Press

In Kansas City, Mesob Brings a Fine-Dining Approach to Caribbean and Ethiopian Cuisines

Feast magazine logo

At Mesob in Midtown Kansas City, chef-owner Cherven Desauguste uses French-inspired culinary techniques to prepare Caribbean and Ethiopian cuisine with a refined presentation. Raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Desauguste eventually moved to Miami and briefly studied culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in North Miami. He interned at a fine-dining seafood restaurant before working as a cook at hotels, casinos and catering jobs.

Cherven Desauguste photo
— Pete Dulin

Today's Takeout: Drunken Konk from Mesob

Feast magazine logo 2

The beauty of Kansas City's Mesob – beside the delicious food – is that you aren't restricted to a single cuisine. Mesob specializes in both Ethiopian and Caribbean dishes, so you can choose from a wide range of flavors no matter what you are craving.

Bahamian conch tossed in Appleton Rum sweet ginger glaze, served with rice noodles
— Tessa Cooper

The 26 Essential Restaurants in Kansas City

Eater logo

Chef Cherven Desauguste and co-owner Mehret Tesfamariam marry Caribbean and Ethiopian flavors at this elegant Midtown spot with an extensive rum list. Try the flash-fried conch or a plate of doro tibs with collards, yellow lentils, and a generous canvas of injera. The cocktail list is stacked with punches, sangrias, and tropical-inspired sippers.

Steak tibs, shiro, red lentils, cabbage, potatoes
— Eater

Top 41 Restaurants in Kansas City

Restaurant logo

Midtown has plenty of delicious restaurants to choose from, but Mesob Restaurant and Rum Bar is one you’ll need to add to your list. From the outside, Mesob is unassuming, but once you’re inside, you’re greeted by some great staff and a warm environment. Mesob Restaurant and Rum Bar serves Ethiopian, Caribbean, and Eritrean cuisine. If you’ve never had this type of food, this is the best place to sample it.

Steak served with mashed potatoes and asparagus
— Kyle Green

Most popular restaurants in Kansas City

Wanderlog logo

Chefs Chervren DeAuguste and Mehret Tesfamariam have gained local renown for their elegant menu of Caribbean and Ethiopian dishes. The restaurant is currently open for takeout and delivery, and diners can sample fried conch with Appleton rum sweet ginger glaze, fried plantains with coleslaw, doro tibs served with all the traditional Ethiopian accompaniments and much more.

Classic Ethiopian, Eritrean & Caribbean cuisine
— Wanderlog staff

Best Caribbean Food

Pitch logo

— The Pitch

Mesob is always waiting for us in midtown: Best of KC 2018

Pitch logo 2

You might say Mesob is the restaurant Kansas Citians most take for granted, or perhaps even the greatest KC restaurant that most diners might not even know is there. Predominantly serving Ethiopian and Caribbean cuisine, it’s tucked into the deepest corner of the Uptown Shoppes at Broadway and Valentine in midtown. But once you walk in, those strip mall vibes disappear. Bright yellow décor and fresh flowers lighten the space, and exceedingly friendly service sets the tone.

Chef-owner Cherven Desauguste
— Pitch Staff

Kansas City chef Cherven Desauguste of Mesob on rhum agricole, his new plateware line and more

Feast magazine logo 3

Upscale Caribbean dishes and earthy Ethiopian fare unite at Mesob Restaurant & Rhum Bar. A partnership between Haitian-born Cherven Desauguste and Mehret Tesfamariam, who hails from Eritrea, Mesob opened in a new location in the Midtown-Westport neighborhood a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Missouri. With more visibility and a stage for live music – not to mention a more refined menu that still packs a flavor punch – Mesob was drawing increasingly bigger crowds.

Chef-owner Cherven Desauguste photo
— Jenny Vergara