Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
Solid mezze, Michelin value, easy to book.

José Andrés' mezze-focused restaurant earns its Michelin Bib Gourmand by delivering consistent, wide-ranging Greek, Lebanese, and Turkish small plates at a $$ price point that's hard to beat in D.C. The wine list skews usefully toward Greek and Lebanese labels. Easy to book, smart casual in dress, and worth a second visit if your first order wasn't ambitious enough.
If you've been to Zaytinya once, the question on a return visit isn't whether to go back — it's whether you ordered the right things the first time. The answer is probably no, and that's the point. José Andrés' mezze-focused restaurant at 701 9th St NW earns its Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) not because it tries to be the most ambitious room in D.C., but because it executes its format — wide-ranging, shareable, Mediterranean small plates , more consistently than almost anything in its price bracket. At $$ (roughly $40–$65 for a two-course equivalent, excluding drinks), this is one of the better value propositions in the city for food that actually has a point of view.
The kitchen's strength is breadth without sloppiness. Mezze menus often collapse under the weight of their own ambition , too many dishes, too little care , but Zaytinya holds its range across Greek, Lebanese, and Turkish traditions without the execution thinning out at the edges. The spreads are the entry point: multiple options paired with fresh pita, each distinct enough to justify ordering more than one. The mushroom kapnista with dates, walnuts, and labneh is the dish that earns repeat visits , richly layered, with enough textural contrast to hold attention across the table. Flatbreads and pide are crowd-ready, the kind of food that disappears without anyone noticing who ate the last piece.
Vegetarians are genuinely well-served here, not as an afterthought. The diversity of plant-forward dishes is broad enough that a table of non-meat eaters won't feel they're working around a menu built for others. On Sundays, the braised lamb is worth the trip on its own. If your first visit leaned heavily on spreads, a second visit should push further into the grilled and braised sections.
The wine list, under Wine Director Jordi Paronella, is worth your attention. At 140 selections with 170 in inventory, it leans into Greek and Lebanese labels that most D.C. restaurants wouldn't know where to source. Pricing sits at $$ on the wine scale , a range of price points, not all expensive , and corkage is available at $25 if you're bringing something specific. For a Mediterranean-focused list of this geographic specificity, that's a genuine differentiator.
The space is sleek and modern, with energy that tracks the time of day. At lunch it runs quieter , better for conversation, easier to pace through a meal without feeling pushed. By Friday and Saturday evenings, when the kitchen runs until midnight, the room fills and the ambient noise rises accordingly. This is not a quiet dinner venue after 9 PM, but it's not trying to be. The format suits a business lunch as well as it suits a group of friends ordering too much food. Solo diners are accommodated comfortably. It's a room that works across contexts, which is rarer than it sounds at this price point.
Chef Sam Garcia runs the kitchen day-to-day, with General Manager Ally Scott overseeing the floor. The ownership structure , José Andrés and Rob Wilder , means this is part of a larger hospitality operation, and the professionalism of service reflects that. If Andrés' modernist project minibar is where you go for boundary-pushing tasting menus, Zaytinya is where the same culinary intelligence gets applied to accessible, repeatable dining.
Hours: Monday 11:30 am–10 pm; Tuesday–Thursday 11:30 am–11 pm; Friday 11:30 am–12 am; Saturday 11 am–12 am; Sunday 11 am–10 pm. Reservations: Easy to book , this is not a venue where you'll be waiting weeks for a table under normal circumstances. Dress: Smart casual; the room skews polished but not formal. Budget: $$ cuisine (two courses ~$40–$65 per person before drinks); $$ wine list with a $25 corkage fee. Address: 701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001. Google rating: 4.5 across 8,610 reviews.
See the full comparison section below.
For more of D.C.'s dining scene, see our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide, bars guide, hotels guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide. If you're weighing Middle Eastern options in the city, Albi operates at a higher price point with a more focused tasting format. For vegetable-forward cooking with a sustainability angle, Oyster Oyster is the comparison worth making. Elsewhere in the U.S., Zaytinya's approach to cuisine mastery within a defined regional tradition compares interestingly to what Atomix does for Korean cuisine in New York, or what Smyth achieves in Chicago with its seasonal tasting format , different traditions, similar commitment to doing one thing with genuine technical depth.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zaytinya | Chef José Andrés' ocean-blue ode to the cuisine of Greece, Lebanon, and Turkey means an ample, wide-ranging carte. The space too, sleek and modern, speaks to the ease and elegance of the Mediterranean. It's an ideal spot for suits sealing deals, as well as solo diners or friends catching up. Mezze is the menu's focus and the quality of food is solid. Zero in on the mushroom kapnista with dates, walnuts, and labneh for richness. There are a myriad of spreads to be paired with fresh pita, followed by salads and flatbreads (or pide), which are of the dive-right-in variety. Vegetarians will revel in the diversity of dishes, while braised lamb is the Sunday roast everyone deserves.Greek and Lebanese labels are given their due on the exceptional wine list.; WINE: Wine Strengths: Greece Pricing: $$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $25 Selections: 140 Inventory: 170 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: Mediterranean Pricing: $$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Lunch and Dinner STAFF: People Wine Director: Jordi Paronella Chef: Sam Garcia General Manager: Ally Scott Owner: José Andrés, Rob Wilder; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | $$ | — |
| Oyster Oyster | Michelin 1 Star | $$$ | — |
| Albi | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Causa | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Rooster & Owl | Michelin 1 Star | $$$ | — |
| Rose’s Luxury | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The room is sleek and modern, and the crowd skews business casual at lunch and relaxed but put-together at dinner. Zaytinya holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, so people treat it accordingly — jeans are fine, but scruffy won't feel right. Think the same register you'd wear to a good wine bar in Penn Quarter.
A few days out is usually enough for lunch; dinner, especially Thursday through Saturday, benefits from booking a week ahead. Zaytinya is a large, high-volume room — harder to get into than a neighbourhood spot, easier than most Michelin-recognised restaurants in D.C. Walk-in chances are better at lunch on weekdays.
Lunch is the better value play at $$: quieter, easier to pace, and the full mezze menu is available. Dinner brings more energy and works well for groups who want to graze through a longer spread, but the food is the same kitchen either way. If you're coming for a focused meal rather than an occasion, lunch is the smarter call.
Zaytinya's format is mezze-driven, not tasting-menu-driven — you're building your own spread from a wide à la carte list rather than following a set progression. That flexibility is part of the appeal at this price point ($$). If you want a chef-directed tasting format in D.C., Rooster & Owl is the more appropriate choice.
Yes, and better than most comparable restaurants at this price. The mezze format means vegetarians have genuine depth to work with — the menu's produce and grain dishes are substantive, not afterthoughts. Greek, Lebanese, and Turkish cuisines overlap naturally with dairy-free and gluten-adjacent needs, though you should confirm specifics when booking.
At $$ (roughly $40–$65 per head before drinks), Zaytinya's Michelin Bib Gourmand designation tracks: this is good-value food by D.C. standards. The wine list runs 140 selections with Greek and Lebanese labels at $$ pricing, which adds to the case. For the same budget, Oyster Oyster delivers more conceptual cooking, but Zaytinya wins on breadth, group flexibility, and reliability.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.