Chef Kwame Onwuachi's Dōgon claims the top spot on Yelp's 2025 list, praised for its Afro-Caribbean cuisine and stunning celestial-inspired setting.
Which D.C. Afro-Caribbean spot topped Yelp's 2025 list of best new restaurants in the USA?
Source: Google Search
Based on Yelp's internal data and user reviews, this list offers a delicious overview of the nation's most exciting new eateries, from a Bangkok-style street food venue in Los Angeles to a cozy New York neighborhood bistro. This year's choices also reflect major culinary trends, including open-fire cooking, unique tasting menus, and sophisticated takes on global comfort food.
Securing the No. 1 position is Dōgon in Washington, D.C., where James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi draws on his Afro-Caribbean heritage to create an exceptional fine-dining experience. Located within the Salamander DC hotel, the restaurant's celestial design pays tribute to 18th-century astronomer and surveyor Benjamin Banneker, who had ancestry tracing back to the Dōgon people of West Africa, famed for their astronomical knowledge.
This restaurant earned the top ranking due to its immersive atmosphere and culinary excellence. The moment a guest enters, the restaurant's grand foyer captivates with its smooth geometric lines and metallic chain details, which reference Benjamin Banneker's surveying tools. The atmosphere glows with subtle, moody lighting, moonlit domes, and blue-tinted mirrors, giving the impression of dining beneath a night sky. Soft purples and mauves extend the celestial theme into the futuristic design of the dining room.
Source: Google Search
The restaurant's menu skillfully blends Onwuachi's Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole culinary roots, while also honoring Washington, D.C.'s significant Asian and Ethiopian communities.
Menu highlights take diners on a journey through the African Diaspora, including dishes like the hoe crab with plantain hoe cake, the Berbere roasted chicken with jollof rice, the curry branzino with crispy zucchini and callaloo, and the barbecue greens with candied cipollini and beef bacon. Dessert offerings feature sophisticated options, such as the rum cake with vanilla whip and charred fruit and the unique cherries and cream.
The cocktail menu, crafted by respected mixologist Derek Brown, includes a selection of Black-owned spirits, non-alcoholic options, and imaginative drinks, such as the Astronomer, a mix of Bayab African Gin, house-made chai, lemon, orgeat, aquafaba, and lavender.
Completing Yelp's selection of the top 5 new restaurants are Celeste in Narragansett, Rhode Island; Theodora in NYC; Commission Row in Indianapolis; and Sgrizzi by Chef Marc in Las Vegas. When planning your trips to these cities, be sure to look into domestic airport parking options and confirm airport parking charges. Getting an airport parking reservation in advance can save you time and money.
For the complete list of restaurants and further details about the full report, simply visit yelp.com.
