A new restaurant and a bar from the duo behind Lilac Tiger, Coach House, and more is scheduled to arrive in July in Lincoln Park. Muhājir, which aims to tell the stories of migration through food, opens on Wednesday, July 1. Bobo, a Filipino cocktail lounge located inside the same building, will debut a week later on Wednesday, July 8. It’s arguably the most anticipated project of the year from chef Zubair Mohajir, who opened Mariela in the Loop in May with fellow collaborator and chef Rishi Kumar. With the Lincoln Park restaurant and bar, Mohajir is partnering with longtime chef de cuisine Jacob Dela Cruz.
As a first-generation immigrant born in Chennai, India, and raised in Doha, Qatar, chef Mohajir has built a reputation for showcasing his culture through his food, while exploring its intersections with other world cuisines in a way that feels both reverent and revelatory. With Muhājir, Mohajir and Dela Cruz expand on that culinary journey, embracing countries along the ancient spice route and those who traveled it. The Lincoln Park restaurant’s menu focuses on East-to-West culinary connections from Mohajir’s birthplace through the Middle East and North Africa, making stops in Sicily, Andalusia, and Portugal. Live wood-fire cooking plays a prominent role at Muhājir. “Wood fire is part of the human story and is rooted in what we do,” says Mohajir. “Throughout this menu you’re going to see how different cultures used it.”
Take, for instance, thaali, a starter that, like many of the dishes on the a la carte menu, is meant to be shared. The assortment of dips made with fire-roasted ingredients includes caponata, tomato-tamarind achar, goat cheese shattah, and ful, which nod to Italy, India, Palestine, and Egypt. It’s paired with papadums, or cracker-thin crisps, and wood-fired sourdough focaccia and served in a custom-made plate from Chicago’s DTK Ceramics.
“With this dish you essentially get to taste all the places we’re touching,” says Mohajir. “For a dish to get on the menu, we ask ourselves: Where does it come from, who is it by, and what kind of connection can we help create for an aha moment?”…