Dolan Uyghur Restaurant
Washington, DC
This is where Dolan began. On September 10, 2018, Hamid Kerim opened the doors at 3518 Connecticut Ave NW, a block from the Cleveland Park Metro, and started introducing the neighborhood to Korma Chop, Big Plate Chicken and samsa. Seventy seats across two cozy levels (58 inside, 12 on the sidewalk patio), Ghazi Ehmet's "Uyghur Muqam" on the wall, and Dolan Coffee pouring illy next door from 8 am.
58 inside + 12 patio
From the menu
A few of the dishes our regulars order again and again. The full menu has every kebab, noodle, dessert and pot of tea.
Mini-dumpling soup with minced beef, lamb, and onions, and seasoned with black pepper
Oven-baked buns with minced beef, lamb and onions seasoned with black pepper, red pepper and sprinkled with sesame oil (One per order)
Butternut squash, onions, red and green bell peppers, black pepper, and house spices stuffed yolk and sesame sprinkled oven-baked buns.
Chunks of lamb marinated in cumin and house spices and served on a skewer
Hummus, Cacık, Babaganush, Pembe sultan and Hipiti served with bread.
Large portions of marinated and sauteed, bone-in chicken with vegetables on a bed of hand-pulled flat noodles, and available with mild, spicy, or extra spicy seasonings. (Preparation time up to 25 minutes)
Gallery
From our guests
4.7 stars from 2,246 Google reviews. Quoted verbatim from this location's Google Business Profile.
“We had a great experience here! The food was delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. The service was friendly and welcoming from brother NUVRUS and the atmosphere was nice and comfortable. Everything was well prepared, and the portions were good too. Definitely a place I would come back to and recommend to others!”
“I always come Dolan every morning to get coffee, and I tried yesterday with my girlfriend the cuisine in Dolan and that was incredible! Thanks Diana for your dolan's tea recommendation and kazandibi.”
“We each had such an incredible lunch after a zoo visit. Great food atmosphere and staff thank you so much! Highly recommend the beef korma chop. We also took a bunch of desserts to go. Amazing spot!”
Events & press
On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, Yelp DC's Elite Squad and local food reviewers filled our Connecticut Avenue dining room for a shared table of Samsa, Korma Chop, Big Plate Chicken and Dolan Gul Chai.
Read the articleIn a December 2022 feature on why Uyghur restaurants matter to the Washington region's Uyghur community, DCist's Liam Scott sat down with Hamid at our Cleveland Park table.
Read the articleStudent journalist Jackson Lanzer came to Cleveland Park in February 2022 to hear how a pharmacist-turned-trader with fifteen companies became a Washington restaurateur — and what he dreams of next.
Read the articleContributing writer Jin Ni profiled Hamid Kerim among the immigrant owners who refused to close in 2020 — and marked the summer Dolan grew to two restaurants.
Read the articleOn Monday, June 28, 2021, from 6 to 9 pm, we opened Cleveland Park to journalist Geoffrey Cain for a community launch of his book about surveillance in the Uyghur homeland — poetry, a Q&A, live music and a full Uyghur buffet.
Read the articleIn December 2020, the U.S. Department of State's ShareAmerica platform told the story of how a plate of cumin-marinated lamb kebabs at Dolan can start a conversation — and photographed Hamid with chef Mohamad Tauhid outside our door.
Read the articleTrisha Ahmed spent several November days at Dolan in 2020 — the green canopies, the doppa hats and instruments on the walls, the amber tea — and told Hamid Kerim's story in full, four years before we opened in Falls Church.
Read the articleMichael Loria's October 2020 feature on the region's Uyghur kitchens includes a long conversation with Hamid Kerim — about the day he left Ürümqi, why he bought Dolan, and the two dishes he tells every guest to try.
Read the articleFor his In Transit column on immigrant-owned restaurants in the pandemic, writer Mayukh Sen sat down with Hamid Kerim and manager Sabit Jelil to hear how Cleveland Park kept Dolan alive.
Read the articleOn February 9, 2020, more than twenty-five guests filled our dining room to hear Uyghur music, watch chef Murat Kurban pull laghman by hand and hear Hamid tell the story of how he came to Washington.
Read the articleFor the second year running, Washingtonian's food editors named our Cleveland Park dining room one of the city's best values — and called hand-pulled laghman its signature attraction.
Read the articleHamid Kerim took the keys to the Cleveland Park dining room on September 10, 2018. On October 1, Washingtonian's editors told the city where to start: the big plate chicken.
Read the articleIn January 2017, nearly two years before Hamid Kerim took over 3518 Connecticut Avenue, the Post's critic Tom Sietsema rated the Uyghur restaurant there "Good" — cumin, chilies and charred meat in the air, and a clear broth he could not stop praising. Here is where the story begins, before Dolan.
Read the articleGood to know
We are open 11 am – 10 pm every day at 3518 Connecticut Ave NW. Dolan Coffee, in Unit D at the same address, opens earlier — 8 am to 10 pm daily — for illy coffee, tea and pastries.
We are a block from the Cleveland Park Metro station (Red Line) on Connecticut Avenue NW. Driving, you'll find metered street parking along Connecticut Avenue and on the neighborhood side streets.
Yes. Our Cleveland Park dining room seats 58 inside across two levels, plus 12 seats on the sidewalk patio when the weather allows.
Yes. Cleveland Park is where Hamid Kerim opened Dolan's first doors on September 10, 2018, and where the story of all five restaurants began. Look for Ghazi Ehmet's painting "Uyghur Muqam" and the doppa caps and instruments on the walls.
More Dolan dining rooms
Questions? Call 833-MY-DOLAN or email order@dolanuyghur.com.
