RESTAURANTS • First Person
Los Angeles has no shortage of great Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, from modern restaurants like Kismet to mom-and-pop Armenian joints in the Valley. It also has no shortage of concepts from superstar chef and humanitarian José Andrés, who opened San Laurel and Agua Viva in Downtown’s Conrad Hotel in 2022, having previously shuttered a couple of other restaurants here.
But maybe there’s room for more? In December, Andrés opened Zaytinya on the ground floor of Culver City’s The Shay hotel, which has seen a fair amount of restaurant turnover. Perhaps the Andrés name will reverse the curse.
The restaurant, which already has locations in D.C., NYC, and Miami, bills itself as “Turkish, Greek and Lebanese” cuisine, and with a variety of mezze, it’s a nice mishmash of flavors ideal for a grazing dinner. Spreads like a pleasantly smoky baba ghanouj and creamy labne work magically with some of the lightest, airiest pita seen around these parts. Plump shrimp bathed in dill-strewn butter is another winner. But a pomegranate vinaigrette-dressed fattoush salad fell flat, and kofte kebabs with roasted walnuts and tomato ezme was just a touch too sweet.
This being an Andrés joint, the space — with an expansive patio outside, and inside, high ceilings, whitewashed walls, and pops of blue — is beautiful without feeling at all like a chain restaurant. And the cocktails, like an “ancient olive” martini and a Mediterranean gin and tonic with lots of citrus, are top-notch.
Andrés’s restaurant group also recently opened a rooftop Mexican restaurant, Butterfly, at the hotel. José, we’ll allow it. –Karen Palmer
→ Zaytinya (Culver City) • 8801 Washington Blvd • Tue-Thu 5-10p, Fri-Sat 5p-12a, Sun 5-10p • Reserve.