An Egyptian Food Pop-Up Will Open Soon in Somerville
SOURCE: EATER BOSTON
BY: DANA HATIC
A bibimbap pop-up that has run the course of its yearlong tenure in Somerville’s Bow Market will bow out at the end of this week, leaving room for a new vendor, a mother-and-daughter team showcasing vegan Egyptian cuisine, a rarity in the area.
Bibimbap shop Perillas — which originally signed on to do a six-month pop-up before getting an extension — is now in its final week at Bow Market, owner James Choi announced on Monday, September 23, noting that Saturday, September 28, will be the last day, “go[ing] out with a bang” during Bow Market’s Oktoberfest celebration. Beyond its residency, Perillas will carry on with catering services for a bit as Choi looks for a permanent location in the area.
In the meantime, Sahar Ahmed and Dina Fahim will move into the pop-up storefront in Bow Market to open Koshari Mama, an Egyptian street food restaurant that will serve a lineup of vegan dishes. (Most of Bow Market’s retail and food vendor spaces are meant to be more permanent, but there are several storefronts available for pop-ups of various lengths.)
Egyptian food is quite hard to find in the Boston area: In Allston, Azama Grill serves Egyptian street food, and that’s really the only local brick-and-mortar option. (A restaurant called Baity opened in Medford last year but closed this year.) There are a few food trucks around the region, too, including Zaaki and Egyptian Grill.
At Koshari Mama, the restaurant’s namesake will serve as the main focus of the menu: Koshari is a dish made with lentils, rice, pasta, chickpeas, and fried onions, and Koshari Mama will have a selection of house-made sauces for topping.
Other items on the menu at Koshari Mama will include eggplant rice bowls and sandwiches; a mushroom shawarma sandwich in a pita wrap with tahini sauce; salads; lentil soups; and a selection of sides.
Ahmed and Fahim first launched Koshari Mama at Mill No. 5 in Lowell and have been appearing at farmers markets around the Boston area. The Bow Market location will celebrate a grand opening on November 2, Ahmed told Eater, and it’s slated to be open for a year.
When it opens, Koshari Mama will operate Wednesday through Sunday starting at 11 a.m., closing at 6 p.m. on Sundays, 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, 8 p.m. on Thursdays, and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It will join a few other vegetarian- and vegan-friendly options at Bow Market, including Saus, which is all vegetarian and can make most of its dishes vegan.