Family struggles to keep restaurant afloat in touching, Chicago-set ‘Dhaba on Devon Avenue’

“Dhaba on Devon Avenue” — 3 stars

Immigrants and children of immigrants may well recognize themselves in Madhuri Shekar’s pandemic-delayed “Dhaba on Devon Avenue,” premiering at Writers Theatre under Chay Yew’s thoughtful, low-key direction and in collaboration with Chicago’s TimeLine Theatre.

Perhaps you are a first-generation immigrant — hopeful and hardworking — who came to this country to build a new life while retaining cherished customs from your old one.

Perhaps you are second-generation — respectful of your parents’ sacrifice but eager to chart a different course.

“Dhaba on Devon Avenue,” which Shekar describes as an “ode to the quiet heroism and daily struggles that are required to be an artist, an entrepreneur, an immigrant and a parent,” is a touching and sometimes bittersweet examination of identity, tradition and assimilation within Chicago’s South Asian community (reportedly the country’s third largest).

The action unfolds in 2017 in the neighborhood known as “Little India” at the modest Dhaba Canteen, a family-owned Devon Avenue restaurant that serves Sindhi recipes passed down to chef/owner Neeraj (Anish Jethmalani, in top form) from his grandmother. The neighborhood has changed in the 30 years since Neeraj and his late wife opened the canteen. Members of the Desi community who frequented the restaurant moved away, leaving Neeraj, who has early stage Parkinson’s disease, struggling to keep the failing business afloat.

He’s aided by daughter and sous chef Rita (the wonderfully empathetic Tina Munoz Pandya), who is in a new, still undefined romantic relationship with line cook Luz (Isa Arciniegas), a “Dreamer” from the Dominican Republic who’s in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Luz encourages Rita, who has a flair for creating fusion food and is eager to expand the menu in an effort to attract more diners. Older sister Sindhu (Arya Daire), whose high-powered corporate career keeps her on the road and out of the kitchen, agrees Dhaba Canteen must innovate to survive.

“It’s about evolving,” she tells her intransigent father. “Something has to give. If you refuse to change your menu, your approach, then there’s simply no place for you anymore.”

There lies the dilemma. Does Neeraj preserve his heritage and fail? Or does he compromise and survive?

Rounding out the ensemble is avuncular entrepreneur Adil (the genial Mueen Jahan), Neeraj’s brother-in-law who offers to invest in the restaurant.

“You know, family is business. Business is family. That’s who we are,” he says. “We are Sindhis. It is who we have been for thousands of years.”

Shekar generously provides meaty monologues for most of her characters, with the most substantial reserved for Jethmalani’s prickly Neeraj. Jethmalani’s performance is a keenly etched portrait of a proud man battling his failing body, his ego and his desire to preserve his family’s legacy and that of his wife, Pooja, whose absence weighs on him and his daughters 10 years after her death.

That said, “Dhaba” serves up a familiar tale that flirts with melodrama and repeats itself before all but grinding to a halt in the penultimate scene that needs trimming. Not quite a gourmet meal, “Dhaba on Devon Avenue” makes for a satisfying dish.

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Location: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, (847) 242-6000, writerstheatre.org

Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday through July 27. Also, 2 p.m. July 13 and 7:30 p.m. July 16

Tickets: $35-$95

Running time: About 100 minutes, no intermission

Parking: On the street

Rating: For teens and older, contains mature language