Dunya Restaurant and Bar

You have 8 people visiting for a reunion and you want to go out on U Street and be able to reminisce about your old times but still experience the city.
Where do you go?
Dunya, that really cool looking roof deck looking over the entertaining gay club (Town) is your secret spot. It has a roof deck (perfect), it has space (unheard of), and it has great cocktails that are unpretentious (REALLY unheard of). They also have a decent brunch – not anything special, but just a good vibe.
Give this a run with big groups on a beautiful night and it will make your night.

I met a big group of people here to celebrate my friend’s wife’s graduation. The brunch was fantastic, but the service was super slow. It might be because there were very few servers. There was only my group and another group downstairs and we were wondering why the service was really slow. We found out that upstairs, people were dancing AND ordering food at the bar. So our server also had to walk up and down the stairs to serve everyone else.
The rooftop is gorgeous. The music is mostly Latin music for salsa, merengue, and bachata. Great atmosphere.

Update: In response to my Facebook review, the business wrote the following:
«Obviously you don’t go out much in District of Columbia tax always is addition second we never take reservations for roof top first come first serve after all you pointing at Sunday advertise was on the bar by mistake and was taken by bartender after all how much you and your party spend and want to have the whole roof for yourself less than 280 for 20 people I think it’s time to stop being spoiled brat and learn to respect others»

This is a great place. It’s quiet, but right off of the main U Street corridor. The restaurant has a warm, lovely vibe, with friendly staff and *really* great prices for a great meal.
The décor makes you feel like you’re in… the Caribbean? North Africa? Lots of molded wood, vibrant colors, heavy wooden tables. It’s groovy, but I feel like they made some interesting choices.
My date had the salmon with cous-​cous, which she loved and I had the rainbow trout with arugula salad, which I really enjoyed. We had a bottle of wine with no rush and went to the rooftop to relax. I’m definitely coming back

Great food, great atmosphere, and even greate server. Specifically MaryAnn. She was absolutely incredible. She was very helpful and very attentive. Wonderful experience!

I actually wanted to give this place a 3.5 stars but there is no half stars, so I am being generous because Henry the waiter was very knowledgeable.
I walk pass this place from time to time, but never thought of going. Decided to give it a try, since this place seems to have a take of different Mediterranean favors. I booked via Unilocal,and did specify for a table by the window and away from the door, I did not get that, but the host did apologize for that. We got a OK table.
The dinning experience was pleasant, Henry our waiter is very knowledgeable of the menu, and were able to explain to me many things without going back to the kitchen, that was impressive and gave us confidence in trusting his choice. It was great to see Portobello Mushroom fries on the menu, that is one of my favorite menu item in another vegetarian restaurant. At the end I decided on the Smoke Salmon, Crab Meat and Avocado Tower, the favor profile was complex and it has a punch to it with a bit of heat. My dinning companion had crab cake, and the ratio of crab cake to binder was very good.
For main course, I had the Stuffed Rainbow Trout with walnuts, pomegranate molasses & an arugula salad, the fish was cooked beautifully, the skin was crispy and the fish is still juicy and the stuffings have a good balance of sweet walnuts and a bit of acid from the pomegranate.
Now this is why the place did not get a 5 stars from me, the steak my dinning buddy ordered was way over cooked, if it was medium instead of medium rare it could still be acceptable, but it really is way over cooked. However, knowing what food cost is like, just cannot have the heart to return it to the kitchen and ask for a new one.
For dessert, it was Dark Chocolate Flour-​less Cake (a la mode) and Pistachio Cheese Cake, but the chef decided that the cheese cake was not up to standard that night, I actually appreciate it because I will rather not have a sub-​standard dessert. Now the Chocolate Cake really melt in your mouth, I can go back just for that.
The place has 3 levels, there is a roof top bar which is very vibrant, the second floor were quiet if you go early. All in all, I had an enjoyable evening. Will go back for brunch.

Had such a blast that I actually forgot to take pictures… although the food was yummy enough for me to bore you with metaphorical descriptions, I would say trust your waiter/​host. Henry was the cherry on the cake of this epic evening, filled of extremely useful information, honest and genuine, he advised our meal choices, and graciously entertain us with motivating conversations. As we had dinner previously we decided to go for cocktails and appetizers, the sangria was just right, the smoked chickpeas with spinach and egg was just amazingly tasty and light, the fried mushrooms were a nice surprise. this northern african with a european contemporary twist was a hit for me… which ended with a flourless (I went to heaven) chocolate cake a la mode.

The Live jazz on Friday night. AMAZING! Thank you for a GREAT and unexpected experience!

This place rocks! Live jazz on a Friday night in the downstairs area with Josephine Baker $ 6 champagne cocktails with crème de cassis. The upstairs had an awesome DJ playing a mix of old school motown/hip-hop/R&B. That place was definitely my scene. Surprised it doesn’t get more hype.

What an inviting, relaxing evening. Great service. Great food. Warm ambiance. Open rooftop for before or after social. Ask for Hasnaa. She’s top notch. Tell her Diana sent you. :-)

I had an amazing experience at Dunya the other day for dinner. We arrived shortly before our reservation and we were immediately seated without wait. The staff was very friendly and courteous. The atmosphere upstairs is great and homely feeling. There are long couches and its cozy. We we’re seated next to the fireplace which was just warm enough and a contrast to the cold outside.
The music selection was a mix of 70s/​80s and mainly soul music which I really enjoyed. The food was delicious. Everything came out in an expeditious manner. I ordered two appetizers, the crab cake and the shrimp scampi. The crab cake had just enough meat and the broth the shrimp was in was amazing. My companion ordered lamb. I usually don’t like lamb but it was good. The only reason I won’t give 5 stars is because they didn’t have the wine I wanted but overall I would highly recommend this spot.

My girlfriends and I went to Dunya because of the good reviews and our love for brunch. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant experience. First, we made an rsvp thru Unilocal,and they didn’t find it although they did email me the confirmation. Second, it was freezing because we were seated by the windows. They deftl need to fix their heating system. Third, the food wasnt amazing. I could’ve made that chorizo omelette at home. Lastly, their website states that their Sunday brunch goes til 4pm, which to me it means the whole brunch specials (including the drinks). But that only refers to the food and not the $ 2 mimosas/​bloodmarys. So it was an overall disappointing experience

Girlfriend and I came into Dunya on a whim, and wow we are so glad that we did!
Had the pork chops with balsamic glaze and the stuffed rainbow trout. All I can say is wow! Food was prepared wonderfully with great attention to detail. Service was prompt and the place was spotless.
Décor is modern but with great older touches, such as the distressed wooden chairs! They have great drink specials during the day (mimosas!)
Be sure to check out the upstairs bar area on busy nights. They have an awesome fireplace in one corner. The third floor is a big roof deck which is perfect for warm nights!
Oh, and also, the owner was an awesome guy! Stopped at our table and had a nice conversation with us and answered all of our questions. Absolutely fantastic!
Just go!
Will definitely be back!

Brunch food wasn’t anything amazing but they sure have good Mimosa and Bloody Mary for only $ 2.
Great place for a weekend get together with friends if you want something lively, social and fun.
Rooftop has a nice view and plenty of space for dancing. I guess most people stay on the 2^nd floor so it wasn’t too busy but at least the service was super fast. The bartender was quick at refilling our drink orders.

The rooftop bar area is a great spot to hang out with friends.
Cool view of the scene down on U Street.
The food was not that good almost bordering on bad. Mixed drinks were ok and uninspired.
Service was extremely slow.
We were almost the only people there on a Friday night and the service was still very inattentive.
Left after having one drink and two apps.
Wouldn’t go back with all the other options in the area.

Great place in Shaw for dinner or drinks. We had dinner here when Dunya first opened. Since then, we have not been back for dinner but have been back a few times for drinks on their amazing rooftop. The dinner was great and the food was delicious. I remember the lamb being very moist and tasty.
The ambiance is really nice and this place is rarely super crowded like the other rooftops on U street. Their signature cocktails are just ok so I would recommend sticking to traditional drinks or wine.
The rooftop is also a great spot for conversation since many of the nearby places are super crowded with DJs and the younger crowd.

(10÷19÷14) I’m a big fan of the Bachata style of music & dance, which originated in the Dominican Republic. It’s romantic and seductive. So, when my friend invited me to a Bachata Brunch, I was all in!
This cozy Mediterranean restaurant is still relatively new (open less than a year) in the Shaw neighborhood. They have a diverse wine list and $ 2 mimosas, but I was still recovering from HU’s Homecoming activities so no drinks for me. I ordered Dunya’s version of eggs benedict called Eggs Maryland with lump crabmeat. The dish was full of flavor (sans pork). Service was good with the exception of our server forgetting a couple items. Time passed quickly while we enjoyed the ambiance and catching up over good food; then it was time to dance. Upstairs, there was a DJ (Latino genre) and coaches ready to demonstrate. The best male dancer came over and extended his hand in our direction. I gently shoved my girlfriend (she’s a Mexican dancing machine) forward then enjoyed the show. She’s always game for a challenge.
During a break, we checked out the rooftop which was really cool too. It became the backdrop for awesome pictures and the bartender was sweet. We had a great time.

Went here for brunch and the food was solid. The service, however, was pretty bad. I’d give them two stars but they comped some of our mimosas, which I appreciated.
The $ 2 per mimosa deal is great and adds up to being just as good as most bottomless deals in town (well, obviously depending on how many you order. I was going slow enough to get my money’s worth :). The brunch menu was pretty good – typical brunch food, not out-​of-​this-​world spectacular but a good meal and a great variety of dishes. If anything stood out, it was the fries that came with my burger.
The service was another story. Our group of five came around 1:00 and we were seated in the downstairs area, which was not busy at all (I think there were maybe two other groups seated at the time). It took forever for our waitress to take our order and it was about an hour from the time we walked in until we got our food. To be fair, it got busier as we approached 2:00 but it wasn’t even close to packed. When we asked our waitress to check on our food, she graciously apologized and mentioned something about a party on the rooftop that was slowing down the service. For all I know, it was a very unusual situation but regardless, I think an hour wait for food is pretty ridiculous. I’ve been in much, much busier restaurants and can’t recall ever having to wait that long.
Dunya’s a relatively new addition to the area and I hope they do well. I realize that all new restaurants always have some wrinkles to iron out at the beginning so I’ll give them another chance.

I visited here with friends for a bridal shower dinner. I never heard of this place before that night; let alone a Mediterranean spot in U St., so I was eager to try it.
My friends had dined there before and recommended that we start with the portobello fries. They were good! We went through four batches between 10 ladies.
I had the lamb but kept looking at everyone’s plate that ordered salmon. I think the salmon looked better. I had coffee after my meal because we had a long night of bachelorette activities ahead!
There is a small bathroom downstairs which has really nice tile on the wall.
The service was good; they seat large parties and it has a rooftop! The rooftop was large, had a bar and held about 30 people.
The place was pretty quiet, not too many people dining there. I’ll definitely check the rooftop bar again and the portobello fries! I think this would be a good girls night for a nice dinner or a date night.

TL;DR service was great, date night atmosphere, but food wasn’t fantastic enough to come back.
drinks were pretty average and not too stiff.
portabello fries: best thing we ordered. Definitely get these if you come here.
Roasted bone marrow: was probably some of the least tasty marrow I’ve tried. Not very zesty and just some plain marrow. Also gave me a pretty bad stomachache the next day.
Brussels sprouts: wasn’t very well flavored and the sprouts were bitter. Wasn’t really into it after a few bites.
lentil soup: can’t personally vouch for it, but my friend really liked it!
dessert: we really wanted to try the panna cotta, but they were out.
Again, the service was very nice, but I wasn’t moved by the quality of food enough to come back.