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Dōgon

Washington DC

Boundary-pushing Afro-Caribbean cuisine

Diasporic dining: In 2024, restaurateur, author, and celebrity chef Kwame Onwuachi opened Dōgon inside the Salamander Washington DC hotel to showcase and honour bold cuisine that pulls from his Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole roots. Chopped Next Gen viewers will recognize winner Martel Stone, Dōgon's chef de cuisine, who previously cooked alongside Onwuachi at his now-closed restaurant, Kith/Kin. Martel specialises in contemporary cuisine from the African diaspora, layering every dish with vibrant herbs and spices.

Share the love: Everything is meant to be shared at Dōgon. Smaller plates include charbroiled oysters, hoe crab and a bowl of crispy lamb, tamarind glaze and chickpea curry called Ben's Bowl, inspired by DC's iconic restaurant, Ben's Chili Bowl. For larger plates, choose from curry branzino, mom dukes shrimp or the berbere-laced chicken and rice, an ode to the region's sizeable Ethiopian population.

Chef CV: Born in the Bronx, Onwuachi started cooking for his mother's catering company at age five before selling sweets on the subway to start his first food business. The 2013 Culinary Institute of America graduate earned his bona fides by cooking at Eleven Madison Park and Per Se – he has also appeared on Top Chef as a contestant and judge. Onwuachi, head chef for the 2025 Met Gala, has earned top honours in food, including the 2019 James Beard Foundation's award for Rising Star Chef of the Year.

Deep roots: The restaurant is named after the Dogon, an African tribe from Mali whose descendants include Benjamin Banneker, America's first Black presidential appointee. The self-taught mathematician, astronomer and surveyor famously helped plan DC's original boundaries in 1791. Onwuachi found inspiration in Banneker and his heritage when opening Dōgon.

What's on the playlist? Groove to classic 80s R&B hits from artists including Sade and DeBarge.

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