Zaytinya
Mediterranean restaurant · Culver City ·
Mediterranean eatery with Lebanese, Turkish & Greek dishes
Mediterranean eatery with Lebanese, Turkish & Greek dishes
"Chef José Andrés, who first made his mark on Los Angeles at the Bazaar and continues to operate upscale Spanish restaurant San Laurel in Downtown’s Conrad (with eventual plans to open Bazaar Meat in the same hotel) has taken over the former Etta/Prima Donna in Culver City with his versatile, reasonably-priced Turkish and Greek-inflected restaurant Zaytinya. Originally from Washington D.C., the breezy, bright restaurant has since expanded to New York City and Miami with success, leading to a terrific cookbook published last year. Angelenos know their way around these flavors, given the Armenian, Persian, Lebanese, and Syrian establishments already here, Zaytinya should slot in nicely with wood-grilled dry-aged branzino sourced from Sherman Oaks’ the Joint Seafood, and a parade of mezze that are lovely when scooped up with the thin, fresh-baked pita bread. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Rebecca Roland
"A Culver City restaurant is offering a Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday, May 11 for $55 per person. The four-course meal includes spring pea tzatziki, seared salmon, roasted asparagus, and smoked lamb shoulder. Reservations can be booked on OpenTable." - Rebecca Roland
"Jose Andres’s renowned D.C. restaurant Zaytinya has landed in Culver City on the ground floor of the boutique Shay Hotel, bringing with it an Eastern Mediterranean menu that draws on Lebanese, Greek, and Turkish flavors. An entire section dedicated to spreads kicks off the restaurant’s offerings, including hummus, baba ghanoush, tzatziki, and labneh. The vegetable-heavy mezze section relies on California produce in dishes like the crispy Brussels and bantijian bil laban with crispy eggplant, roasted garlic yogurt, cardamom apricots, spiced walnuts, and mint. Signature flatbreads come topped with soujouk or halloumi, which pair well with bone marrow kibbeh and grilled lamb chops. If dining with a group, try one of the larger family-style mains like the lamb shoulder or kebab platter. For pre- or post-dinner drinks, head up to the rooftop of the hotel for Butterfly." - Rebecca Roland
"José Andrés’ West Coast outpost of Zaytinya in Culver City offers happy hour, or mezze ora, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the bar area. Start with a $12 Ankara Club with whiskey and cumin, before ordering $9 bites like halloumi pide, za’atar pide with egg and cheese, and soujouk pide. Since it’s in a hotel, valet is available on-site to make grabbing an after-work drink even easier." - Rebecca Roland
"Chef José Andrés, who first made his mark on Los Angeles at the Bazaar and continues to operate upscale Spanish restaurant San Laurel in Downtown’s Conrad (with eventual plans to open Bazaar Meat in the same hotel) has taken over the former Etta/Prima Donna in Culver City with his versatile, reasonably-priced Turkish and Greek-inflected restaurant Zaytinya. Originally from Washington D.C., the breezy, bright restaurant has since expanded to New York City and Miami to success, leading to a terrific cookbook published last year. Angelenos know their way around these flavors given the Armenian, Persian, Lebanese, and Syrian establishments already here, Zaytinya should slot in nicely with wood-grilled dry-aged branzino sourced from Sherman Oaks’ the Joint Seafood, and a parade of mezze that are lovely when scooped up with the thin, fresh-baked pita bread. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Rebecca Roland, Matthew Kang, Mona Holmes