What a lovely and unexpected spot near George Mason University! One half of the restaurant is a Vietnamese cafe serving drinks, sweets, and treats and the other half is a more formal Mediterranean eatery with a sit down menu. The restaurant had a few Saudi Arabian dishes on the menu which is something I had never tried before. Our server was very friendly and eager to share his favorite dishes with us. I tried the chicken tikka kabobs and the Tashreeb lamb (our server's favorite) which was super tender and flavorful. Portions are generous and great for sharing. Looks like they have some reasonably priced catering trays which I will definitely be ordering from for family parties. Truly a gem! read more

You walk into a restaurant filled with light. There are two dining levels, outdoor patios and plenty of tables, yet I never felt as though I were sharing a table with my neighbor. One accessibility note: the restrooms are in the basement. These folks operate two separate kitchens--one Vietnamese and one Mediterranean. I can't imagine the Vietnamese side being as good as the Mediterranean side was today, but I fully intend to find out next time. They started me with complimentary pita bread and a tray of olives, olive oil and an herb mixture. My server recommended dipping the bread into the oil and then the herbs, and he wasn't wrong--it was delicious. I don't like lamb, so I ordered my mixed grill with beef and chicken. The beef was succulent and tender, and everything was seasoned perfectly. The chicken wasn't quite as moist as I would have liked, but it was still good. The platter came with a mountain of seasoned basmati rice. My server recommended pouring the curry potato sauce over the rice--yum! I ordered a Thai milk tea--Thai iced tea--for dessert, and it did not disappoint. My meal was stellar, and I will definitely be back! read more

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I recently tired Zaytouna Bistro and really enjoyed the experience. One thing I thought was unique is that you can choose between a more traditional dine-in experience upstairs or a more casual setup downstairs at Chill Zone Cafe, where you can order from a kiosk and relax in the cafe space. The best part is that the menu is the same, so you can pick whichever atmosphere fits your mood. The menu offers a great variety of Mediterranean and Vietnamese dishes, and everything we tried was fresh, flavorful, and generously portioned. For appetizers, we ordered the Papaya Salad, Combo Rolls, and Sweet Potato Fries. The papaya salad was unlike any I've had at other restaurants. Instead of being heavily dressed, fresh papaya was served with three different sauces that you can mix to your own taste. It was surprisingly interesting and delicious. I especially appreciated that it wasn't drenched in fish sauce or shrimp, which can sometimes make similar salads overly fishy. For our entrees, we ordered Mixed Grill Plate, which included kofta kebab, chicken, and lamb served with rice and grilled vegetables, as well as the Chicken Vermicelli Bowl. The portions were HUGE, definitely enough to satisfy a hungry appetite or leave room for leftovers. The chicken and kofta were flavorful, but the lamb was unfortunately overcooked and a bit dry both times I've visited, even though we requested it medium. I also would have preferred a large serving of grilled vegetables and less rice on the plate. Overall, it was a great experience. The menu offers plenty of variety, making it easy for everyone to find something they enjoy. With its relaxed atmosphere, generous portions, and diverse menu, it's a great place to hangout with friends and family. :) read more

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Outstanding service from our server! He made the experience so much better. The food had some great highlights and a few spots for improvement. Plating was good. Summer rolls: were super fresh and tightly rolled. Mixed platter: All 3 meats were slightly overcooked and dry. The grilled veggies side were just a single piece of tomato and red onion which felt a bit sparse... a few more veggies would have really rounded out the plate. The rice were dry too but the yellow rice had good flavor. The fried fish dish: The skin on the fried fish was nice and crisp. Rice on this dish was even more dry. Great service and solid potential, but a few tweaks to the kitchen prep would make it top-tier! read more

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tl;dr: Delicious Mediterranean food in the same building as a Vietnamese cafe! Food: The meal started with pita served with olive oil, zataar, and olives. The pita was so fluffy! I asked for a small order of hummus and it was so creamy. One of the best that I've had in the area. There is a lot to choose from the menu, and you can also order from the Chill Zone menu (they share the same building.) I ordered the combo tray for two so I could sample a lot of their meats. The tray came with so many kinds of meats including: - tikka chicken - crispy chicken - Iraqi kofta - lamb - chicken shawarma and beef shawarma The tray also comes with rice, roasted vegetables, as well as a potato curry. Even though this is enough for two people, we ended up taking some home because there was so much food. I also had a mint lemonade with my meal, and it was incredibly refreshing and delicious. Vibes: Bright and felt like a craftsmanlike house. People have seen box fans thinking that the A/C is broken. I didn't feel hot at all, it felt OK. Parking: Plenty of parking in the lot around the building. read more

Zaytouna Bistro - Combo tray for 2 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Location has a real nice feel to it. Reminds me of other local Mediterranean shared plate and group entertaining options. It has a very wide menu, with the only concern -- that widened may mean there are some real misses or weaker spots. We loved the style and seating, enjoyable place where you can bring friends or a book to idle away. They have a full and expansive coffee and related Cafe section for options. Didn't try those for knowing how they turn out. Biggest concern is the flavors for our two dish selections were decidedly "unmemorable". I give them the benefit of the doubt hoping it's the issue of a new venue, a balancing of a menu and some work to adjust thereafter. Not all selections will be a winner for sure with the sheer size of what they are trying to do. Still, one to watch -- may want to go in with toes first mentality to ensure you don't leave more challenged than you need. read more

We got the chance to try Zaytouna Bistro this past weekend and loved it!! It's brand new with a very nicely renovated interior and wheelchair accessible from their parking lot off of old town Fairfax. Food: delicious!! I would highly recommend the sharing mezze platters for appetizers (the hummus, baba ganoush, cucumber yogurt sauce and the accompanying floofy bread it was served with was all so so good, plus the deliciously smooth garlic butter sauce!) We also got the kibbeh (football shaped fried spiced beef) which were beautifully stuffed. My father-in-law got the fried fish and really enjoyed it. The combo tray for 2 was an ginormous portion (could easily feed 4)! It contained a variety of grilled meats -- my favorites were the yellow chicken (not sure if this was the chicken tikka kebab as there were so many varieties in the platter); my husband and in-laws loved the lamb. Service: excellent, very friendly and knowledgeable Ambiance: very nicely done! The interior is stunning. High ceiling, lots of natural light. The restaurant is divided in half (Chill Zone which is more cafe style and serving Vietnamese bahn mi and specialty teas etc, with one half being the Zaytouna bistro which is more seated dining). Our server let us know we could order from either menu if we wanted. But we loved the Mediterranean food so much we only ended up ordering from the Zaytouna menu. Would love to go back and try options from both! read more

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Finally made to Zaytouna Bistro and it is a very beautifully decorated and cozy restaurant. We ordered the kabob platter for 4 and also their special fish with rice based our Walter Ayoub's recommendation it did not disappoint. We initially got the complementary bread with olive oil and that was the authentic and delicious. The whole meal was excellent and we cannot wait to try their Vietnamese menu. read more

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Awesome new place right by GMU and old town Fairfax, in the former Red Hot and Blue space. We loved the amazing bread service, the halloumi and the beef kebabs. Service was also excellent, can't wait to go back! read more

Zaytouna Bistro - Halloumi appetizer - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Amazing 100/10 must try everything on their menu. You can order from the Zaytouna Bistro or Chill Zone for smaller bites. Everything is amazing. Zaytouna has healthy, delicious flavored breakfast. It's all "real" whole foods and grains and you can taste the freshness. I had a scrambled eggs/meat and they gave me complimentary fresh bread (just out of the oven it's sooo fresh) with fresh olive oil and spices/olives. Delightful. This pic is their incredibly tasty dessert baklava and their fresh daily snacks, with chrysanthemum (caffeine free( tea with fresh sugar cubes! So delicious. They're so friendly and family friendly. A very warm inviting, relaxing vibe here. I love this place so much. I'm always grateful for their kindness read more

Zaytouna Bistro - Baklava, pide with meat, chrysanthemum tea - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

This place just opened but you would never know it. It's an interesting concept with both a Mediterranean and a Vietnamese menu available. The decor is stylish and comfortable. We went for lunch on a weekday and it was pretty empty, but the service was friendly and attentive. My husband has an allergy and our server listened carefully and checked our order with the kitchen, which is always so appreciated. We ordered a banh mi, chicken shawarma, an Italian soda and a Vietnamese iced coffee. Everything came out delicious. The bread especially was super fresh. I'm guessing the staff must all be very experienced despite it being new because everything was on point. I can't wait to bring my laptop and chill with coffee and baklava too. Honestly this might become my new favorite place. read more

Zaytouna Bistro - The Zaytouna dining room - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Update on. 8/9/26. We went back because The first time so good but the second time was a totally different experience. This time with the meal was super drawn out and the kabobs were very overcooked and lacked flavor. It was almost like boiled chicken on plain white rice. It was really disappointing . Two of us ordered it, so it wasn't a fluke. The falafel was totally overcooked. We'll go back to give it one more chance probably. The pho was decent but not the best we've ever had. It comes with a nice presentation, on a tray with the regular accoutrements you expect. ------ Once again, Yelpers didn't do me wrong. This place is such an interesting mix of ideas - Persian/Mediterranean, Vietnamese, and a smoothie joint - all separate (the dishes aren't fused or anything like that) but living happily under the same roof. This was our first (and definitely not last) trip. All the house-made breads are absolutely amazing. We had the mixed grill and a chicken banh mi. The chicken banh me was good but not the best we've ever had, but it's cool that you can get two different types of food here. The mixed grill with the lamb/chicken/beef kebab was incredibly good - the chicken was cooked to insane perfection - each bite had such explosive flavor and was so moist. They also brought a curry, potato and curry chickpeas on the house. The curry potato was good, but the curry chickpeas were liking flavor. Everything was also quite reasonably priced. Can't wait to go back! read more

The atmosphere was wonderful, and the staff were very friendly. I haven't tried the bakery items yet, but the meal I had was absolutely delicious. The portions are very generous, so I think it's a great place to visit with friends or family rather than dining alone. The lamb was slightly on the salty side for my taste, but everyone's preferences are different, so that may not be an issue for everyone. read more

Food was great, came out in good timing after the appetizers. Ayoub our server was polite and gave us recommendations. The ambiance was chill and many people there enjoying great time and delicious food. Note for the lamb kebab.... Order medium. The iraqi kabob tasted amazing. So did the potato stew read more

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This place had been recommended to me by several people in Virginia, but every time I visited, I could never quite make it work to try them. The first time I actually tried to go, they told me they had no availability and couldn't seat us but to be fair, it was a busy holiday weekend, so I didn't hold it against them. Fast forward to last week: I was in town for an event on Saturday and leaving Sunday. Before hitting the road back to New York, I thought, "Let me just drive over and see if they're not too busy, I'll give it a shot." I was craving authentic Iraqi food, the kind that brings back nostalgic childhood memories, and I really wanted to see if this place would deliver. We stopped by very early in the morning since we wanted to get on the road, and the place was almost empty; we were the only ones there. Just me and my sister, we ordered the fava beans (or Bagila as we call it back home) and tried their eggs with meat dish (Makhlama). It was absolutely awesome, flavorful, comforting, and exactly what I was hoping for. We didn't get to try the Kahi and Gaimar this time around, but that just gives us a reason to go back. And I absolutely will. If you're craving authentic Iraqi food in Virginia, I highly recommend giving this place a try. It's worth the stop. read more

Food was absolutely fantastic: both appetizers (Arabic salad, foul medamas, halloumi cheese), as well as the main course (mixed grill and the fried Iraqi fish) were excellent. Moreover, we had outstanding and very friendly service from our waiter, Ayoub--this made our first visit to this restaurant that much better. read more

Great service, incredibly fresh food. We had a shwarma sandwich and tikka chicken kebobs. Definitely worth giving this place a try - it seemed very quiet on a Friday night, but the food was great and you could tell they took a lot of pride in their food! read more

Great spot for a work lunch! The staff was friendly, the appetizers were delicious, and the atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable. The prices were very reasonable, making it an excellent value. Overall, a great experience, and I'll definitely be back. read more

Zaytouna Bistro - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Two restaurants in one at Fairfax Courthouse location: Zaytouna Bistro (Mediterranean) and Chill Zone Café (coffee, tea, sandwiches, small bites). You can order from either menu. I found menus for both sides here: https://www.toasttab.com/local/order/chill-zone-coffee-fairfax-4150-chain-bridge-road-ngtnm Being newly opened, the menu online is not identical to the menu in-restaurant as yet. Regardless, you will not be disappointed. I came with friends who live nearby and have eaten there several times already. I fully understand why: the food is simply amazing. There is a sitting area on the main level and a larger area upstairs. The upstairs room could use some sound deafening but is otherwise a nice, bright area with sitting arrangements for various sized groups. We were expertly served by Amin or Amed (my hearing issue). He was open and genuine, friendly, attentive, efficient, and informative, explaining the menu items and cuisine source country. We ordered from the Zaytouna menu but the Chill menu was quite tempting, and I will definitely be back to try those offerings. We ordered the Mezze Platter (bread,5 dips, and spices) and crispy cheese-filled spring rolls that hit the mark on all counts. Two entree lamb dishes were equally great: one Iraqi cuisine and one Jordanian cuisine. Both were incredibly tender, falling off the bone, served with a generous portion of rice. This place is a keeper and soon to become a favorite of many. read more

The place is convivial, the waiters were very friendly and dynamic, but we were waiting for our order more than an hour.

Amazing service food was so tasty. Delicious and very clean. highly recommended will come back again. I tried the other item they do have full menu amazing. read more

Their food and drinks are exceptional! The chefs are generous with their portions. The staff are very lively and provide such a welcoming experience. If I could give this place 10 stars, I definitely would. I also noticed how disabled-friendly they are. read more

We went to Zaytoina bistro on a Saturday evening for our anniversary dinner. The place had maybe 4 tables occupied but even so, the host told us at first he had nothing if we didn't have a reservation. After asking someone, he finally agreed to seat us. We then waited nearly 15 minutes before getting any service even after I made eye contact with our server multiple times. Every time she saw me she would hurriedly turn and go another way and pretend she didn't see me. Eventually we asked the server for the next table to at least get us water. When we were finally able to place our order, we received the food in a timely manner. The dips were good as were the grape leaves but the main dishes such as the lamb stew and chicken kabobs were dry like they had been cooked and reheated. Also the bread provided with the dips were cold and way too thick. Overall 3 for the food because it was average and a 1 for service. read more

Very unimpressed. Was really looking forward to trying. Ordered two chicken swarma platters for delivery. At $23 dollars per platter it was not worth the cost. No vegetables and only gave one sauce for two platters. read more

This place is absolutely delicious and the ambience is perfect for hangout, casual date or business meeting. I love the appetizers and main dishes. We always leave with leftovers because they give a generous portion. I'm writing this review after visiting about 6x! read more

We saw this restaurant coming up and were excited to try it. Zaytouna Bisteo did not disappoint. We ordered the appetizer with the mixed sauces and bread. It was amazing. I ordered the Lamb platter and my wife ( a vegetarian) ordered the falafel sandwich. Each of us really loved the food. The service was quick and friendly. The restaurant was decorated very nicely. We will be back soon!! read more

Tried this new, casual restaurant for the first time tonight. Unique concept-- half of the restaurant is Mediterranean & the other half is Asian/Vietnamese but you can order off either menu whichever side you sit in. We ate from the Mediterranean menu. The food was nicely presented & quite tasty. They have the typical Mediterranean dishes as well as some unique Iraqi items on the menu like meat samosa's. They also serve large family style platters for group sharing. The restaurant is quite casual & informal. It was a very nice experience, welcoming to families & our server Ayoob was very helpful & friendly. We'll be back again to this nice addition to downtown Fairfax. read more

My wife and I REALLY enjoyed this restaurant. They have two totally different menus, one Iraqi and one Vietnamese, which is a wild concept. I had Vietnamese spring rolls first (excellent) and then our waiter Ayoub (who was welcoming, friendly, and very helpful) recommended an Iraqi fried fish entree (Fried Zubaidi) that was out of this world. Thanks Ayoub! Prices reasonable. Atmosphere was a little generic and overlit, but with such great food and service, that's a nitpick. Strong recommendation. read more

We had a wonderful experience at this Iraqi restaurant! The food was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared, with generous portions and authentic tastes. Our server, Ayoub, was friendly, attentive, and welcoming. He gave excellent recommendations and made sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal. The great food and Ayoub's outstanding service made our visit truly memorable. We'll be back. Highly recommended! read more

Zaytouna Bistro has delicious food and an uplifting ambiance. Our waiter, Ayob, was kind, courteous, and friendly. I highly recommend it!

I went to the Chill Zone side of the restaurant and was super impressed with the food, service, and overall ambiance. You can either order at the counter or after sitting down with a server. I ordered the chicken bahn mi, basil fries, and Italian soda. It was so good I came back the following day and ordered the vegetarian vermicelli noodle bowl. Also delicious. My friends ordered the viet tacos, beef bann mi, and chicken/veggie pan fried noodles. They said they were delicious too. I will definitely be back to try different coffees and the Zaytouna side! read more

I have been looking forward to having a new place open in this location for a while. We checked it out recently as it just opened. The place is beautiful inside and the food is delicious. It is hard to find good Middle Eastern food in this area so this makes us happy. Our waitress and staff were all very friendly as you would expect with a new place. We also checked out the Chill Zone for some coffee on the way and it was also good. This will definitely be our new neighborhood spot. read more

Delicious food and ambiance, loved the variety of seating options. The bread and zataar is very good, and it was a great place for watching the World Cup. read more

Amin, our waiter, was very gracious. The whole staff is welcoming. We had the combo for 2 and it was DELICIOUS. The chicken was prepared 2 ways; the lamb was tasty without being veiny, the steak was moist and prepared perfectly. There were different rices and vegetables on the huge platter. We took home leftovers for dinner tomorrow night. This is a new (one month opened) restaurant in the space that was Red, White and Blue on Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road). This chef knows how to cook! Go! read more

this is my new favorite restaurant definitely coming here again ayoub was our waiter he was an amazing person the sauces were amazing 10/10 recommend it was a lot of food only ate half have leftovers for dinner tomorrow yay!!! read more

Our first visit to Zaytouna. The food was good, the service was good, and we will go back. The redesign of what was Red, Hot, and Blue (and very run-down) is amazing! Very modern, clean, and airy. One thing to note is that they do not serve any alcoholic beverages (Halal?). The complimentary bread is great: comes with olive oil, za'atar, and a few olives. I had lamb kebab, husband had kofta kebab. The lamb was a bit dry, but I had neglected to specify that I prefer it a bit rare. Rice was great. I would have liked more vegetables and less meat, but I'm probably in the minority. (Kebab included one tomato wedge, some red onion, and a small jalapeno-like pepper.) Portions of meat and rice were very generous. Too late, after another table asked for it, we realized we could have had yogurt sauce (think tzatziki) with the kebabs. I wish our server had offered it. All in all, we enjoyed our meal. read more