Hu Eats

Neighborhood: Near North Side Address: 931 N Orleans St Chicago, IL Website: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mogadishu-restaurant-chicago-2 Phone: (312) 265-1850  Hours: Open from 6 AM to 1 AM

It must have been by chance on how I stumbled upon Mogadishu restaurant. My friend and I were opted to take a different route home on North Orleans street and we passed by Mogadishu. The name instantly intrigued me. After investigating more online, I was further drawn to check it out. Perhaps the only Somali restaurant in the city, the no-frills, tiny restaurant could only be a worthwhile and different dining experience.

It’s the definition of a hole-in-the-wall. It’s small, with 3 long tables, a smaller table in the corner, and one high top shoved by the window. There are no decorations, just a TV in the corner playing cable news and a clock with an image of the Kaaba behind the counter. The pastel green and bubblegum pink paint clash in the middle of the walls. You can easily hear the pots and pans moving in the kitchen since it’s right behind the serving counter, only hidden by a hung-up curtain drape. It simply feels like walking into someone’s living room for a meal.

The food is already prepped and stored in large serving trays. As a first timer, it’s best to just ask what they recommend since there is no menu. The restaurant changes up what they cook everyday. They’ll bring the plate of food to wherever you choose to sit, with a spoon and fork (no knife, so you’ll have to cut the meat with your spoon - or just use your hands). 

There isn’t anything special about the surroundings, yet during the lunch rush or late night dinners, you’ll be surrounded by Somali cab drivers, speaking their native tongue. This small restaurant is a gathering place for their community - a place of familiarity in Chicago. For that, the ambiance is unique in the authenticity that it brings to Somali food.

I ordered the chicken leg with Somali rice and goat with canjeero. The portions are large and all the food is piled onto a single plate. The chicken leg and breast were both lightly fried, the skin perfectly crispy. It wasn’t over-battered or too oily, making me feel not unhealthy as I ate it. I thought the inside of the chicken could have been a bit juicier, but it was still delicious mixed with all the other components of the plate.

The rice pilaf added a pop of color to the plate with its scattered orange, yellow dyed grains. It was delicious and flavorful with all the spices it was cooked with. There was a side of hot sauce, as the owner called it, thrown on the plate. Personally, I found it pretty mild in the level of hotness, but added another dimension of both flavor and texture.

Surprisingly, my favorite thing on the plate was the braised cabbage mix. Though the most simple component on the plate, the subtle flavors were a nice contrast to the fried chicken and rice.

I also tried the goat with canjeero which is comparable to Ethiopian injera. The canjeero is a thin pancake-like bread has a slightly spongy texture. It is placed on the plate before the food is piled on. You’re meant to use the bread to pick up the food. 

I’ve had injera before when eating Ethiopian food, and I was never partial to it finding it too sour. However, the canjeero wasn’t as sour to me.

The stewed goat was extremely tender and fell off the bone easily. Again, similar to the chicken, it was flavored perfectly and balanced with the other components on the plate.

[TL;DR]

Back on this food blogging! 

First post will be on how underwhelming the food was in Guatemala but for now a few pictures as a preview. But seriously is Guatemala just trying to copy Mexico or El Salvador...?