"Nairobi's most stylish pan-Asian table — book MeSo for a date or a group night over sushi, bao and the Firecracker."
MeSo — Modern Asian Izakaya sits on the second floor of Westgate Shopping Mall in Westlands, Nairobi's busiest dining district, and has drawn a loyal crowd since it opened in 2022. It reads as a Tokyo-by-way-of-Bangkok room: fluted white walls, black furniture and a long bar. The kitchen runs a Japanese and Southeast-Asian menu built for sharing across small plates, skewers and the raw bar.
Order to share. The Firecracker — the dish regulars name first — leads a line-up of signature sushi and dragon rolls, bao buns, sizzling skewers, ramen and wok-fried plates seasoned with real heat. Sashimi and nigiri come off a proper raw bar, and the cocktail list keeps pace. A full dinner with a few rounds lands in the $$$ range. The cooking is bold and modern rather than purist, leaning on chilli, citrus and char.
The room is the draw at night: low light, a packed bar and a soundtrack that pushes the energy up as the evening runs on. It works for a date at the counter or a larger group spread across the sharing plates, and the mall location makes it easy to reach and to park. Service is quick and friendly. Come for the buzz and the sharing format more than for a hushed, formal dinner.
Order to share, and start with the sashimi tacos — tuna at KSh 1,200, salmon at KSh 1,800 — two-bite cold plates that are the most photographed thing in the room, though for the price you finish them fast. The Firecracker is the signature and the dish regulars name first; it sits in the KSh 1,100–2,000 mains band alongside the wok-fried noodles at KSh 1,200 and the MeSo fried rice. A spread of signature sushi and dragon rolls runs about KSh 1,900 a plate and is the safest way to feed a table from the raw bar. Starters open at KSh 700, so a lighter dinner is possible, and cocktails average KSh 900 with a 2-for-1 happy hour worth timing a booking around. Budget roughly KSh 2,900 per person for a main and a cocktail, or KSh 5,200 if you run the full spread. The cocktails photograph better than they taste, so put the money toward a second round of rolls instead.
For a first date, a birthday with friends or a night out that impresses without a white tablecloth, MeSo fits Westlands' mood: a lively izakaya built around sharing plates and cocktails. A natural first-date and birthday table.
Not for a quiet, formal or budget dinner — MeSo is a loud, design-led izakaya where sharing plates, cocktails and the bar scene push a night to the top of the range.
MeSo is on the second floor of Westgate Shopping Mall on Mwanzi Road in Westlands, Nairobi's main dining and nightlife district.
A modern Asian izakaya menu spanning Japanese and Southeast-Asian dishes — sushi and dragon rolls, bao buns, ramen, sizzling skewers, wok plates and the signature Firecracker.
Order the Firecracker and a spread of signature rolls and bao to share, plus skewers from the grill; the raw bar handles sashimi and nigiri.
A shared dinner with cocktails lands in the $$$ range; it is an upscale izakaya built around sharing plates rather than a budget everyday spot.
Reservations are recommended, especially at weekends, when the bar and dining room fill; the kitchen serves sharing plates, sushi and cocktails through dinner.
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