Zaytinya — Restaurant in Paradise

I hate to write one star reviews, but Zaytinya was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had all the way around.

I came here over a month ago for my birthday, and I left very disappointed. What I hated the most was to spend almost $300 on a very mediocre meal.

From what I've heard in restaurant news, Zaytinya is suppose to be a similar dining experience to Bazaar Meat by José Andrés at the Sahara.

But sadly, I can tell you firsthand that Zaytinya is nowhere close to Bazaar Meats. Not even close!

I can tell by the service alone that they were trying way too hard to impress their first guests.

And unfortunately, by doing that they ruined the whole experience for me and my husband.

First off, a server doesn't need to tell their customers to leave a review. I see that as very unprofessional and if a guest wants to leave a review, they will decide if they want to do that.

The way the menu is laid out is tapas style, and I can tell you that's not a good idea for mediterranean style food.

I ordered an array of food that was recommended by my very eager waitress and those weren't good choices.

Even though my waitress was friendly, I seen her and the water person, the bread person and the food runner and the busser come to my table every 5 to 10 minutes within the hour that I was there, and it was very disruptive.

As I was trying to enjoy a date night with my husband. I was not able to relax because of the constant interruption.

But I would say the worst part of my meal was the food. Almost everything that was ordered was poorly executed, especially the meat and seafood dish we had as our main course.

My husband ordered some type of steak and it was supposed to be done, medium, but sadly it was well done and because of it, was very tough and hard to eat. And sadly, it also lacked flavor.

I ordered a side of shrimp and a garlic sauce and I can't believe that they did not cook the shrimp all the way it tasted horrible so I only ate about two and left the rest.

Aside from the meat dishes, we ordered Tzatziki and a side of hummus, and it did not taste any better than your corner Greek restaurant in town.

We also had the smoked beet salad and the falafel and dolmades and there was nothing special about it. I can tell you I've definitely had better elsewhere.

I think the only thing I liked was the spanakopita which is a spinach and cheese wrapped in phyllo dough.

My only advice to anyone that's going to pay almost $300 for a meal for a special occasion, is to make sure you do your foodie homework before making reservations.

I've been to plenty five star restaurants in fabulous Las Vegas and I promise you Zaytinya is not one of them.

I hate to say this, but I don't see Zaytinya staying open for long because people will realize it's just overpriced Mediterranean food.

Friends, do yourself a favor and don't believe all the hype. Save your money and go...

We had a wonderful dinner at Zaytinya four nights ago. We were at Jaleo back in 2023, when Chef Stephanie let us know that Zaytinya, another of our favorite restaurants, was coming to Las Vegas. It was expected to open in 2024, under Chef Stephanie and finally did open in May 2025 in the Caesars Forum Shops.

Our family has enjoyed Zaytinya at many locations around the USA over the years and we’re just thrilled that Zaytinya is finally in our hometown on the Strip. I ordered a cocktail -Za’atar Margarita- to start with. It was delicious with the right saltiness and just a hint of za’atar. (I think I’m going to try and see if za’atar will work on straight tequila. ) We asked the chef her for recommendations - and she suggested the H’Tipiti spread (to go with our puffed pita); the shrimp- Garides Me Anitho; and the Kofte Kebab. The H’TipitiI was so good that I just had to take a few spoonfuls by itself. The combination of the marinated roasted sweet red pepper, feta cheese and thyme really worked. The shrimp came in a creamy sauce which was not heavy at all and cooked just right - not chewy and dry. We also ordered the tabbouleh - served on a carrier of lettuce on top of a creamy light garlic spread. Very well seasoned and the flavor was very distinct but not overwhelming. My husband generally does not like tabbouleh much but he really enjoyed this one. The kofte kebab was ground beef with roasted walnuts and pickled chiles, and combined with all other the spices gave a nice texture and appetizing flavor. For dessert, we shared the olive oil cake and the Greek yogurt with apricot and pistachio. The olive oil cake was moist and with the right sweetness, not overwhelming which I like. The yogurt with apricots, vanilla and pistachio powder was also excellent - very light and flavorful. Even though caffeine keeps me up- I will not pass up a good Turkish coffee, and it was served with a flair. I think it actually helped pack the sediment to the bottom of the cup.

We have been to Zaytinya in Washington DC and NYC. This location met or exceeded the standards that we have come to expect from Zaytinya and the other José Andrés restaurants. All in all it was a very enjoyable evening of really good food by a very talented chef at a very reasonable price and with excellent service by a very pleasant young man (Victor ). I highly recommend dining...

Summary: A fun new Jose Andres spot with delicious items worth trying though it doesn't risk knocking other Jose Andres restaurants from the top spot.

I visited Zaytinya its first week of service. I have small critiques, but they are items that get ironed out over time.

Food: My party and I did the tasting menu and I would honestly recommend it for its value and selection. Everything was delicious but there is a definite split between decent dishes and dishes that are incredible.

The Incredible: Pita, Baba Ganoush, Spanakopita, brussel sprouts, choclate molten cake, and the sour cherry yogurt dessert. The airy pita puffs that they bring to the table are addicting. Beware. Also, we kept talking about the baba ganoush which is normally not something to highlight but get it here. It's smokey and nutty and we wanted to have so much more. The spanakopita was totally different than I have had it anywhere else and it was so fresh and delicious. The blistered brussel sprouts with pomegranate was so flavorful and both desert mentioned here were top notch.

The rest of the dishes were decent. The hummus, dolmas, falafel, chicken, and lamb were all delicious but didn't stand out as much. The hummus was as much of a surprise as the baba ganoush. The dolmas and falafel were good but seemed pretty standard from what you'd get elsewhere. The chicken and lamb were both good but it was a bit disappointing to have the same.side dishes with each. We loved the sumac onions but it would have been great to see slightly different sides.

Overall the experience was great. Just dont do what we did and fill up on pita while waiting for subsequent courses.

Service: Service was friendly and attentive. Everybody we spoke to was welcoming. They took the time to explain each dish and answer questions. I just wanted the timing of the tasting menu to be a bit better timed. We had a considerable gap between first and second courses and filled up on pita while waiting.

Location: It is easy to miss this place. Honestly, my biggest critique is how hidden this restaurant can be. It is entirely possible to miss it if you're walking from the Forum Shops and, to be honest, the facade and signage is quite subdued. Not the vibe of other Jose Andres...