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Zaytoon
209 E. Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 963-1293
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Reviews by the General Public
Awesome place, 11/20/2009
Reviewer: Karim
from Santa Barbara, CA
This place is just great, a definite recommendation to everyone. The staff are friendly, food was tasty. A first experience but it's is going to be our new favourite spot. A special thank you to Youssef who was real helpful and made us feel at home.
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Decent food (limited for vegetarians), good entertainment, 11/20/2009
Reviewer: Daniel Charles
from Santa Barbara, CA
I've dined here a lot, and I'm a vegetarian. While there are a lot of veggie "starters," there are no real main courses that are vegetarian. They had a really amazing vegetarian stew and took it off the menu. Typical! Vegetarians just can't get a fair shake here in SB. The guitarist who plays on Friday night is REALLY good, and they sometimes have a DJ, which is REALLY cool, too. All my friends agree on the entertainment.
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May go again, 10/27/2009
Reviewer: Tom
from Santa Barbara, CA
The ambiance was really great. The lemon chicken and lamb was a little overcooked. Salads are good. I may go back again.
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Great, even when busy, 10/20/2009
Reviewer: Alan
from Spokane, WA
We didn't make reservations and the place was packed, but we chose to sit 3 in a 2-person table. The free warm pita and sauce was great as was the service. Our meals were large, well displayed, and really tasty. No overcooked or undercooked lamb or chicken. I'll go back whenever I'm in town.
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Disappointed, 9/23/2009
Reviewer: Peter
from Santa Barbara, CA
The food and service at Zaytoon has really gone downhill. We had lunch there on 9/22/09 and ordered Chicken Shawarma, which was almost inedible. The salad was mediocre at best. We share the sentiments expressed in previous reviews entitled "underwhelmed" and "no longer good". There must someone new doing the cooking. It's a shame because this used to be a good restaurant with great food and service.
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great ambiance good food, 8/22/2009
Reviewer: vi
from Santa Barbara, CA
four of us went on a friday night and the ambiance was really great, with firewood and all. the service and the food were good too. the hummus that we ordered was not as delicious as i expected and the lamb kabab that i ordered would have been cooked a little more. one of us was a vegetarian and felt that the vegetarian options for the main dish were pretty limited (infact they only had one main veg dish on the menu which was an assortment of starters!). otherwise the food was overall pretty good and couple of guys in our group really loved it.
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One of our favorites, 7/7/2009
Reviewer: Carmen
from Santa Barbara, CA
I can't imagine how anyone could not like this place. It has many classic dishes, but they are far more delicious than I have tasted anywhere else. My husband and I are vegetarian, so that may skew our perspective. The veg. dishes are wonderful, and there are plenty of them. The restaurant itself is lovely, and we've always received excellent service!
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Great, 6/16/2009
Reviewer: Amy
from Santa Barbara, CA
Absolutely LOVE THIS PLACE! Great food and atmosphere!
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A Delightful Surprise, 6/6/2009
Reviewer: Jeanette Carpenter
from Santa Barbara, CA
I jumped at the chance to try this restaurant when suggested by a friend following a whirlwind shopping experience. We are both drawn to ethnic restaurants for the endless variety. I was simply delighted by the entire experience. Food, service and ambiance were wonderful. This is the perfect place to "surprise" your friends for a special celebration. This is my new #1 favorite in Santa Barbara.
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Spicy Atmosphere, 5/7/2009
Reviewer: David
from Santa Barbara, CA
Food: Different and exotic, best served by the fire. Romantic atmosphere, I took my wife for our 3rd anniversary and she loved it (believe me). Service: Waitress was nice and did anything I asked without hesitation or waiting to long. One thing to improve on would be to keep this place more secret, if too many people find out about this hidden gem in downtown they will overwhelm it. Overall the atmosphere, entertainment, and exotic food make this place a wonderful romantic hot spot hidden in downtown Santa Barbara!
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YUM YUM!, 3/27/2009
Reviewer: Jennifer
from Santa Barbara, CA
I love this place soooo much, my husband and I had our rehearsal dinner here. We had 50 people and everyone loved it! Everytime we go, the service is great and the food is even better! You have to have the fried cheese things (forgot the name). Love the schwarma and the baklava is out of this world!
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Outstanding food and service, 3/27/2009
Reviewer: Tom
from Santa Barbara, CA
This place rocks. By far the best Middle Eastern food in So Cal. The location is excellent, service as well.
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Beautiful Saturday Lunch In a Mediterranean Restaurant, 2/28/2009
Reviewer: Hanna
from Cupertino, CA
The falafel balls apetizer was fresh, hot and delicious. The beef and the chicken shawarma dishes were amazing. The tabouli was awesome, and the paprika flavored french fries were out of this world, especially when dipped in their garlic sauce. Afterwards we enjoyed our desserts and hot tea with fresh mint leaves, and relaxed with a mango flavored hookah in the outside section of the restaurant on a beautiful saturday afternoon. The restrooms were very clean and nicely scented, and the kitchen (i peeked on the way to the bathroom) was really clean. The service was great.
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Amazing Contrast from Others Experience..., 2/3/2009
Reviewer: Herman
from Santa Barbara, CA
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Underwhelmed, 2/3/2009
Reviewer: Lesley Ann
from Santa Barbara, CA
I went to Zaytoon for lunch with a small group of co-workers to celebrate a birthday. The place was empty, and we were the first group of people there. They asked us if we wanted to be seated inside or out. Since it was a lovely day we chose the outside and were seated at the outdoor patio (which was quite cold in the shade.) Three other groups came in after us, but were seated inside. We waited more than 10 minutes for someone to come out and take our order. We then waited another 30 minutes for it to be delivered. In the meantime, we could see that all of the people that came in behind us were already eating and enjoying their meals while we sat there waiting to be served.
The meal was eventually served, and I found the chicken shwarma to be dry, tasteless, and overpriced. The pita bread arrived when I was halfway through the meal. I will avoid the place altogether and take my dollars elsewhere.
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No longer good...., 1/22/2009
Reviewer: Bethany
from Santa Barbara, CA
I have eaten at Zaytoon many times and the quality of the food has gone down hill. I ordered chicken shwarma and it seemed to be a chicken breast diced up and coated with paprika, then sauteed. The hummus was incredibly bland-and the server was quite rude. I seem to be an inconvenience on a not so busy thursday night. I think in this economy restaurants need to do whatever than can to hold on right now. As for the food maybe it was an off night-but the service was simply unexcusable.
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Best Lebanese(middle eastern) resaurant in USA!
Reviewer: maha
from goleta, ca
I mostly liked the atmosphere. The tables are so authentic (reminded me of Lebanon) and the music too. Moreover, the lamb shawarma with a Tabulli side and Hummus made the whole visit complete.
The waiter was aware of our needs before we ask for it (eg. refilled the bread before it's finished)
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impeccable
Reviewer: Jason
from Temecula,ca
first timers and what a treat!! Food was amazing and full of flavor. Highly recommended. Atmosphere was clean and tranquill.
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Lovey Evening Great Food
Reviewer: Lizzie Rodriguez
from Santa Barbara, CA
Following an EDC event around the corner four of us decided to walk over to Zaytoon for dinner. I had just read up on the place and was curious about the hit and miss service issues. A couple of us remembered this location as the little sushi place a while back. we walked in to an atmosphere of elegance. Acoustic Guitar and firepits. The place was full but we were lucky enough to be seated quickly. The waitress gave several suggestions for wines and cocktails before our meal.
We ordered the Grape Leaves to start - Yummy! Everyone ordered something different and loved everything. The portions are generous leaving plenty to enjoy later.
This is definitely going to be on my list of favorites!
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All Around Great
Reviewer: Diane
from Goleta
We had a lovely dinner here last night. The patio was cool on an otherwise scorching day. On a cooler night they would have lit the fireplace in the center of our table, but we weren't interested. I noticed others that came later had theirs going. It was a really nice setting. The service was extremely good, prompt, attentive, cheerful, helpful. The Baba Ganouj appetizer with warm pita breads was excellent. The lemony rice pilaf was a refreshing change. Most everyone in our group had some kind of kebabs or a kebab sampler and everyone liked their meal. One had the sampler of various items and enjoyed the whole plate.
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Always great!
Reviewer: Christine
from Santa Barbara, CA
The service is always over the top and friendly and the food is amazing! The atmosphere is pure icing on the cake.
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great food, but reservations ignored
Reviewer: ivan
from santa barbara, ca
If you're looking for a "fix" of Middle Eastern food, this is the place to get it. Their food is excellent and the service is attentive. They've raised their prices, however, so be prepared to spend some serious money for what basically is pita bread and dips.
Their mindset about seating and reservations is disappointing. Don't bother making reservations, as they'll be ignored. It's first come, first seated, wherever they want to seat you, regardless of what you're told when you ask for a reservation, with no adequate explanation or sincere apologies from management. Unless the owner(s) wake up, I think this unfortunate attitude toward customers requesting reservations will eventually sink this place. That short-sighted policy could never build a solid base of return customers.
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Fun atmosphere, amazing food!
Reviewer: Dayna Packer
from Santa Barbara, CA
I went here with a friend for dinner on a Friday night. We made reservations and we were seated right away. Our waiter was very attentive and helpful while not being too intrusive. We shared the two person sample appetizer and also got the combo of meat skewers! The food was so fresh and flavorful! We had such a nice time and enjoyed the calming atmosphere!!! We will definitely be going back very soon!
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Middle Eastern Fare w/a Twist
Reviewer: Jennifer
from Santa Barbara, CA
We went to Zaytoon last night for the first time. I'd driven past, seen the lights, and it piqued my interested. Wow! What a cool lay-out this place has! You enter through the outdoor dining part--tables with a fire pit in the middle. There's another section that is "indoor/outdoor"--if you want a compromise on these chilly winter nights, and finally, there's an indoor dining room--perfect for those of us with less tolerance for cold. The smell of the food is your first indication of how delectable or not the food will be. The smell proved right--the food was superbo! I had the vegetarian entree--baba ganoush, tabuli--the freshest and punchiest I've ever experienced--, hummus, w/falafel and some pita bread to dip in the sauces. My mate had the lamb kabob. We were both quite pleased. Apparently Zaytoon's management has taken note of prior SB.com reviews as the service was great. Our waitresses were very attentive and even gave us the heads up when our wine wouldn't be out as ASAP as expected. Overall, a very pleasant dining experience I will look forward to repeating.
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