Warriors' Draymond Green opening 'vibrant' new Bay Area restaurant
Draymond Green, Nelson German, and Guma Fassil are teaming up for a new restaurant in San Francisco. MESKI is set to open on March 7, 2025. (Photo Credit is Megan Latify @meganlatify)
SAN FRANCISCO - Golden State Warriors veteran star Draymond Green is launching a new venture and joining the Bay Area’s vibrant culinary scene with an avant-garde, culturally-rich restaurant in San Francisco.
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What we know:
Located at 1000 Larkin Street, in the city’s Nob Hill neighborhood, the restaurant is called MESKI, and it will be steeped in Afro-Latin traditions, blending flavors representing East African dishes with tastes and the flare of the Caribbean.
MESKI to open in San Francisco on March 7, 2025, featuring Afro-Latin cuisine. Pictured here: Doro Doro Pollo – salsa verde, cilantro, yekik, alicha locrio. (Photo Credit is Megan Latify @meganlatify)
The four-time NBA Champion and four-time All-Star is partnering with an all-star team: restaurateur Guma Fassil and celebrated "Top Chef" contestant and Oakland restaurant owner Nelson German.
What they're saying:
"This opening is historic. Honoring cuisines that have been underrepresented for years," Fassil shared with KTVU. "At a time when San Francisco is in need of fresh energy and a welcoming beacon of Black culture, MESKI is delivering something completely new—a vibrant dining and nightlife destination where community, music, and global flavors collide."
In addition to its innovative dishes, the bi-level restaurant will also include a vibrant bar and lounge with specially crafted cocktails and selective beer and wine offerings.
MESKI's bar to feature "adventurous, artfully crafted" cocktails and "a carefully curated beer and wine." selection. (Photo Credit is Megan Latify @meganlatify)
Upscale, modern vibe
The restaurant will also be filled with a hum of music brought by live DJ sets filling the space with afrobeats, South African amapiano music and R&B, a press release shared.
The space will be adorned with vibrant and lush decorations to reflect the restaurant’s "diasporic concept," with Oakland being well represented in the creation of the ambiance.
MESKI has tapped Oakland-based plant and home goods store Blk Girls Green House (BGGH) to bring a lush feel. The store’s founder, Kalu Gebreyohannes-Royster, "specializes in creating innovative spaces that connect people with nature, fostering both well-being and sustainability, while celebrating Black joy and heritage," the press release said.
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The restaurant’s walls will be adorned with work by Oakland-based portrait artist Taylor Smalls, who’s known for her pieces that celebrate "the rich depth of Black and Brown skin, amplifying undertones that are often overlooked in traditional portraiture."
Dig deeper:
The restaurant opening comes during Green's 13th season with the Warriors.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 10: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors brings the ball up court during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in game five of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Chase Center on May 10,
Fassil, the restaurant's co-founder and managing partner, is the owner and operator of his family’s longtime Ethiopian restaurant in Berkeley -- Meski’s Kitchen & Garden.
The Berkeley location, and now the new San Francisco site, are named after Fassil's mother, Meski, who died in 2019.
The restaurant is said to be the "fruition of a deeply personal vision" for Fassil.
Partner and Executive Chef Nelson German is the architect of MESKI's food and cocktail menus.
He rose to fame in the culinary world as a contestant on season 18 of BRAVO’s show "Top Chef." The James Beard recognized and Manhattan-born chef is also owner of Oakland’s "alaMar Dominican Kitchen & Bar" and the Afro-Latin cocktail lounge "Sobre Mesa."
"His unorthodox culinary style draws from his Dominican heritage, his African roots, and his love of Northern California’s local ingredients," the press release said.
What's next:
MESKI plans to hold a series of soft openings this month, leading up to its grand opening on March 7.
(Photo Credit: Megan Latify @meganlatify)
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