If you want traditional middle eastern food, you will probably not enjoy Zatinya. I like it because it does play with some traditional dishes, and mixes some elements of different cuisines. More for the adventurous.

I met a friend for dinner here one night when I was in town. I am a vegetarian so she selected it. Great idea! Lots of small plates with unusual combination of items. Very tasty and filling. Wonderful desserts too! The location is perfect -- right next to a metro station and across the street from the Portrait Gallery.

I went because everyone said it was a good eats place but was very dissapointed! Not your regular restaurant and served only tapas which are very small portions to accompany drinks! The food was ok for the folks that are not familiar with the Mezedes but louzy for me brcause I know what they are supposed to taste like. We... More

We were in DC for a family / business trip and my husband chose this restaurant for Mother’s Day Brunch. Loved every minute of it. In fact, we decided to go a second time right before we headed out to the airport. On our first visit, we were joined by friends which was great because we could order lots of... More

I was really looking forward to Zaytinya, after hearing so many good things about it. Especially after recently traveling to Greece, I wanted to see how authentic this cuisine would be. It just fell short in every way, as in EVERY dish we had lacked in flavor and quality. Maybe it was just an off night, but we will not... More

We went for dinner on a sat night. Made a last minute reservation but glad we did because otherwise would have waited in line. The service was good and fast. Had the fattoush salad and hummus for an appetizer. Then had octopus, lamb kebabs, braised lamb in eggplant and brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts were the best we've ever had... More

We had high hopes based on Tripadvisor reviews but were not impressed. The prices were very reasonable, but the octopus was slightly off and the waiter recommended two dishes with an identical pee puree base - odd to re-use the same base and even stranger to have a waiter recommend both of those dishes. We had a charred brussel sprouts... More

we were taken here by friends and it is exactly the sort of place a group of friends should go and share many of the most amazing small plates on offer of mediterranean food. Location is good and central as well.

It is a little heavier and therefore not quite the failproof crowd-pleaser that its sister Jaleo is; but it is very good in its own right, an excellent interpretation of Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. You won't be disappointed.