Hamid Kerim (left) stands with chef Mohamad Tauhid (right) at Dolan Uyghur in D.C. (courtesy of Dolan Uyghur)
D.C.-area restaurant Dolan Uyghur plans to expand further into Northern Virginia with a new Falls Church location.
The new eatery hopes to open by Friday, Oct. 18 at 400 S. Maple Avenue, in the space formerly held by Pizzeria Orso, owner Hamid Kerim told ARLnow. The business also still plans to open a new location in Crystal City, although it has pushed back the planned opening date from November to February or March 2025.
The restaurant’s menu features Central Asian flavors developed alongside Greek, Persian and Arabic influences. Specialties include roasted lamb, hand-pulled noodles and kebab-style dishes. The Falls Church location plans to add breakfast and brunch service along with some new Turkish and Mediterranean items, Kerim said.
Kerim founded Dolan Uyghur shortly after he was “blacklisted” by the Chinese government in 2017 and immigrated to the United States with his wife and two kids, leaving behind many jewelry businesses he owned.
He is now a father of four, but several of his family members remain in China, which, according to the U.S. State Department, “is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.”
When Kerim bought the restaurant’s first location in D.C., he did not know how to cook or speak English. He learned both as time went on, with the help of his staff and the restaurant’s former owner.
Now with an expanding collection of restaurants, the business owner continues at his goal: to be a voice for change in his home country and share his culture with American customers.
“We want to grow up our business,” Kerim said. “We want show our real culture and food culture.”
He expressed gratitude to the local community, and particularly the Jewish community, which has supported his restaurants in D.C. and Chantilly throughout the years. He hopes to build similar ties at the new location in Falls Church.
Photo (1) via Google Maps.
