Muhājir opens in Chicago with 927-year-old duck recipe and live fire

Chef Zubair Mohajir has opened Muhājir in Chicago, a restaurant rooted in his family's migration history. The name, meaning 'one who migrates' in Arabic and Urdu, connects to the partition of India and Pakistan and a lineage tracing back to southern Basra in Iraq.

Muhājir is a personal milestone for Mohajir, linking family history to broader global narratives. His late maternal grandfather was obsessed with mapping the origin of their family name. The restaurant opened this year.

How history shapes the menu and cooking method

Muhājir traces historical spice routes to tell a story of global migration. Southern Basra in Iraq once sat at the heart of major spice roads. For the past five years at his restaurant Coach House, Mohajir explored ancient, pre-Crusade recipes from southern Spain and Portugal with Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Southeast Asian influences.

Muhājir extends that inquiry eastward from the Iberian Peninsula through the Mediterranean and Levant to southern India. Central to its identity is a reliance on live fire rather than conventional gas or electric equipment. Mohajir noted the decision felt inevitable once the historical story took shape.

Growing up in his grandmother's house in India, where gas stoves were not common, open flames defined daily cooking. The live fire approach returns the kitchen to elemental methods that highlight ingredients and the passage of time. Wood fire serves as both a practical tool and a narrative device.

The signature duck dish and its preparation

A centerpiece duck dish draws from a 927-year-old recipe, reflecting Roman, Muslim, and Jewish influences. The duck experience involves butchering a whole bird on site. The wings are used to make a jus, and the legs are confited.

The duck crown is dry-aged for seven days. When service starts each day, it is blasted over fire, finished in the brasa, and presented on an ornate Turkish platter. Diners witness ducks hanging visibly over the fire during service.

The dish is served with several accompaniments and a specific spice blend drawn from the original formula.

The duck breast features very crispy skin topped with the ancient spice mix. The skin medallions resemble duck chicharrón.

The adjacent bar Bobo and its personal significance

Behind Muhājir sits Bobo, a bar developed with Mohajir's partner, Jacob Dela Cruz. Dela Cruz, who also suggested naming the restaurant Muhājir, inspired the bar's name. Bobo in Tagalog means silly or stupid as a term of endearment, a nod to Dela Cruz's father, whose name is Bho.

Guests cannot access Bobo without walking through the Muhājir restaurant. The pair previously built the concept Sarima together.

Mohajir’s evolved approach to leadership and ownership

Mohajir runs Muhājir with a more methodical mindset than his previous ventures. He says he does not freak out as much, having created a systematic way of approaching issues head-on with his team. He credits his team for this evolved approach.

The restaurant is investor-supported by its guests, not by private equity firms. Mohajir is already known for several other local concepts in Chicago.