Japanese street food comes to Evanston

When Penny Mohr immigrated to the United States in 2011, she realized she wanted to be in a kitchen.

Her cousin had lately opened quite a few Japanese dining places in Chicago, so she obtained to perform assisting him and learning every single possible career – server, host, cook, dishwasher, supervisor and, 11 several years later on, owner.

Penny and her partner, Chris Mohr, opened Tomo Japanese Road Meals in Evanston on April 19, with a line stretching down Sherman Avenue. They have been perfecting their ramen recipe by means of the years, beginning at the Forum55 Food stuff Hall in Chicago in 2018. Due to COVID-19, the foodstuff hall shut down, and the Mohrs made the determination to open up their very own spot.

Penny Mohr, who is Thai, suggests her second-beloved food stuff (Thai staying first, of program) is Japanese. She has been cooking diverse varieties of Asian delicacies because she was 11 several years aged, but she claimed she’s usually been drawn to Japanese tradition and food. After she and Chris took a excursion to Japan prior to the pandemic, they each agreed they wanted to build a cafe related to the Japanese road food items they enjoyed even though overseas.

“We just required to have a little something much more informal, just a position to arrive and get your ramen and look at Electric power Rangers or anime,” Chris Mohr reported.

When selecting to open up up Tomo at 1726 Shermann Ave., Chris explained he and Penny closely viewed the foot site visitors in the Evanston restaurant scene. They struggled to discover a casual to-go location close to Northwestern College that was open following 7 p.m., so they decided they would rent the empty spot on Sherman Avenue upcoming doorway to Kilwins and tap into the Northwestern college student viewers.

Chris explained Tomo hopes to get a liquor license and host karaoke as nicely. The menu will be growing as they retain the services of and practice more staff members, as will the hrs, which are currently 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. but adjust to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. beginning on May perhaps 1.

They say their karaage curry rice (a curry rice bowl topped with fried chicken), lava takoyaki (fried octopus dumplings topped with spicy mayo and masago) and curry udon (udon noodles with home made beef curry) have been amongst the most preferred menu goods.