This Is the Best New U.S. Restaurant of 2025, According to Yelp

"Coming in at No. 1 is Dōgon in Washington, D.C., where James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi channels his Afro-Caribbean roots into an unforgettable fine-dining experience. Located inside Salamander DC, this celestial-themed restaurant is inspired by 18th-century astronomer and surveyor Benjamin Banneker, who helped chart Washington, D.C.'s original borders and traced his ancestry to the Dōgon people of West Africa, renowned for their deep knowledge of the stars."

"Having dined there with my family, I can absolutely see why this restaurant topped the charts. From the moment you enter, the restaurant's grand foyer immediately grabs your attention with its sleek geometric lines and metallic chain accents that nod to Benjamin Banneker's mapping instruments. The space glows with moody lighting, moonlit domes, and blue-tinted mirrored glass, creating an atmosphere that feels like dining beneath the night sky. Soft hues of mauve and purple extend the celestial theme into the dining room's futuristic design."

"The restaurant's menu is a fusion of Onwuachi's Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole roots, while also paying tribute to Washington, D.C.'s large Asian and Ethiopian populations. Every dish transported us somewhere within the African Diaspora. We enjoyed 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"

Yelp's 2025 list of the 25 Best New Restaurants in the U.S. showcases diverse new dining destinations across the country. Selections reflect culinary trends such as open-fire cooking, signature tasting menus, and refined global comfort food. Dōgon in Washington, D.C., earned the No. 1 spot under chef Kwame Onwuachi, combining Afro-Caribbean flavors with a celestial-themed dining room inspired by Benjamin Banneker and the Dōgon people. The menu blends Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole roots while nodding to local Asian and Ethiopian influences, offering dishes like hoe crab with plantain hoe cake, Berbere roasted chicken with jollof rice, curry branzino, and barbecue greens.

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