On August 5, 2025, Bethesda Magazine's Elia Griffin reported that Dolan Uyghur was aiming to open within days in downtown Rockville's The Square. Our manager, Garrett Tohti, told her the restaurant had final inspections with the county fire department that week. "I can't wait to open the restaurant," he said. "We're going to try to open as soon as possible."
The article introduced Uyghur cooking to Montgomery County as "a blend of culinary influences from China and halal food customs, featuring noodles, dumplings, rice dishes, and roasted mutton and beef as mainstays," and it walked readers through our menu: cold egg noodle in a spicy sesame-and-peanut sauce; Uyghur pilaf with beef or lamb shank; meat or pumpkin manta, the steamed dumplings; Royal Laghman, our stir-fry of beef, cabbage, mushrooms and hand-pulled noodles; vegetarian dishes, kebabs, soups, and desserts made from scratch — baklava, Uyghur yogurt and honey cake among them.
Griffin placed the opening in the story of the group — a fourth location after Cleveland Park, Chantilly and Falls Church — and in the story of its founder, Hamid Kerim, who fled his homeland and now uses his restaurants, as our website puts it, "to raise awareness about the treatment of the Uyghur people" and to preserve, celebrate and share Uyghur culture and food.
We opened four days later, on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at noon. Seven months after that, Bethesda Magazine returned with its critic for a full review — which you can also read on this page.
Dolan Rockville, 20-A Maryland Avenue, is open Monday and Tuesday 11 am – 9 pm and Wednesday through Sunday 11 am – 10 pm, with patio seating on the square.
This article is our own account of the coverage; short quotations are attributed to Bethesda Magazine, which holds the copyright to the original piece.
