Dolan Uyghur Restaurant will open its second NoVA restaurant and its third in the DMV in early September in the Falls Church spot where Pizzaria Orso was.
The 4,308-square-foot restaurant will feature a menu of traditional Central Asian Uyghur dishes and will have outdoor seating.
A quick history lesson: Uyghurs are mostly Sunni Muslim people who speak Uyghur and who traditionally lived in central Asia. According to the restaurant’s website, “Dolan” is the name of an ancient tribe of Uyghur people who lived in the Taklamakan Desert during the Qing Dynasty.
Today it’s estimated that roughly 11 million Uyghurs live in the region, which China designated as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Uyghur people have been victims of human rights violations, with millions being unfairly detained and the Chinese working to erase Uyghur culture, according to the BBC.
Dolan’s owner, Hamid Kerim, escaped from East Turkestan and immigrated to the U.S., where he hopes to create awareness about the human rights crisis through his restaurant, which celebrates and shares Uyghur culture.
With traditional dishes like hand-pulled noodles, chicken stew, and housemade dumplings, Dolan’s menu features authentic Uyghur cuisine. It will also offer a selection of Turkish and Mediterranean-style dishes.
Dolan has locations Chantilly and in DC’s Cleveland Park neighborhood. 400 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church
Feature image courtesy Dolan Uyghur Restaurant
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