Tour The Kombucha Room, Chicago’s First Dedicated Kombucha Bar

Saturday is opening day in Logan Square

by Ashok Selvam@Shokdiesel Apr 28, 2017, 9:45am CDT

Photography by Nick Fochtman

Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.

The public’s perception of kombucha continues to shift mainstream, and that’s happening in Logan Square where The Kombucha Room opens on Saturday inside the space that Owen + Alchemy and Limitless Coffee previously occupied. Many health nuts in America swear that the drink—a concoction of fermented black tea with bacteria and sugar—has benefits. The Kombucha Room owner Mel Mohamednur is a believer who’s visited kombucha spots in California and wants to bring a taste of the West Coast to Chicago.

The drink has ancient roots stemming from China, where drinkers can find more varieties of tea. The Kombucha Room will offer several on tap including jun, which is made with green tea and raw honey. That brings a lighter taste and Mohamednur and others are partial to calling it the champagne of kombucha. Kombucha on tap should provide aficionados fresher flavors, mixed with jalapeños, ginger, and turmeric. Some find it as a healthier alternative to booze, too.

Mohamednur and her team have repainted the walls of the former Limitless Coffee shop, added shelving and turned the counter into a bar with new seating. There’s also a few new tables and couch.

Like Limitless’ pop-up, The Kombucha Room’s stay may be a short one as Mohamednur tests out the market. She wants to scale the idea and hopes to get good results from the neighborhood. Is Chicago ready for a kombucha bar? Find out on Saturday when The Kombucha Room opens. Take a look at the photos below.

The Kombucha Room, 2355 N. Milwaukee Ave., open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (tentatively)