For over two decades, renowned chef José Andrés has served an appealing blend of Eastern Mediterranean flavors based on Lebanese, Greek, and Turkish cuisines at his D.C. restaurant Zaytinya. Occupying the ground floor of the boutique Shay hotel in Culver City, Andrés opens Zaytinya today in the former Etta space, making it the fourth outlet after expansions in Miami and New York City in recent years. Featuring a brightened dining room with a David Rockwell design, the ambience features similar hues of navy blue, birch wood chairs, mismatched hanging lamps, and potted olive trees as its sister restaurants.
Given Zaytinya’s central location in Culver City, its sprawling interior and wraparound patio, and the city’s affinity for spice-filled Mediterranean cuisine, Andrés should have a solid hit on his hands.
Shuffle through the Zaytinya cookbook, which was published in March 2024, to see the Spanish chef’s journey through the Eastern Mediterranean, a region influenced by centuries of ingredients and flavors at the crossroads between Asia and Europe. The name, which comes from the Turkish word for olive oil, reinforces Andrés’ exploration of the region and acknowledges the lasting influence of Ottoman rule, which unified places where modern Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon exist today. It makes sense then that the menu starts with spreads: hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, and labneh. Greek h’tipiti, a roasted red pepper spread with feta and thyme, and taramosalata, a spread made with umami-rich carp roe, round out the smearable starters.
Mezze and wine from Zaytinya.
Soujouk pide at Zaytinya.
Expect a heavy vegetable mezze section leaning on California’s seasonal offerings, which thus far have astounded chef Michael Costa, who has been busy exploring the bounty of the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. Zaytinya’s signature Brussels sprouts with coriander, barberries, and ladolemono (lemon olive oil dressing) head the section, followed by crispy two-bite falafel, stuffed grape leaves, crispy cauliflower with herbed tahini, and roasted eggplants stuffed with stewed vegetables and pine nuts. Warm pita bread will flow from Etta’s leftover wood-fired pizza oven alongside Zaytinya’s signature pide — boat-shaped Turkish flatbreads filled with spicy sausage (soujouk), egg, and kasar cheese, or spice-cured pastirma with egg. Angelenos familiar with Georgian/Armenian khachapuri will immediately get the pide portion of the menu.
José Andrés Group CEO Sam Bakhshandehpour, who hails from Iran and grew up in Southern California, says the vegetable-centric menu should allow flexibility for diners who want to dabble in the lighter Mediterranean fare Zaytinya offers. “This region leans to the healthier, lighter, more flavorful side so that you can come multiple times a week,” he says. The shareable mezze allows people to take certain risks with ordering dishes they may not have tried but have been customer favorites at Zaytinya’s East Coast outlets. Of course, the region’s meaty and seafood options will come into play as well.
Charred octopus with split pea puree and capers make for an ode to Santorini. Cured grey mullet roe called avgotaraho — Greece’s answer to bottarga — gets served simply with olive oil and sea salt. Seared salmon, branzino, and scallops fill out the seafood mezze, each burnished with fresh herbs. The wood-fired oven will also turn out a whole dry-aged branzino sourced from Sherman Oaks’ the Joint Seafood, something Costa says will be unique to the Los Angeles location.
Zaytinya Culver City’s bar.
A whole grilled branzino over a wood fire.
Kebab-loving Angelenos will have plenty to explore in the skewered meat options, which are grilled over wood fire on a custom kebab rack. Turkish Adana kebabs use spiced lamb while kofte employs grilled beef meatballs. More familiar shish taouk uses marinated chicken while grilled lamb chops come with smoked labneh and harissa chile crisp. A kebab platter brings in variety for the table to share. Bakhshandehpour and Costa think the family-style slow-smoked lamb shoulder will become a signature dish here as well, served with lettuce cups, toum, and harissa.
Dessert features Turkish coffee chocolate cake, olive oil cake with orange blossom cream, and galatopita — Greek milk custard pie with crispy phyllo. Traditional Turkish coffee service comes in a variety of sweetness levels. Cocktails employ spirits from the region, such as the Pomona, mixing ouzo, lemon, mint, and pomegranate. Ouzo’s anise-flavored cousins, Lebanese arak and Turkish raki, are also available to sip. Most of the wine list leans heavily on Greek bottles, though Lebanese, Californian, and even a Turkish red fill out the selections.
In the past year-plus, Los Angeles’s dining scene has fully embraced Middle Eastern and Mediterranean experiences with places like Layla (Jordanian), Ladyhawk (Lebanese), Azizam (Persian/Iranian), Laya (clubby Lebanese), Deme (Turkish and Greek), and Orla (Egyptian) featuring mezze, kebabs, and more. They join more established players like Bavel, Kismet, Mizlala, and Momed, who serve modern renditions of Middle Eastern cuisines. Zaytinya will fall into this rich mix of restaurants that highlight Persian, Armenian, Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, and Israeli flavors.
Zaytinya is located at 8801 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232, and is open daily from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., with lunch service to come. Reservations are available on OpenTable.
Patio at Zaytinya Culver City.
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