José Andrés Opens His Popular Mediterranean Restaurant Zaytinya on the Las Vegas Strip

Zaytinya Las Vegas. | Katrina Frederick The award-winning D.C. restaurant debuts with fire-roasted eggplant, grilled lamb, and olive oil martinis José Andrés continues to shape Las Vegas’s culinary landscape with the Tuesday, May 13 opening of his Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Already a fixture on the Strip with multiple restaurants, and with Bazaar Meat set to move from the Sahara to the Palazzo later this year, Andrés champions what he calls “one of our country’s greatest food cities.” “Las Vegas is truly an eating destination,” Andrés tells Eater. “People come to Vegas to experience new things. That’s why we’re putting so much energy there. Whatever the people of Vegas want, we have it.” Zaytinya — serving up vibrant Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese flavors — joins the recently opened seafood restaurant Bazaar Mar and companion Spanish cafe and lounge Bar Centro, which debuted together last August inside the Shops at Crystals. In March 2023, more than two years ago, the José Andrés Group first announced plans for both Zaytinya and Bar Centro, marking a long-awaited expansion into Vegas’s diverse dining scene. Katrina Frederick Zaytinya Las Vegas. Zaytinya serves vibrant Eastern Mediterranean mezze — the kind that earned José Andrés’s two-decade-old Washington, D.C. flagship numerous accolades, including a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide. True to the spirit of sharing, the opening menu features classics like labneh and tzatziki, house-made spanakopita with spinach and feta tucked between crisp layers of phyllo, and Andrés’s signature baba ghanoush, a lemony, fire-roasted eggplant spread with tahini. Head chef Stephanie Martinez builds on the experience with layered flavors and refined presentations. Among the standouts: a blistered flatbread crowned with spicy soujouk sausage, melty Caesar cheese with a soft-set egg, and delicately charred octopus draped in marinated onions and capers, served over a velvety yellow split pea purée. Exclusive to the Las Vegas outpost is a selection of main courses. Think Tangier-spiced grilled lamb chops with a bright spring pea tzatziki, seasonal grilled whole fish with similar preparations to those at Bazaar Mar, and a mixed grill of lamb, kofte, chicken, and adana skewers — ideal for groups or big appetites. Katrina Frederick. Zaytinya Las Vegas. Katrina Frederick Chicken Muhammara at Zaytinya. “It’s a twist on Mediterranean that the city hasn’t seen before,” says Sam Bakhshandehpour, global CEO of the José Andrés Group. “We like to be innovative and drive change, and just wanted to bring Vegas another great experience.” One standout is the lamb shoulder, a childhood favorite that, Andrés says, “is arguably one of the most tender, juiciest cuts of meat.” It’s served with lettuce cups and sauces on the side. On the cocktail side, Adrian Rene’s beverage program comes to life in a bar under a curved glass structure in the style of kako mati, the Greek evil eye. Here, technique and flavor come together in drinks like the minty, pomegranate-forward Pomona made with ouzo, or the Minoan Sour, where Spanish olive oil is emulsified with egg white for a rich, silky texture. Even the zero-proof options, like a clarified milk punch, are crafted with precision. Nowhere is the attention to technique more apparent than in Zaytinya’s signature martini, which features gin fat-washed with olive oil — a process that leaves the gin tasting of olives and the oil faintly infused with botanicals. Katrina Frederick Zaytinya Las Vegas. Spanning 8,604 square feet, the restaurant was designed by the Rockwell Group to evoke the feeling of entering a Mediterranean country home, with large oak doors framed by trellises and plants. As guests move deeper into the space, it transforms into a sleek, modern ambience featuring towering brown columns and dark blue booths. While the debut of Zaytinya is José Andrés Group’s latest investment in Las Vegas, a reopening of Bazaar Meat at Palazzo is planned for later this year, ending the steakhouse’s 11-year run at the Sahara on the Strip’s north end. “It’s the heart of the action,” the chef and humanitarian says of moving to the center Strip. “I’m excited about the design. We are working for the first time with Studio Munge, brilliant designers who are going to make it a beautiful space inspired by the Fería de Jerez, the very famous horse fairs of the south of Spain, where people dress up to socialize, listen to music, watch flamenco dancing, and of course, do a lot of eating and drinking.” “Vegas is a special market because every weekend is a grand opening,” Bakhshandehpour says. “Every weekend, you have people that are pumped up. They’re coming to town and they’re ready to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience and go big. We want to capture that.” After a two-year wait for Zaytinya,