Tucked away in Cambridgeport lies Jahunger, one of the city’s few Uyghur restaurants. Serving northwest Chinese cuisine such as chicken stew, fish filet in chili oil, and a wide array of flavorful noodle dishes, Jahunger is soon becoming a community staple. After opening its doors in early June, Jahunger has been thriving, often having to seat on a waitlist basis to meet the continued demand. Cambridge folk and tourists alike are flocking over to Brookline Street looking for a taste of the historic and treasured northwest Chinese cuisine.
How did Jahunger find its way to the streets of Cambridgeport? Back in 2017, Jahunger opened its flagship location in Providence, Rhode Island, as one of the only Uyghur restaurants in New England. Subat Dilmurat and his wife Nadira Parhat co-own the restaurant and incorporate many family recipes into the quaint yet unique menu.
After stumbling upon several raving reviews on social media and witnessing the daily crowd Jahunger elicited, we took it upon ourselves to test out the well-liked restaurant and vowed to report back to the Register Forum on our findings.
Despite going on a busy Saturday night, we were happily surprised to wait only 15 minutes for a table. We ordered the classic Jahunger noodles, lamb dumplings, green beans, and scallion pancakes along side a couple of sides of rice. We also thoroughly enjoyed the wide selection of drinks that included American staples paired with cultural drinks such as canned bubble tea.
While all the food was delicious and certainly surpassed our expectations, the lamb dumplings were the star of the show. The well-cooked meat filling, alongside the salty broth that covered the rice made for a filling and satisfying dish. The scallion pancakes were crispy and absolutely mouth-watering, the perfect appetizer before the heavier main dishes.
As for the noodles and green beans, both were delicious in flavor and simply perfect in texture. However, it is to be noted that both dishes were quite hot, and spicy, as are a large majority of the dishes on Janhuger’s menu and Uyghur cuisine in general. As a side note, not only was the food incredible, but our dining experience was stellar. The waitstaff was direct and efficient, yet detail-oriented and timely.
All in all, our experience at Jahunger definitely encouraged us to come back soon. It is the perfect location for a casual dinner or an opportunity to try out an often-overlooked cuisine. We encourage you to bring all your friends and take advantage of the steal of the century: Jahunger’s $1 rice!
This article also appears in our September 2024 print edition.
