Zaytinya

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Vision Behind the Menu

Under the direction of James Beard Award-winning chef José Andrés, Zaytinya in Washington, DC draws on the rich regional traditions of Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese cuisines. The kitchen starts with authentic ingredients and classical techniques, then pushes them into territory that is genuinely unexpected — dishes that feel rooted and surprising at the same time. As Andrés himself puts it: "Your tastebuds are excited because they are asking themselves, what is happening here?"

That spirit of discovery earned Zaytinya a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, a recognition that speaks to the care given not just to the plate but to what goes alongside it — a curated selection of regional and modern wines that complement the Eastern Mediterranean table.

Mezze as a Way of Eating

The small-plates format is central to everything here. Mezze, often thought of as party food, is treated at Zaytinya as a genuine philosophy: a drink, a little conversation, and a few dishes shared among friends and family. The Greek-inflected menu spans from spreads — hommus with harissa chili crisp, fire-roasted baba ghannouge, tzatziki, labneh with za'atar — to more composed plates that reward the curious.

Octopus Santorini is a signature: grilled Mediterranean octopus with marinated onions, capers, and yellow split pea purée, a dish that captures the restraint and depth the kitchen is known for. Wood-fired flatbreads, crispy falafel, lamb kebabs, and whole grilled fish round out a menu that moves fluidly across the region without losing focus.

Sharing the Table

The Washington, DC location also offers private dining and event spaces, delivery and pickup, and the full mezze experience for lunch and dinner. A cookbook — Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon — extends the restaurant's approach into the home kitchen, a sign that this is a project built on genuine culinary conviction rather than trend.