The latest location of a growing Uyghur restaurant chain has opened in Crystal City.
Dolan Uyghur soft opened at 320 23rd Street S. about two weeks ago, marking the business’s fifth location — including another spot in Falls Church that opened in 2024.
“Come get a first look at our beautiful new space and enjoy your favorite authentic Uyghur and Turkish dishes — from our legendary hand-crafted hand-pulled noodles and robustly seasoned kebabs to big plate chickens and savory stews,” Dolan Uyghur wrote on Instagram. “Everything we serve is 100% halal and made with love.”
Online ordering for the new location doesn’t appear to be available. However, dishes at other locations include specialties like arlash korma, or stir-fried lamb served with onions, wood ear mushrooms and cucumbers; goshnan, a traditional Uyghur-style meat pie with beef, lamb and onions; and big plate chicken, with hefty portions of marinated and sauteed chicken with vegetables on a bed of hand-pulled flat noodles.
An appetizer menu includes dishes such as mushroom salad, cold egg noodle and lentil soup, while desserts include baklava, chocolate cake and Uyghur yogurt with walnuts, raisins and honey.
“The unique character of Uyghur cuisine is a result of local products, traditional cooking methods and recipes that have been passed through generations,” Dolan Uyghur’s website says. “Uyghur food reflects the influence of neighboring cultures such as Greek, Persian, and Arabic cultures, yet our food culture is uniquely our own.”
Hamid Kerim, Dolan Uyghur’s owner and founder, opened his first location in D.C. shortly after he was “blacklisted” by the Chinese government in 2017 and immigrated to the United States with his wife and two kids. Uyghur culture is based in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, where the Chinese government has been accused of mass detention and other forms of persecution against the mostly Muslim ethnic minority.
Dolan Uyghur originally planned on opening in Crystal City in late 2024, the restaurant told ARLnow that summer.
Arlington is already home to an acclaimed Uyghur restaurant: Bostan Uyghur Cuisine, which opened in Cherrydale in 2021 and was named to the New York Times list of “The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington D.C. Right Now” in 2024.
Photos 3-5 via dolan_DC/Instagram
