Zaytoon of Santa Barbara is a fabulous middle eastern restaurant. I have always spied Zaytoon from across the street from Panino and thought to myself, next time for dinner. Well, I have not been at Panino in a while and out of sight out of mind until, Andrea, my co-worker and fellow foodie, told me of this wonderful lunch she had with her grandmother at Zaytoon. Well, that was it-time to try it out!

All guests are greeted with pita bread and water. To start, we ordered Almaza, Lebanon’s number one beer, and the traditional hummus. It was perfect with just the right amount of spice and lemon. Next, we had the grape leaves which were okay but a tiny bit bland. For our main course, we ordered the lamb shawarma. Everything was good but need a little something like salt or something spicy added. Anyway, on to dessert, which was pure heaven! We ordered the Bak Lava, which consists of vanilla ice cream, pastery wafers with pecan goodness inside, with whipped cream and honey drizzled on top. How could we go wrong with that?

The best part of this whole experience was the ambiance. No where in Santa Barbara, can I think of has a fire pit at the table, fountains galore, and lovely hanging lights in the sky. If I had known of this place before I got married, Zaytoon would of been considered for the rehearsal dinner! The server said they do a lot of parties there.

Overall, we love this place! Zaytoon is different and the food is good. It is a special hidden spot in Santa Barbara for locals to frequent and visitors to discover.

Dress: Anya Hindmarch Alban handbag, Muubaa leather jacket (from Diani), and Current Elliot black skinnies (available at Angel).

Google+