Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi

A-maz-ing. Great atmosphere, food is out of this world. We had the crab hoe Cakes, BBQ Greens, mom dukes Shrimp and the Curry Branzino, all were 🔥. Going back to try the snapper because they were out.

We had a reservation but our table wasn’t ready. No indication of when it would be ready, but the host said they’d text us.

We were directed to the hotel lobby bar to wait because the lobby was already packed with other guests waiting for a table at Dogon. The lobby bar was bad, but that’s not Dogon’s fault.

35 mins later, our table is ready, but Dogon staff showed no sense of urgency and rather than apologize, just kept making excuses. We were comped a glass of champagne. Nice gesture but unnecessary.

The food was solid. Extraordinary? By no means. This place is overhyped and the service ought to be outstanding at that price point. Skip it.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

Beautiful space and wonderful service. The food was just ok. And, it comes at a very hefty price. $530 for two cocktails, two glasses of wine, two apps and two entrees. This was definitely not a $500 meal. We are happy to pay a premium for excellent food but this wasn't excellent at all. It was fine but not worth the price tag.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

Wow, after everything I have heard and the awards this place has received, I had high expectations. My TLDR is that some of those expectations were met, others were not.

I have been wanting to try Dogon for a while, my boyfriend finally got a res for my birthday dinner. The food was great, some of it was excellent (Ben’s Bowl, ugh that sauce!!), our server was helpful and met expectations, but I cannot look past feeling rushed during my dining experience with Dogon. Especially when the booking says to plan to be there for at least 2 hours, reservations are so hard to get, and the staff KNEW we were there to enjoy an occasion. Plates were being cleared while we were not done with dishes, or we still had food in our mouths. We felt rushed eating, we felt rushed to place an order, and pressured to order everything for the table at once. We were going to order a bottle of wine, but we felt there would not be enough time to enjoy it. In total we were in and out of the restaurant in an hour and 15 minutes for a full birthday dinner. I want to make crystal clear that our server was great, and this issue isn’t on one person. It is on the service team and their communication with the kitchen.

My dad was the head chef at one of the most popular restaurants in NYC for a long time, I know what is a reasonable expectation of a high volume, high end restaurant, and what isn’t. Pacing is something the restaurant is in full control of. Dogon should look into improving here. Even with this issue, I would still go back to try more of the menu.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Ben's Bowl

Took my husband to dinner last night to celebrate his birthday. The staff was great. For the most part the atmosphere was fine but would have been great had they played the uncensored version of Lil Kim's music. Not everyone wants to hear cursing and raunchy lyrics while eating dinner. Lastly, the food was overpriced and was just ok. The cornbread was delicious but the coco bread tasted like room temperatured dinner rolls. The chicken was flavored nicely but tasted like it was reheated and was just ok. The rice tasted fishy and was served at room temperature and was luke warm. I have eaten much better food at take-out Caribbean restaurants where I paid $15 per entrée instead of the $112 I paid for my meal.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 5

We visited Dogon in DC for an early birthday celebration. The ambience was fantastic. The food was both delicious and creative, showcasing thoughtful combinations and excellent presentation (though the Coco Bread is basically your standard dinner roll. Skip it and get the corn bread instead!).

Unfortunately, the service fell short of expectations, especially for a restaurant at this price point. Our waitress seemed disinterested and disengaged throughout the evening. We were served dishes we didn’t order, and our BBQ greens arrived before drinks or bread. We had to seak help from other staff members for our food to come together/drinks to be served. When it came time to leave, our server was also unhelpful in locating our coats.

Overall, while the atmosphere and food were excellent, the service experience was sorely lacking.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 1

Delicious food. Loved the oysters and fish. All the food ordered exceeded expectations. Great service and Martel Stone and his team rocks!! Will definitely return the next time I visit the east coast.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

LOOK! Just walking up to this restaurant was bedazzling!❤️ I felt so elegant and special! Class on its own level! The crowd looked good too. Women and men were dressed nicely.👍🏽

It took me a few months to get a reservation! I was able to book it through my Mastercard Black card concierge service. The actual reservation is set up through the app Resy. FYI, if you missed that reservation, you will get charged $100 a person.

Those of you who have American Express platinum card, you could also book through your card as well. I’m sure there are other ways, but this is what I remember.

It is located in the Salamander Hotel. What a beautiful hotel. That review would be for another day,if I do actually stay there. 😊

The service was excellent in this place, given the fact that it’s a very busy restaurant! Everything was on point. You never had to wait for food, drinks etc. Thank you to our waiter Ceazer for his attentiveness.

I could smell the aroma of the food. The flavors were a mix of African and Caribbean.

The appetizers were delicious. I had never had pork Suya before, and it was tasty.
I will highly recommend the Bronzino fish! I actually ordered it to take home. This is the only reason why I don’t have a picture of that.
The snapper was good too. They also had a side of spicy pepper, which I really liked to mix into my food..
For dessert we had rum cake with cream on top. Delicious!

I highly recommend this place for the experience! 💕💕

There is Valley parking of course.😊

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Charbroiled Oysters

Wonderful culinary experience so coming back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: BBQ Greens, Fish

I will start by saying we were looking forward to trying this restaurant for some time now!! High expectations met with pure disappointment…

First, the host/maitre de met us with the attitude of not wanting to be there .. get replaced or something you set the tone ..

Next, everything was going okay with the server until it wasn’t. We were seated at 9:15. Took some time to look over menu & ordered by 9:35. Drinks took a solid 20min to get to table.

The process of placing complete order appetizer - entrees is clearly a failed fail safe of service.

Appetizers (small shares) took 30min to come out ! Okay .. understand a little. My husband entree came out around same time.

I ordered the curry branzino. It still hasn’t made it to the table by 10:30…

Time is an illusion here like I get a busy kitchen but why put the order in all at once when the food comes out over a hour after it’s been ordered?

This experience ruined the entire vibe and expectations of a supposed top ranked restaurant. It’s been here a year. The kinks should definitely be reeled in by now.

Disappointing. Only plus is the I’m assuming manager apologized and comped the bill. Thanks for that but I highly doubt we will be returning.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 1

AMAZING! Omg, the food is scrumptious! This is my favorite place to eat in DC. The flavor profiles are out of this world. The atmosphere is classy, sexy, cool. Did I say how much I love this place!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Coco Bread, Wagyu Short Rib Awaze, BBQ Greens, Charbroiled Oysters, Chicken and Rice, Corn Bread, Fish, Ben's Bowl, Plantain Pancakes

Everything was amazing! From the hostess to our server Blake. Staff was very attentive and we also had a chance to chat with our prior server, Shianne. Food was delicious and every dish came out beautifully prepared. My only “complaint” was that the oxtails were not on the menu but Chef Martel was able to share why. Wonderful experience and music definitely gets an honorable mention.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Wagyu Short Rib Awaze, Charbroiled Oysters, Piri Piri Salad, Corn Bread, Grilled Wagyu Short Rib, Ben's Bowl, Plantain Pancakes

The Best New Restaurant in America is in Washington, DC. Meet Dōgon, the remarkable Black-owned restaurant by culinary mastermind Chef Kwame Onwuachi, who also owns the equally remarkable Tatiana in NYC.

Seriously, no words. It's exceptional. The hype is earned. The playlist is impeccable. The cocktails are phenomenal. Go here if you can. Stellar. Exemplary.

No notes. 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We were excited to dine at Dōgon to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary but were disappointed with the overall experience. The food was unique with bold flavors, and we especially loved the brown stew snapper and the coco bread with salted butter. The cocktails were good but overpriced, and portion sizes didn’t match the cost.

The biggest letdown was the service. We were seated in the lounge, and our waiter, Lumi, was very inattentive throughout the evening. We had to flag him down for refills, and despite informing him of our allergies to mushrooms and shellfish, he still recommended oysters which are clearly shellfish. That lack of attention was concerning.

Our reservation also mentioned our anniversary, but it went completely unacknowledged, even though we saw Lumi and other waiters delivering celebratory treats to other diners.

Overall, while the flavors were unique, the inattentive service and high prices for such small portion sizes made this experience less enjoyable than expected. Given the cost and lack of care, in our opinion this restaurant was overhyped and we would not return.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

What an incredible culinary experience! Treat yourself - you won’t regret it!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Coco Bread, Charbroiled Oysters, Chicken and Rice, Corn Bread, Chicken and Jollof Rice, Grilled Wagyu Short Rib