You know that fancy restaurant right outside the Gallery Place Metro Station? The one with the slightly harsh looking statue outside? That is Zaytinya. I’ve been told to go to this restaurant for almost four years now, courtesy of my good friend Andrew. After much nagging, I finally went!

Zaytinya specializes in small plates of Mediterranean and Greek cuisine. The restaurant is also a member of ThinkFoodGroup, a company started by DC Star Chef José Andrés.

Now, this is definitely a splurge-lunch type option, especially on a college student budget. The small plates will run you an average of 8-12$ per dish, and the average, moderately hungry person would need about 2-4 dishes for a meal.

Amazing Deal Alert! Zaytinya has a great prix fixe Lunch Special, called the “Mezze Lunch.” You pick one appetizer, one first course plate, one second course plate, and a dessert all for 25$. Take a friend, and you get to try eight dishes for 50$ – which under normal prices would run you upwards of 80$. Safe to say, this is a great deal.

Additional bonus – unlimited pita bread and olive oil. Seriously, its warm and puffy, its good enough to eat as a meal alone. But maybe don’t do that.

Though I regret not taking pictures of every course, below are the best dishes from our 4-course meal.

 

 

The standout dishes of the evening: the fried eggplant and the Turkish Delight. Sad to say, I am missing pictures of the Spanakopita, the pilaf, and the lamb. We thought these dishes were good, but lackluster compares to the opening and closing courses.

We definitely left feeling full, and satisfied with our culinary journey.

The Bottom Line

A fun splurge-worthy meal if you want to try something new!

Cone Rating: 4 Cones

Price: $$$ (20-30$ for a full meal)

Location: Gallery Place – Chinatown Metro, Washington, DC

Website: Zaytinya