Inside Dōgon, the New Afro-Caribbean Restaurant in Washington, D.C. from Star Chef Kwame Onwuachi

Kwame Onwuachi and Sheila Johnson.

Photo: Scott Suchman

The result is a dimly-lit space just off the hotel’s circular lobby, marked by chain curtains, an illuminated bar, artful columns, and an open kitchen. Designed by Preeti Sriratana of NYC-based architecture firm Modellus Novus, the restaurant also features ceiling lights reminiscent of stars in the sky—a nod to the inspiration that birthed the Dōgon name and concept. While researching the history of the restaurant’s L’Enfant Plaza neighborhood, Onwuachi brushed up on the life of Benjamin Banneker, the freed slave who was hired to help create the borders of D.C. in 1791. “I was like, ‘Okay, this guy must’ve been really good at his job to be a Black man hired back then do something as important as creating the borders of the capital of the country,’” Onwuachi says. “And I was like, ‘How the hell did he know how to do this?’ I found out that his grandfather was captured from the Dogon tribe [in West Africa], and they were a tribe of astronomers; they used to map things with the stars. So without West African science, we wouldn’t have the capital we know today. I wanted to tell the story of Washington, D.C. through a West African lens.”

That storytelling is apparent in an eclectic, shareable menu that’s teeming with Nigerian influences (Onwuachi is Nigerian-American) as well as Jamaican and Creole flavors. Per the chef’s suggestion, I ordered the hoe crab—tossed with garlic butter, topped with a shito crunch, and served in the shell with a side of plantain cakes and an ahi verde sauce. The branzino came butterflied with crispy skin, and accompanied by a smooth, punchy coconut mussel curry to pour on top. Sides like crispy okra, jollof rice, and callaloo were just as notable as the main dishes, though the star of the meal was the Mom Dukes Shrimp, served whole and bathed in a decadent Creole butter.