Key Takeaways
- Agora DC is a family-owned Mediterranean restaurant at 1527 17th St NW in Dupont Circle, Washington DC, serving Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese mezze since 2010
- It holds roughly a 4.6-star rating on Google across 3,500-plus reviews, with consistent praise for the small plates, service, and dining room
- The menu is built for sharing: hummus, kebabs, roasted beet salad, grilled octopus, and a weekend brunch that has become a Dupont Circle ritual
- Independent, family-run restaurants like Agora DC are a strong signal of neighborhood vitality in one of Washington DC's most walkable communities
Welcome back to Community Spotlight, the series where I feature the independent businesses that make our neighborhoods worth calling home. This week, the spotlight lands in Dupont Circle, Washington DC, at Agora DC, a family-owned Mediterranean restaurant on 17th Street NW.
Agora DC opened in 2010 and has anchored this block ever since. The kitchen works in the mezze tradition that crosses Turkey, Greece, and Lebanon: velvety hummus, smoky baba ghanoush, ground lamb and beef kebabs, roasted beet salad, grilled octopus, crispy cauliflower, and eggplant prepared every way the kitchen knows how. It is a menu built for sharing, the kind where a few small plates become dinner and a bottle of wine stretches the evening well past dessert.
Why Agora DC stands out in Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle does not lack for restaurants, so what sets Agora DC apart? First, the ownership. Betul and Ismail Uslu run the dining room as a family business, and executive chef Ismet Sahin, a native of southern Turkey, gives the food a sense of place rather than a generic concept. Second, the brunch. The weekend brunch runs from 11 AM to 4 PM and has become something of a neighborhood ritual, with mezze spreads that keep tables full into the afternoon. The restaurant has drawn attention from food writers at Eater DC and The Infatuation over the years, yet the room still feels warm rather than precious.
Agora DC holds roughly a 4.6-star rating on Google across 3,500-plus reviews, with regular praise for the small plates, the service, and the dining room. Between the Tuesday-through-Friday lunch service, nightly dinner, and weekend brunch, the restaurant works for a date night, a family dinner, or a table of colleagues who cannot agree on a single cuisine.
Restaurants like this say something about the neighborhood they serve. Dupont Circle is one of DC's most walkable corners, with the Red Line station steps from the fountain, The Phillips Collection and Embassy Row nearby, and a dining scene that sustains both institutions and newcomers. For more on living here, the Dupont Circle neighborhood guide covers homes, amenities, and the questions buyers ask most. For pricing context, the September 2026 DC Metro market update breaks down the latest numbers. And if you run a local business that deserves a future feature, get in touch.
Business Details
Business: Agora DC
Category: Restaurant · Mediterranean Meze
Address: 1527 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Rating: 4.6 stars (3,500+ Google reviews)
Hours: Mon 4:30-8 PM; Tue-Fri lunch 12-2:30 PM & dinner 4:30-10 PM; Sat-Sun brunch 11 AM-4 PM & dinner 5-10 PM
Phone: (202) 332-6767
Website: agorarestaurants.net/dc
Directions: Open in Google Maps
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Claude's Community Spotlight series celebrates the independent businesses that make our neighborhoods great. If you would like your business considered for a future feature, we would love to hear from you.
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Claude Labbe
Local Curator · REALTOR · Douglas Elliman · DC, MD, VA