There’s a unique thrill that comes with discovering a new restaurant, isn’t there? For me, it often starts with a casual scroll through an app on my phone. On this particular evening, my husband and I were in the mood for an adventure. I opened up the inKind app, one of my digital apps of culinary possibilities, and my eyes landed on a name that sparked immediate excitement: Zaytinya.
Located in the chic and modern Shay Hotel in Culver City, Zaytinya had one magical name attached to it that made my heart beat a little faster: José Andrés.
Let’s be clear. We are a José Andrés family. We admire his culinary genius, his innovative spirit, and his incredible humanitarian work. His name on a restaurant is like a seal of approval, a promise of a fantastic, memorable meal. We’ve been dazzled by his creations before and walked in expecting nothing less than a home run. The restaurant itself is beautiful, with a spacious, airy design that makes you feel comfortable and uncrowried—a true luxury in the bustling Los Angeles dining scene.
So, with visions of perfectly crafted Mediterranean dishes dancing in our heads, we booked a table, bundled up our girls, and headed to Culver City with the highest of hopes. Unfortunately, what followed was an evening of “just okay” food, “interesting” drinks, and a resounding realization that this beautiful restaurant is one we likely won’t be returning to. It’s a classic case of a restaurant that looks the part but, sadly, just doesn’t deliver where it counts most—on the plate.
First Impressions of Zaytinya: Ambiance, Service, and That Glorious, Glorious Bread
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the food, I have to give credit where it is overwhelmingly due. From the moment we pulled up to the valet at The Shay Hotel to the moment we left, the service was impeccable. Every single person we interacted with was warm, polite, attentive, and genuinely professional. This is the kind of five-star service you hope for, and it truly set a wonderful tone at the beginning of the evening.
The restaurant’s design contributes to this positive first impression. It’s elegant without being stuffy, modern without feeling cold. We were seated at a comfortable table with plenty of room to breathe. Research from sources like the journal Environment and Behavior has long shown that a restaurant’s physical environment—its lighting, spacing, and decor—significantly impacts our perception of the food and the overall experience. On this front, Zaytinya scores a perfect ten. It feels like a place where you’re about to have an exceptional meal.
Our server was lovely and, almost immediately after we sat down, a basket of hot, fresh-out-of-the-oven pita bread appeared on our table, accompanied by a small dish of olive oil.
And let me tell you, this bread was, without a doubt, the best thing we ate all night.
It was pillowy, warm, and utterly perfect. We devoured the first basket in minutes, and a new one appeared without us even having to ask. It kept coming, a seemingly endless supply of fluffy perfection. In an age where more and more restaurants are cheekily adding a “bread service” charge to the bill, I was so impressed and appreciative that Zaytinya offers this simple, wonderful gesture of hospitality for free. It was a fantastic start.
Riding high on the beautiful ambiance and delicious bread, we decided to order a round of cocktails. I chose the Minoan Sour, and my husband opted for the Ankara Rye. They arrived, beautifully presented, and we each took a sip.
Our immediate, shared thought was, “Hmmm… I don’t think I love this.”
But here’s the weird part: they were so interesting and complex that we kept sipping. The flavors were layered and unusual, a puzzle in a glass. We couldn’t decide if we actually enjoyed them, but we were intrigued enough to finish every last drop. It was a bizarre experience—to drink something not because it was good, but because it was a curiosity. This would, unfortunately, become a recurring theme for the evening.
The Zaytinya Mezze Marathon: A Rollercoaster of “Good,” “OK,” and “Ehh”
For anyone who loves Mediterranean, Turkish, or Greek food, the heart of the meal is often the mezze. This tradition of serving a variety of small dishes to kick off the meal is meant to be a celebration of flavors, textures, and communal dining. We decided to dive in, ordering a few classics to get a feel for the kitchen’s capabilities.
Baba Ghannouge: This is a benchmark dish for me. A good Baba Ghannouge should be silky, deeply smoky from the charred eggplant, and balanced with tahini, lemon, and garlic. Zaytinya’s version was… fine. It was definitely smoky, but it lacked the depth and richness I’ve come to love from other places. It was a perfectly acceptable dip, but it wasn’t memorable. In a city like Los Angeles, with its incredible array of Mediterranean restaurants, “acceptable” just doesn’t cut it.
Falafel: Here, the kitchen found its footing. The falafels were excellent. They arrived piping hot, with a perfectly crispy exterior giving way to a fluffy, herb-flecked interior. They were flavorful, not at all greasy, and served with a very good tahini sauce. It was a solid, well-executed dish. There was no creative spin or unique twist, but it was a classic done right. We all enjoyed these.
Seared Halloumi: I love halloumi. That salty, squeaky cheese, when seared to a golden-brown crust, is one of my favorite things. This version, however, was just… ehh. It didn’t have the satisfying texture or the flavor punch I was hoping for. It was another dish that, while technically fine, was entirely forgettable.
Adana Kebab: This was perhaps the most disappointing of the mezze. Adana kebab should be juicy and flavorful, with a pleasant heat from the spices. This version was overwhelmingly gamey and strong. The flavor was so aggressive that it was difficult to enjoy. It was another “ehh” in a growing list of them.
The Mezze experience at Zaytinya felt like a summary of the entire meal: a few glimmers of quality surrounded by a sea of mediocrity. For a far more impressive and consistently delicious Mediterranean experience, our recent visit to ORLA in Santa Monica, was frankly, a million times better. Every dish there felt intentional, perfectly balanced, and created with a passion that seemed to be missing here.
The Big Question: Is Zaytinya Kid-Friendly? (A Resounding No)
Now we come to the most critical part of the review for our readers at Culinary Passages. As a family-focused blog, we are always on the lookout for upscale dining experiences that also welcome and accommodate children. Seeing quite a few other tables with kids, I initially thought Zaytinya would fit the bill.
I could not have been more wrong. I highly do not recommend taking your children to this restaurant.
My first red flag was the absence of a kids’ menu. Now, this isn’t always a deal-breaker. Many high-end restaurants, especially those in hotels, are brilliant at whipping up a simple pasta with butter or some plain grilled chicken for younger guests. We figured this would be the case and asked our server for her recommendations.
She suggested the Halloumi Pide (which she described as being similar to a cheese pizza) and the Shish Taouk (a chicken kebab skewer). This sounded reasonable, so we ordered both for our girls to share, along with a side of plain fries.
The fries, thankfully, were a hit. But when the main dishes arrived, our girls each took one polite bite and then firmly refused to eat any more. My husband and I exchanged a puzzled look. This was unusual. So, we decided to try their food ourselves.
The dishes weren’t bad. In fact, for an adult palate, they were quite good. The problem was that they were heavily spiced and seasoned. The chicken on the Shish Taouk, while juicy and flavorful, was coated in a complex blend of Middle Eastern spices that is simply too overpowering for most children. The Halloumi Pide wasn’t a simple “cheese pizza” at all; the tomato sauce had a surprisingly sweet, almost apple-like flavor that was jarring and not at all what a child would expect.
According to child development experts, children’s palates are naturally more sensitive to strong and bitter flavors, which is why they often gravitate towards simpler, more familiar tastes. As noted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, it’s a biological preference that fades with age and exposure. Zaytinya’s “kid-friendly” options completely ignore this fundamental aspect of childhood eating. They seem to be simply smaller versions of their adult dishes, with no consideration for a child’s palate.
The disappointment continued when it was time for dessert. Surely, there would be a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream or a basic chocolate cake? No such luck. The gelato flavors were cherry, pear, and—I kid you not—olive oil. The cake options were an olive oil cake and a Turkish coffee chocolate cake.
My girls looked at the menu with utter confusion. Nothing appealed to them. It felt like a final confirmation that children, while physically present in the restaurant, were an complete afterthought in the menu’s design. This is a perplexing choice for a large restaurant located in a major hotel, a place that naturally attracts traveling families. For a hotel restaurant that truly understands how to cater to everyone, our guide to the best 5-star resorts in Orange County highlights several places that get it right.
The Zaytinya Main Event and an Unimpressive Finale
After the kids pushed their food away, my husband and I finished their dishes. As I mentioned, the Shish Taouk had great flavor for an adult, and it came with a tasty whipped garlic sauce on the side. The Pide, however, was not for me. That sweet sauce was just too strange.
For our own main, we had ordered the Celebration Rice with Chicken. It arrived beautifully plated, a colorful mound of rice and chicken that promised so much. But the promise fell flat. The dish was a huge disappointment, lacking any real depth of flavor. It was just… food on a plate.
By this point, our high hopes had completely evaporated. We decided to order one dessert, the Olive Oil Cake, hoping for a single dish to end the night on a high note.
The cake was good. It was light, moist, and fresh. You can’t really go wrong with a simple olive oil cake. It was probably the second-best thing we had after the pita bread. But even then, it was unimpressive. It didn’t have that “wow” factor. It was just a nice, simple cake.
The Celebrity Chef Conundrum and Our Final Verdict
As we paid the bill, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of deflation. The whole experience felt like a mediocre hotel restaurant playing dress-up, leveraging a celebrity chef’s name to justify high prices for underwhelming food. The beautiful plating, the hot and fresh delivery of every dish—it was all surface-level polish. The soul was missing.
This brings me to the celebrity chef conundrum. Does a famous name guarantee a great meal? Increasingly, the answer seems to be no. The business model often involves a celebrated chef lending their name and concept to a restaurant group, which then replicates the menu across various locations. While this can work, it often leads to a dilution of the original vision, a sort of culinary game of telephone where the final product is a faint echo of the chef’s true genius.
I want to be clear: my respect for José Andrés remains immense. His work with World Central Kitchen is heroic, bringing hot meals to people in crisis zones around the globe. He is, by all accounts, a phenomenal human being. This review is not a critique of him, but of this specific restaurant bearing his name.
So, would we go back to Zaytinya? It’s a hard no.
Is it a terrible restaurant? No. The service is wonderful, the room is beautiful, and the falafel and pita are very good. But in a city as culinarily rich as Los Angeles, “not terrible” is a very low bar. There is simply no reason to return when there are dozens of other Mediterranean restaurants—from humble neighborhood gems to other upscale establishments—that deliver a far superior and more authentic experience. Perhaps this is a good spot for someone staying at The Shay who wants a convenient and pretty place for a drink and a snack, much like the sophisticated spots we highlight in our Grown-Up’s Guide to Santa Monica. But for a destination dinner, especially with a family, it’s a pass.
It’s a shame that a restaurant with so much potential, from its location to its namesake, misses the mark so completely on the food. Our search for the next great family meal continues, and while Zaytinya wasn’t it, the adventure is always worth the ride.
About the Author (Ginger Graham):
The author (Ginger Graham), is a Los Angeles-based mom of two who believes that life’s best memories are made around a dinner table or on a new adventure. With a passion for discovering hidden gems and sharing honest, family-focused reviews, she created Culinary Passages to help other parents navigate the vibrant worlds of food and travel. When she’s not planning her next meal or getaway, you can find her exploring local parks with her kids and husband, always on the hunt for the perfect cup of coffee.
