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Peek Inside The Kombucha Room, Opening Saturday In Logan Square

By Mina Bloom | April 27, 2017 5:48am
 Mel Mohamednur owns the Kombucha Room, which opens Saturday in Logan Square.
Mel Mohamednur owns the Kombucha Room, which opens Saturday in Logan Square.
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DNAinfo/Mina Bloom

LOGAN SQUARE — Chicago now has its very own kombucha bar.

The Kombucha Room, which bills itself as the city's first, is opening at 9 a.m. Saturday in the former Owen & Alchemy at 2355 N. Milwaukee Ave. 

Patrons can expect 20 varieties of the fermented probiotic tea drink on tap from Chicago brewers and brewers across the Midwest, including Arize, Boochy Mamas, Kombuchade and Frog Juice, to name a few.

Owner Mel Mohamednur is especially excited about offering Jun, which she described as the honey-based "champagne of kombuchas," and Wild Fire Tonic, which contains apple cider vinegar and more than 20 herbs and spices.  

Both drinks are designed to boost energy and strengthen the immune system, according to Mohamednur. High-end establishments like Alinea and Cindy's serve Jun, Mohamednur said, but the Kombucha Room will be the only place Chicagoans can get it on tap.

Prices of the kombuchas, which will be available in shots, flights, howlers, glasses and pints, are being finalized. Mohamednur is planning to release the full menu on opening day.

In addition to kombucha, the bar will serve an array of organic snacks, including probiotic chocolate almonds from Windy City Organics and sweet and savory peanuts from Bee's Knees.

Originally from Taiwan, Mohamednur moved to the United States in 2011 to attend the University of Michigan to study supply chain management. After school, she briefly lived in New York, where she worked for a perfume company before moving to Chicago to work as business consultant.

A few years ago, after quitting her business consulting gig, she discovered kombucha during a 200-hour yoga training.

"I like it so much because I grew up drinking tea. I drank so many teas when I was in Taiwan," said Mohamednur.

"I figured, 'Why couldn't we do something in Chicago?' I know they have kombucha on tap mostly on the West Coast. There's nothing like this in Chicago."

Mohamednur said the only stores in the city that regularly carry kombucha are Whole Foods and Mariano's. She hopes the Kombucha Room will become a "one-stop shop" for the drink, which has yet to catch on in Chicago.

She's also planning to host homebrewing and indigo-dyeing workshops, as well as yoga and mediation classes.

Mohamednur said her lease is up at the end of the year, and the owner has other plans for the building, so the kombucha bar is likely temporary. The goal of the storefront, she said, is to "test out the market."

"If it goes well, we will find a more permanent space, hopefully in the same neighborhood," she said.

See more photos below:


[All photos DNAinfo/Mina Bloom]