I've been to Bostan in Arlington and LOVED the food, so I decided to give Dolan a try tonight. I was happy to see so many similar dishes on this menu. When I walked in, the decor was beautiful, with the beautiful ceiling, lamps, and portraits. The service was subpar. Despite having many open tables, they were unable to seat my party of 3 because all the empty tables had dirty dishes on them, or the tablecloth was heavily stained. We were able to scan the QR code to look at the menu ahead of time, but the wait was long to be seated. I checked in on Yelp and was granted a free mushroom salad and was so excited to try it, but when I showed the waitress, she told me it is only redeemable at their DC location, and they were unable to give it to me.. that was disappointing. I ordered the Dolan Royal Laghman which was yummy. It was a hand pulled noodle dish with mushroom, cabbage, onion, red and green bell peppers and beef. I ordered it with medium spice but I definitely could have ordered for it to be spicier! I think it is dependent on the cuisine and your spice tolerance though. I'd give the dish a 3.5/5. When it came time for the check, our waitress would walk by multiple times but never made eye contact to give us the check. We waited for a very long time after we finished eating. Service was soooo slow! It seemed like there was only one waitress for the entire restaurant. Overall, the food was delicious but the service was truly lacking and made our experience one where I don't think I'll return to. I do recommend trying Uyghur food though and I am hopeful to trying Eerkins in Fairfax.
Angie K.
The food took awhile to come out. And it also took a while to grab the servers attention. But they were super sweet. The place is a cozy family feels place. With tables and booths.
Alix M.
Such an awesome experience trying new food. Our sweet server helped us order. We got a bunch of spicy sticks, the noodles, the dry fry with beef and seafood, and the goshnan. Everything was delicious and the portions were huge. The teenagers liked it too!
Ginny A.
I'm not one to eat the same thing over and over but I CRAVE their food. Particularly their Royal Laghman. It's like Chinese food but better. Do yourself a favor and try it!
Virginia G.
What a DELCIOUS meal exposing me to new tastes, flavors, and teas I never knew! I will definitely be coming back! Mmmmm
David C.
The ambiance is beautiful and unique, and the service is always attentive, friendly, engaging, and knowledgeable. In particular, the owner is quite a character. That Uighur food is so rare compels all to visit this restaurant; all the more so when you consider they are a significant minority in the true sense, with about half of the US population living in the DMV area. The opportunity to consume their cuisine and interface with their culture is a fortune not many have, and something locals should not take for granted. With that said, the food has influences from numerous cultures in line with Uighur heritage; and has become something of its own. To judge any of the dishes from a purist perspective of another culture would be to deprive oneself of the full potential to enjoy the experience. While a one-to-one conversion cannot necessarily be tendered upon the merits of biases, developed or cultural, appreciation upon the merits of presentation, consistency, and execution can be wrought; and for those reasons, I must designate a 3 stars rating. In the truest sense, 3 stars is a misnomer and difficult to judge given the lack of items against which to judge one-to-one or in kind comparison. Likewise, the factors I mentioned may be considered auxiliary. But in a pool of restaurants in a multicultural climate, there is a relativity and standard that are accordingly established, en masse, and irrespective origin and variant; and for these reasons, I could not, in good conscience, designate a higher rating. Risk, lack of representation of product, and rarity of dichotomy are all things I greatly considered here; as well as how much I like the people and establishment, and want to like the food. But the operative word in this equation is "wanted", in reference to liking the food; and, that, as a patron, student, and enthusiast of cuisine, is the ultimate adjudicator. Food must inspire, enliven, and embolden. Upon the first visit here, you may feel a partiality of these emotions given the difference of product. Over time and repeat visits, this begins to wane on account of the mediocre consistency and execution. In terms of ingredient quality, I will say it varies from above average to medium good. Likewise, the seasoning and contents of several items were on the blander if heartier side. Value is okay. For those in or traveling through the area, definitely visit this or the DC location a handful of times. There are other Uighur restaurants as well, but they are few in number; within the area, and even within the whole country. Regardless of your party composition, you will be able to find offerings that fit all dietary restrictions. As someone who would like to see this restaurant grow, my recommendation would be to monitor consistency, execution, and presentation. Even if that goes against what is part and parcel of the training and expertise of management, I believe working on these three elements would greatly expand this restaurant's appeal; for repeat and new customers. Likewise, finding ways to elevate dishes from an international point of view may not only attract clientele but compel desire from a greater array of palettes.
Lee H.
This was a really good neighborhood restaurant. Staff were very good and extremely friendly. Would definitely return.
Nay ..
Great establishment. Yummy food, peaceful ambiance, and amazzzzing service. I will be returning
Brian H.
Uyghur cuisine is now my new favorite thing, and Dolan Uyghur gets the credit. We've tried royal and dolan laghman, pilaf, kawa samsa, goshnan, and rock pot soup so far - all were extraordinary. Even the dressing on the salad had a familiarity in a way I couldn't place, although I was informed it's "secret." Lovely decor, great euro-style service (no hovering, flag down your server for anything). Big cultural crowds in the evening a good sign of authenticity. A shame that prices are a bit prohibitive to takeout since I'm in the area regularly else it could easily substitute for other standbys, and we haven't yet figured out how to manage the overly-long hand-pulled noodles without making a huge mess - some tips, maybe? A minor issue that didn't ruin the dish, but had to remove a sizable chunk of unappetizing non-beef fat/cartilage from the soup. Despite having gone twice in one week already, still need to return to check out the korma chop, pearled noodles, and signature rice noodle, as well as dabble with their spiciness levels.
Haiyi Chen
The food is amazing! Super authentic and yummy. Service is great and environment is clean.Kid-friendliness: Kids eat there very well! Lots of options
Great Uighur food—excellent lagman, samsa, cucumber salad and Dolan tea. Delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jimbo MacGee
Very delicious food! The waiter was very nice and attentive. I got the Dry Pot, very well worth the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Uyghur Butter Naan, Uyghur Beef Stew, Dolan Cake
Nirdesh Bhandari
Amazing food, true to the
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adnan Chowdhury
I had four items, all are too salty. They are very sneaky on charging tips, will not give you option to select the amount of tips, they charge it arbitarily, and will not show you receipt until you confirm the payment. You will feel discomfort being treated like that and having salty but expensive food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ö godeau
Way too overrated by the neighborhood I guess; Eerkins is way better and authentic in comparison. This is a solid 2 star overpriced Uyghur restaurant like most Uyghur restaurants. Not authentic at all.
I've been to Bostan in Arlington and LOVED the food, so I decided to give Dolan a try tonight. I was happy to see so many similar dishes on this menu. When I walked in, the decor was beautiful, with the beautiful ceiling, lamps, and portraits. The service was subpar. Despite having many open tables, they were unable to seat my party of 3 because all the empty tables had dirty dishes on them, or the tablecloth was heavily stained. We were able to scan the QR code to look at the menu ahead of time, but the wait was long to be seated. I checked in on Yelp and was granted a free mushroom salad and was so excited to try it, but when I showed the waitress, she told me it is only redeemable at their DC location, and they were unable to give it to me.. that was disappointing. I ordered the Dolan Royal Laghman which was yummy. It was a hand pulled noodle dish with mushroom, cabbage, onion, red and green bell peppers and beef. I ordered it with medium spice but I definitely could have ordered for it to be spicier! I think it is dependent on the cuisine and your spice tolerance though. I'd give the dish a 3.5/5. When it came time for the check, our waitress would walk by multiple times but never made eye contact to give us the check. We waited for a very long time after we finished eating. Service was soooo slow! It seemed like there was only one waitress for the entire restaurant. Overall, the food was delicious but the service was truly lacking and made our experience one where I don't think I'll return to. I do recommend trying Uyghur food though and I am hopeful to trying Eerkins in Fairfax.
The food took awhile to come out. And it also took a while to grab the servers attention. But they were super sweet. The place is a cozy family feels place. With tables and booths.
Such an awesome experience trying new food. Our sweet server helped us order. We got a bunch of spicy sticks, the noodles, the dry fry with beef and seafood, and the goshnan. Everything was delicious and the portions were huge. The teenagers liked it too!
I'm not one to eat the same thing over and over but I CRAVE their food. Particularly their Royal Laghman. It's like Chinese food but better. Do yourself a favor and try it!
What a DELCIOUS meal exposing me to new tastes, flavors, and teas I never knew! I will definitely be coming back! Mmmmm
The ambiance is beautiful and unique, and the service is always attentive, friendly, engaging, and knowledgeable. In particular, the owner is quite a character. That Uighur food is so rare compels all to visit this restaurant; all the more so when you consider they are a significant minority in the true sense, with about half of the US population living in the DMV area. The opportunity to consume their cuisine and interface with their culture is a fortune not many have, and something locals should not take for granted. With that said, the food has influences from numerous cultures in line with Uighur heritage; and has become something of its own. To judge any of the dishes from a purist perspective of another culture would be to deprive oneself of the full potential to enjoy the experience. While a one-to-one conversion cannot necessarily be tendered upon the merits of biases, developed or cultural, appreciation upon the merits of presentation, consistency, and execution can be wrought; and for those reasons, I must designate a 3 stars rating. In the truest sense, 3 stars is a misnomer and difficult to judge given the lack of items against which to judge one-to-one or in kind comparison. Likewise, the factors I mentioned may be considered auxiliary. But in a pool of restaurants in a multicultural climate, there is a relativity and standard that are accordingly established, en masse, and irrespective origin and variant; and for these reasons, I could not, in good conscience, designate a higher rating. Risk, lack of representation of product, and rarity of dichotomy are all things I greatly considered here; as well as how much I like the people and establishment, and want to like the food. But the operative word in this equation is "wanted", in reference to liking the food; and, that, as a patron, student, and enthusiast of cuisine, is the ultimate adjudicator. Food must inspire, enliven, and embolden. Upon the first visit here, you may feel a partiality of these emotions given the difference of product. Over time and repeat visits, this begins to wane on account of the mediocre consistency and execution. In terms of ingredient quality, I will say it varies from above average to medium good. Likewise, the seasoning and contents of several items were on the blander if heartier side. Value is okay. For those in or traveling through the area, definitely visit this or the DC location a handful of times. There are other Uighur restaurants as well, but they are few in number; within the area, and even within the whole country. Regardless of your party composition, you will be able to find offerings that fit all dietary restrictions. As someone who would like to see this restaurant grow, my recommendation would be to monitor consistency, execution, and presentation. Even if that goes against what is part and parcel of the training and expertise of management, I believe working on these three elements would greatly expand this restaurant's appeal; for repeat and new customers. Likewise, finding ways to elevate dishes from an international point of view may not only attract clientele but compel desire from a greater array of palettes.
This was a really good neighborhood restaurant. Staff were very good and extremely friendly. Would definitely return.
Great establishment. Yummy food, peaceful ambiance, and amazzzzing service. I will be returning
Uyghur cuisine is now my new favorite thing, and Dolan Uyghur gets the credit. We've tried royal and dolan laghman, pilaf, kawa samsa, goshnan, and rock pot soup so far - all were extraordinary. Even the dressing on the salad had a familiarity in a way I couldn't place, although I was informed it's "secret." Lovely decor, great euro-style service (no hovering, flag down your server for anything). Big cultural crowds in the evening a good sign of authenticity. A shame that prices are a bit prohibitive to takeout since I'm in the area regularly else it could easily substitute for other standbys, and we haven't yet figured out how to manage the overly-long hand-pulled noodles without making a huge mess - some tips, maybe? A minor issue that didn't ruin the dish, but had to remove a sizable chunk of unappetizing non-beef fat/cartilage from the soup. Despite having gone twice in one week already, still need to return to check out the korma chop, pearled noodles, and signature rice noodle, as well as dabble with their spiciness levels.
The food is amazing! Super authentic and yummy. Service is great and environment is clean.Kid-friendliness: Kids eat there very well! Lots of options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Royal Laghman, Samsa
Restaurantji Recommends
Great Uighur food—excellent lagman, samsa, cucumber salad and Dolan tea. Delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very delicious food! The waiter was very nice and attentive. I got the Dry Pot, very well worth the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Uyghur Butter Naan, Uyghur Beef Stew, Dolan Cake
Amazing food, true to the
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had four items, all are too salty. They are very sneaky on charging tips, will not give you option to select the amount of tips, they charge it arbitarily, and will not show you receipt until you confirm the payment. You will feel discomfort being treated like that and having salty but expensive food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Way too overrated by the neighborhood I guess; Eerkins is way better and authentic in comparison. This is a solid 2 star overpriced Uyghur restaurant like most Uyghur restaurants. Not authentic at all.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2