Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi sits along the vibrant Southwest waterfront in Salamander Washington DC, and the acclaimed chef makes his highly anticipated return to the nation’s capital with a concept inspired by DC Surveyor Benjamin Banneker and his heritage to the West African Dogon tribe. Pronounced “Doh-gon,” the restaurant serves vibrant cuisine through an Afro-Caribbean lens and draws from Onwuachi’s unique Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole background.
Michelin
Tucked inside the Salamander Hotel, Chef Kwame Onwuachi's restaurant
named for the West African Dogon tribe offers a blend of African and
Caribbean inspiration alongside nods to Washington, D.C. The tightly
edited menu presents a selection of boldly flavored small and large
plates intended for sharing. Each dish is presented with flair and
nuance, as in the hoe crab, served in a shell with shredded crab and
shito alongside plantain cakes with aji verde sauce. Braised cabbage is
given a good char, then paired with a coconut vinegar sauce, while rum
cake is far from traditional thanks to the surprise of charred
gooseberries. A clever cocktail list is complemented by its N/A
counterparts, and the wine list is especially thoughtful
TIME World’s Greatest Places 2025
The stars that once guided Washington, D.C., surveyor Benjamin Banneker
in mapping the District's original borders now illuminate celebrity chef
Kwame Onwuachi's newest fine dining restaurant,
Dogon.
The James Beard "Rising Star Chef" chose Sept. 9—the date in 1791 when
the U.S. capital was named—to open his tribute to both Banneker's legacy
and the West African Dogon tribe, renowned for their advanced
astronomical knowledge. Set within the reimagined
Salamander Hotel along the
Southwest Waterfront,
the 140-seat space honors their legacy in its architecture and design:
metallic gold chains in the entryway reference Banneker's surveying
tools, while three moonlit domes and blue-tinted mirrors create an
alluring celestial atmosphere. This is Onwuachi's culinary homecoming;
not just an ode to his Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole
roots, but also a celebration of the city’s diversity through an
Afro-Caribbean lens. “D.C. has the largest Ethiopian population in the
country, as well as many South American and Asian cultural groups,” he
says. From the open kitchen, chef de cuisine Martel Stone crafts dishes
that map the African diaspora one plate at a time: slow-braised oxtail
with rice and peas, fufu with pepper soup, berbere-roasted chicken with
jollof rice. Last October, Dogon unveiled an even more intimate
experience: Sirius, a four-seat counter service where Onwuachi
personally cooks for guests. “Seeing people eat these dishes in a
fine-dining setting is really beautiful because I feel they don't often
get that shine,” he says. New reservations open 28 days in advance, but
the bar and lounge accept walk-ins every night.
Esquire Best New Restaurants in America 2024
A purple glow emanates throughout Kwame Onwuachi’s Dōgon, an
Afro-Caribbean restaurant on the bottom floor of the Salamander DC
Hotel. The color feels triumphant, and it should: Dōgon represents
Onwuachi’s return to our nation’s capital after having conquered New
York with Tatiana in Lincoln Center. With the help of chef de cuisine
Martel Stone, Onwuachi has created a menu that tells a story about the
cuisines of the African diaspora—and the city itself. Exhibit A: a roast
chicken, marinated in a warm berbere spice and served with jollof rice,
that nods toward both Nigeria and the district’s vibrant Ethiopian
community. Then there’s Exhibit B: hoe crab, a dish in which picked
plump pieces of the blue crustacean are stuffed back into a shell
(hello, D.C.), topped with a spicy shito crunch (oh hey, Ghana), and
served with roasted plantain hoecakes (sup, South!) as well as a creamy
aji verde (we see you, Peru). —OM
Condé Nast Traveler Best New Restaurants in the World 2025
In September 2024 chef Kwame Onwuachi opened this sleek midnight-colored dining room inside the
Salamander Washington DC hotel,
owned by Sheila Johnson. (In fact, Johnson, the business magnate and
co-founder of BET, can be credited with convincing NYC-based Onwuachi to
return to the American capital for his latest restaurant.) Named after
the Dogon people of West Africa, who are said to be the first observers
of the star Sirius in astronomical history, this bona fide hot spot
(eager patrons arrive right at 5:00 p.m.) turns out fare inspired by
geographic touchstones of Onwuachi’s biography—Nigeria, Louisiana, and
Caribbean New York. When I visited, malted sorghum butter was slathered
onto warm coco bread; oxtail was tucked into perfectly crisp empanadas
and melt-in-your-mouth mains; and Scotch bonnet chiles enlivened
platters of lobster escovitch. I sat at a four-seat counter for the
“Sirius” experience, where Onwuachi himself cooked a nine-course dinner
(10 courses, if you count the enormous caviar bump we all took with him
and his crew). Sirius is a when-the-stars-align affair, based on
Onwuachi’s availability, and the charismatic star entrepreneur’s attempt
at getting back to the thing that he loves: cooking for people. No
matter your seat at Dogon, flavors here have their saturation turned up
to 200%. This is Onwuachi is at the top of his game—thus far. No doubt
he’ll continue reaching for Sirius.
—Matt Ortile
Washingtonian No. 2 Very Best Restaurants 2025
Kwame Onwuachi is best known as a chef, but he deserves equal billing as
a storyteller. And like any great novel, his new restaurant at the
Salamander hotel is something we can’t wait to return to. Dōgon pays
tribute to Benjamin Banneker, the Black astronomer who helped map DC
more than two centuries ago and whose family had roots in the
restaurant’s namesake West African tribe. And so the sultry dining
room’s menu weaves together the cultures of West Africa and DC, plus the
Caribbean. That translates to dishes like hoe crab—buttery blue crab
with tiny plantain hoecakes and a creamy green sauce inspired by our
city’s Peruvian chicken joints. A family-style platter of Wagyu short
ribs pays homage to Korean barbecue. But really, this is all Onwuachi’s
vision—and it’s some of the most exciting food we’ve eaten all year.
Kwame Onwuachi (web site)
Kwame Onwuachi is a James Beard Award-winning chef, and author of the
critically acclaimed cookbook “My America” and memoir “Notes from a
Young Black Chef,” which is being turned into a feature film by A24.
Kwame has been named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, Esquire
Magazine’s 2019 Chef of the Year, and is a 30 Under 30 honoree by both
Zagat and Forbes. He’s also been featured on Time’s 100 Next List and
has been named the most important Chef in America by the San Francisco
Chronicle.
Kwame appeared as a judge on season 18 of Top Chef in
April 2021. He first appeared as a contestant on the show in season 13.
He also was the host of the 2021 and 2022 James Beard Awards in Chicago.
Kwame
currently serves as Food & Wine’s executive producer. In this newly
appointed role, Kwame will collaborate on big brand moments and events,
including the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, as well as the creator
of “The Family Reunion: Presented by Kwame Onwuachi,” an annual
multi-day event taking place in Middleburg, Virginia that celebrates
diversity in the hospitality community.
His restaurant concept
Tatiana, opened at the Lincoln Center in November 2022. Since its
opening, it has had numerous top accolades, including “The #1 Restaurant
in New York City,” by the New York Times, “The One to Watch” by World’s
50 Best Restaurants, and La Liste’s “World's Best Restaurants List.” In
the summer of 2024, he will partner with the Salamander DC hotel, to
open his newest restaurant concept, Dōgon.
Chef Martel Stone
A Philadelphia native, Chef Martel Stone began his professional journey in the Navy before finding a home in the kitchen. He has worked for esteemed chefs and eateries including James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi at Kith/Kin in DC, and Rich Table in San Francisco (1 Michelin Star). No stranger to the stage, Martel also placed first as a contestant in Chopped and Guy's Grocery Games. He is currently a private chef and aspiring culinary TV personality.
The Resy Hit List: Where In D.C. You’ll Want to Eat Right Now (August 2025)
Dōgon is celebrity chef Kwame Onwuachi’s third act of sorts. Having established himself in D.C., he pened the critically acclaimed restaurant Tatiana in New York City about two years ago. This restaurant, which exudes sleek date-night vibes from the moment you enter the doorway, is named for the Dogon eople who inhabit what are now parts of Mali and Burkina Faso, and whose mythology is strongly tied to the stars, specifically Sirius. The menu also pays homage to the American historical leader Benjamin Banneker, and features African diaspora dishes, including Mom Duke’s shrimp, the must-order dish alongside a Chesapeake-influenced hoe crab topped with crunchy bits and shitto (a hot sauce from Ghana).
In addition to its a la carte menu, Dōgon offers the following alternative dining options:
Sirius Chef's Counter Experience: This exclusive, off-menu dining option is a tasting menu with courses served at a small counter. Price: $225 per person, with an optional $75 drink pairing. Availability: Very limited, with dates announced on Dōgon's Instagram. The dinner includes a signed cookbook from Chef Kwame Onwuachi.
Rotie Bar: Priced at $75 per person, this communal standing dinner includes five
rotating Afro-Caribbean dishes and two cocktails (or mocktails). Experience: The 90-minute service is enjoyed at counters overlooking the open kitchen. Booking: Available on select Fridays and Saturdays at either 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.. Reservations should be booked in advance.
Arriving
Wine with Sommelier Michael Woods
For aperitif, we had a glass of Albert Bichot Cremant de Bourgogne Brut
For dinner we had a 2006 Château Brane-Cantenac
Ann Vlot: The food looked impressive but it was the wine that caught my attention!
Annette SchillerAnn Vlot
yes the wines was Special! A 2006 Brane Cantenac signed by the owner
and winemaker Henri Lurton. Some years ago Christian had Dinner with
Henry at this Restaurant and Henri gave him this bottle. It was a very
different Restaurant then
A la Carte Menu
Open Kitchen
Both Chef Kwame Onwuachi and Chef Martel Stone were not there.
Small Share
Hoe Crab * Plantain Hoe Cake, Shitto Crisp, Aji Verde
Charbroiled Oysters * Croatian Butter, Parmigiano, Red Stew
Hamachi Guisado Bluefin Tuna, Guisado Nage, Castelvetrano Olive
Piri Piri Salad Cucumber, Toasted Almond, Avocado
Ben's Bowl Crispy Lamb, Tamarind Glaze, Chickpea Curry
Large Share
- Sweet & Sour Cabbage Toasted Coconut Vin, Charred Squash, Cilantro
-
140 Seats and Packed
Christian SchillerJanet Cam
the atmosphere was loud and lively, but Annette and I were just the two
us in a corner and we had no problem to talk to each other. The problem
was the light.
-
Bye-bye-
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