ROCKFORD — Cooking is Mohammad Saleem’s passion. So much so, friends and family have been encouraging him for years to open his own restaurant. This month, Saleem did just that.
Mo’s Coffee and Cafe opened Sept. 6 at 303 Mulberry St., right around the corner from the old Shoe Palace store at North Main and Mulberry streets. The restaurant is a first for Saleem and one of the first to open in the immediate area since the closing of Parthenios in 2010.
Unlike Parthenios, don’t go to Mo’s in search of typical American dishes.
“It’s Pakastani food,” said Saleem, a native of Pakistan. “Everybody has American cuisine. I just wanted to try something unique and different.”
Entrees include lentils and rice, beans and rice, and ground beef, veggies and rice. Saleem said his specialty is shrimp and rice and tilapia and rice.
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“Try my food. It’s different. It’s ethnic. And you can’t find food like this that I cook anywhere,” Saleem said.
In addition to authentic Pakistani dishes, Mo’s does offer some American comfort foods served as appetizers such as chicken wings, meatballs, and beans with melted cheese and tortilla chips.
Cheese, pepperoni or sausage pizzas with a wood fire crust also was recently added to the menu.
“Yes. Pizza is American,” Saleem said, “but eventually I’m going to make Pakistani pizza.”
Open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mo’s breakfast offerings consist of Danishes and muffins and an assortment of flavored coffees, hot and cold lattes, espresso, and teas for the on-the-go crowd as well as those who have time to hang out for a bit.
For now, the restaurant is a one-person operation. Saleem’s wife and business partner, Joyce Krumm, operates the couple’s other business, City Tobacco & More, a 14-year-old establishment a couple doors down at 311 Mulberry St.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com, @chrisfgreen
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