Coach House, a tasting menu restaurant in Wicker Park that helped establish chef Zubair Mohajir’s career, will soon shift to a residency-based model. The restaurant, located behind Lilac Tiger at 1742 W. Division St., will have its last day of service under Mohajir on February 14.
Beginning February 19, chef Junho Lee will introduce his contemporary Korean concept Haru Haru as the first participant in Coach House’s new residency program. Over the next several months, Lee will develop different menus for the space.
Mohajir opened Coach House in 2021 in a former carriage house behind what was then Wazwan, his South Asian street food venture that later became Lilac Tiger. Since then, he has gained recognition as an emerging Chicago chef and expanded with other restaurants including Mirra in Bucktown and Sarima Cafe in Wicker Park. He has also appeared on television shows such as “Top Chef” and “Chopped.”
Looking ahead, Mohajir is preparing to open another restaurant in Lincoln Park this spring focusing on cuisine from Southern Spain to India and East Asia.
He explained that operating within Coach House’s small kitchen and historic building had become increasingly limiting. Instead of closing the location, Mohajir decided to start the residency program to provide opportunities for less-established chefs to grow their brands—a situation he related to from earlier in his own career.
“I feel like I’ve squeezed every single ounce that I can out of [Coach House], with having two induction burners and an electric oven,” Mohajir said.
The residency is designed “for chefs and entrepreneurs that are trying to start their own business and gather some momentum,” he added.
Mohajir described how his culinary journey began after growing up in India and Qatar before moving to Chicago during middle school. He initially worked as a banker until being laid off during the Great Recession led him into the restaurant industry.
Reflecting on opening Coach House, he said: “It was the first spot that, as a chef, I had a consistent address. It was the first Indian tasting menu in Chicago.”
In 2024, Mohajir opened Mirra—offering South Asian-Mexican fare—and Sarima Cafe near central Wicker Park with Filipino-Indian fusion dishes. His upcoming Lincoln Park project will explore foods along the historical “Spice Road.” He is collaborating again with Jacob Dela Cruz on this concept, which will feature both a front restaurant area and a speakeasy-style back room.
“We really want to redefine Americana in the space as migrant food and immigrant food,” Mohajir said.
The goal is for the new venue to “connect those dots between all of our communities to really show that at the end of the day, we have all been communicating via food for a very long time, but those stories have not been told, and I really want to tell that story through the new spot,” according to Mohajir.
Haru Haru’s tenure at Coach House starts with a Lunar New Year menu this February; rotating menus are planned through June. Afterward, new chefs are expected every four to six months. Unlike many pop-ups where resources can be limited or inconsistent for guest chefs, participants will have access to established infrastructure such as staff support and marketing resources.
“We actually pay them as if they were a chef at the restaurant,” Mohajir said. “That way, they have some stability, and they’re able to take incentives from what they bring, as well.”
As he moves forward with new projects across Chicago’s dining scene—including his forthcoming Lincoln Park establishment—Mohajir credited Coach House as foundational for his growth: “It was the best decision I ever made. I wouldn’t be here without it. A lot of people told me not to do that because they said ‘This is not plausible,’ but no one foresaw four restaurants coming out of that,” he said. “This just feels like the natural next step.”
