DōGon

Dogon gave my wife and me one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever had in our lives, and we’ve been to a lot of restaurants. We came yesterday for our anniversary, and from start to finish, everything was exceptional. First, our waiter Rafael was superb. He truly made the entire experience feel top tier. Every recommendation he gave us — from the dishes to the drinks — was absolutely on point. His service, attention, and energy took an already amazing meal to another level. We’ve been to their sister restaurant, Tatiana, and really enjoyed it, but I have to say Dogon completely blew us away. The flavors, the spices, and the textures were all perfect. We had the charbroiled oysters, Benne’s Bowl, Mom Dukes Shrimp, the coconut curry branzino, and finished with the rum cake. Every single dish was outstanding. The food tasted so rich, soulful, and layered — it honestly felt like I was eating in a friend’s Caribbean grandmother’s home. A huge thank you to Kwame, Michael, and Rafael for making our anniversary dinner so special. We are not DMV locals, but we will absolutely be back this summer.

Let's start with atmosphere. We reserved through Resy.com and ended up in a part of the restaurant that is quiet with large comfy seats that felt very high-end. When I went to the restroom, I discovered that there's a whole other area that has tight seating and a bit more noisy. So, found that interesting. The food was what you would expect for a James Beard recognized chef. Everything was delicious so I'll focus on my favorites. The Mom Dukes Shrimp were exceptional. The sauce reminded me of the shrimp dishes that my mom made growing up in the Caribbean. So the chef is hitting the mark on authenticity. We had the snapper large share and the peas were again memories of childhood. The server was attentive and added to the experience. The Sorrel Rickey was again very authentic. The rum cake was great and the blackened golden berries added a whole new direction that made this an outstanding rum cake. I would come back if the chef had a version of Carribean black cake. Overall, loved the food and the experience but $$$$$...would have to be a very special occasion to do this again.

Playlist is unrivaled. We had too much fun. NA cocktail The Astronomer was the best I’ve had. Wine list looked great. If I return in summer I’d order the Lambrusco. Jordan was our server and he was flawless. Never forgot about us, was super helpful in helping us decide on what we’d share, and his recs were on point. Thank you Jordan for the great service! We had a range of dishes including the mama dukes shrimp (perfect spice level), branzino (perfectly cooked & crispy skin), the piri piri salad, oysters and hoe crab. Oh yeah and the best cornbread I’ve ever tasted in my life. Each dish had its own thing going on, but it all flowed together well.

I’ve always wanted to go to one of Kwame’s restaurants. The service amazing. Out server Ida was very informed on the menu and gave great recommendations. The cocktails were tasty. Everything we ordered tasted exceptional! From start to finish. The oysters were so flavorful. The mushroom too. The crab cake surprised me because I normally don’t like to eat it but I enjoyed the plantain pancake. The oxtail was so tender and flavorful. I have no complaints. Everything was great from beginning to end. The music and ambiance was real good too.