cardamom and pistachios. A plate of mushroom "kapnista" ($16) proved surprisingly satisfying with its dates, walnuts and cumin. We decided to share a serving of spanikopita ($14), which was served, unusually, as a modestly-sized roll of phylo encasing pureed spinach; it was very tasty. We couldn't resist ordering for dessert the Turkish chocolate cake ($9), a satisfying, warm lava-cake served with roasted pistachios and a small ball of ice cream. Seating at Zaytinya is very comfortable, at light wood tables with generous cushioned seats. The restaurant's high ceiling, huge windows and open interior dividers give an airy, uncluttered feeling. Our server was excellent, fully knowledgeable about each dish's ingredients, careful to inquire about allergies and even cross-contamination issues, and attentive to our desire to "stage" our dining by spacing the arrival of our small plate choices. Our water glasses never went dry, and plates were cleared promptly, but only after asking our permission. Zaytinya's trademark warm, puffed pita was addictive with its olive oil accompaniment. Our reservation, made using the restaurant's own online system, worked perfectly and was honored promptly upon our arrival. The sound level was definitely "energetic," but not intrusive, allowing diners to converse without raising their voices. There's an upstairs area offering long tables for large groups, and the semi-secluded bar area allows for dining either at the bar or at nearby tables.More

I was expecting a wonderful experience. The food was average, the service good. I like the small plates idea. The hummus and baba ganoush was no better than one from a fast food restaurant. The pita was not up to standards, as if it was...a throwaway item. No real love in it.More

For a group of four, we decided to get two dishes per person and 2 dips, which was plenty. They served a continual stream of thin, beautiful pita. For cold dishes we got tabooli, smoked beet salad, mushroom kapsnita (smoked mushrooms, dates, roasted, walnuts, and...spices), hummus, and tzatziki. All were excellent and perfectly spiced. For warm dishes we got the seared halloumi cheese, octopus, scallops and the branzino. Of these we absolutely loved the octopus and the cheese- the branzino and scallops were good but not as special as the other dishes. We finished with the braised lamb shank. The atmosphere was bright, but very noisy. The servers were attentive, knowledgeable, and helpful. The cocktail menu was inventive and worth trying. All in all it’s great place for several couples. It’s certainly not romantic, but I would go there for dinner anytime.More

We were all excited for an outstanding meal, but disappointed by an overall very mediocre experience. Delayed by a Presidential visit to our hotel, we were five minutes late. Even after having called to let them know, they were very brusque and rude. The hostess...even yelled at my wife and stunned us by their callousness. Moving past that and glad to be seated, we happily awaited our food. Unfortunately, it was all very bland and unimpressive. The cauliflower, kebabs and halloumi all lacked flavor and made us wonder what the fuss was about. I spoke to the manager only to have him brag to me how Jose was expanding to 48 restaurants. He had no interest in hearing any feedback. The staff seems overworked, inexperienced and in need of better front people. Fortunately DC has hundreds of other restaurants and we found several that were so much better. I’d look elsewhere as this is not worth the hype.More

Zaytinya by Jose Andres was a letdown. The Adana kebap meat was tough and inedible, while the salad and pide were mediocre at best. The cheese platter was also disappointing; we were taken aback to see that it was a meager sliver of cheese that...was barely visible. The prices were high, and the food did not match the quality we expected from a restaurant of this caliber. We wouldn't recommend Zaytinya based on our experience.More

Very cool vibe. Clean and modern. Family style dishes. You can’t go wrong with any dish here. Top notch, food and service. Do not miss if you’re in town.

Salad was fresh and delightful. Humus was flavorful. Do not expect dolma with its traditional flavor. It is chef’s interpretation of dolma. Sujuk and zaatar Pides were tasty and well baked. Adana kebab was tender and flavorful. Kibbe had raisins and cinnamon…not everybody’s taste. Turkish...coffee dessert was on the dry side. Service was good. It is a relatively expensive restaurant but in DC for a culinary experience one needs to pay a premium.More

The best food I’ve had in a long time. It was a little loud but worth it. The mushrooms were smoked in cherrywood. I could have ate two more servings. Delicious. The hummus and ground lamb was mouth watering! Great! Best!! Just the noise and...close tables bothered me.More