Zaytinya

"Went for dinner with friends and their kids. The food as usual for a J. Andres restaurant was the highest quality. There was plenty for the kids and even accommodate by making the food more kid friendly. The inside atmosphere was a little bland but sitting outside with a view of the pool was great!"

"Before we talk about the mini and tasteless dishes, let's talk about the basics of Middle Eastern cooking. A Mediterranean middle eastern restaurant can't be called like that if it doesn't serve pita bread. This restaurant calls an oddly puffy greasy tortilla a pita. unacceptable. Not only the taste is disgusting but also the functionality of such bread does not exist. This region food should be dipped with the pita. Impossible with this oily imitation. And now an educational paragraph for the chef, from Wikipedia: "Pita is a type of round flat bread with yeast that is baked from wheat flour. It always includes an inner pocket that can be filled." that's it. A pita is a pita is a pita. It is not a puffy, greasy deep-fried tortilla. Now for the food itself. Boring. small portions. Not only is it not traditional it is also not creative. Add the location of the restaurant; at hotel by the pool tables with screaming music from the pool and with tired service. And you get an unacceptable experience. We waited half an hour for a desert and coffee. we fell asleep. The bottom line: You should skip it. And Chef Andres (really?) needs to go back to learning some basic cooking at school or from some Mediterranean grandmothers. I am ready to ‘donate’ my private one. A place full of mediocrity and lack of atmosphere."

"Great food with decent pricing , great service and a nice ambiance. Don't skip the Lamb Kebab, fries and the dessert."

"The food was delicious and reasonably priced. Drinks were fantastic. Crispy eggplant, octopus, meats, everything amazing. Atmosphere was lovely, sat outside with a view of the pool."

"Great to find a restaurant in south beach that both good and reasonably priced. My friend and I went and ordered almost every veggie dish on the menu. It was a full spread. We each had a drink too and after tax and tip it only came out to $75 per person. Rare in south beach for this quality. I loved the grape leaves and tabbouleh dishes. I am vegan and the restaurant was especially accommodating. Jose Andres has done a great job with this one. The setting was nice by the pool and the palm trees next to the ocean. We were happily stuffed and couldn’t eat any more by the time we were done. Service was friendly. I wouldn’t compare this restaurant to the Zaytinya in know in Washington DC. This restaurant stands on its own."