MESU — Restaurant in Charleston

I'm truly disappointed to report that our celebratory dinner at Mesu, intended as a special occasion for my wife's birthday, was tarnished by the surprisingly inhospitable conduct from the management. Despite spending over $500 on what was undeniably delicious food—encompassing appetizers, a variety of dishes, drinks, and desserts—the evening was overshadowed by an unexpected and rather rude interaction as we finished our dessert.

Without any prior indication on our reservation, the manager approached us, informing us that our table was reserved for only one hour and fifteen minutes, a policy that was neither mentioned at the time of booking nor at any point during our meal. He bluntly told us we had overstayed, with people waiting for our table. This abrupt announcement was both shocking and demeaning, especially considering the nature of our visit and the considerable amount we had spent.

When I confronted him to express our displeasure, noting the absence of any such time restrictions stated during the booking process and the absurdity of enforcing such a limit on a $500 meal, his response was dismissively matter-of-fact. His lack of empathy and unwillingness to accommodate a peaceful resolution to the situation only further dampened what should have been a joyous celebration.

His parting words, upon hearing we wouldn't be returning, were a nonchalant "that's fine." It was clear that customer satisfaction was not on the agenda at [Restaurant Name]. It’s regrettable that the manager's behavior starkly contrasted with the quality of the food and the otherwise pleasant ambiance of the establishment.

For those looking for a restaurant where the experience matches the quality of the menu and where guests are treated with the respect they deserve, especially when celebrating a special occasion, I suggest looking elsewhere. We certainly expected...

I came to Mesu to grab some dinner with some old friends that I haven't seen in about a year. We got there at 4pm and had a fantastic, attentive server. We had the trio as an appetizer and loved the seasoned chips, as well as the dips (for real the seasoning on the chips had us raving). We ordered taco salads and some tacos and loved those as well. We stayed and kept talking for a while because we had so much to catch up on, and at some point, the manager made it clear he was pushing us out. I had just ordered my fourth margarita and was immediately asked how we wanted our check split. I planned to stay longer and keep ordering drinks, but we went ahead and closed. I was finishing my last margarita and he then removed our carafe of water from our table a few minutes later. My friend was pregnant, so that was all she had, as I finished my last margarita. Some minutes after he removed the pens from our table. We eventually got fed up and I finished my drink quickly so we could go. We felt uncomfortable that the only staff member dressed in a suit kept removing things from our table and made us feel like we weren't welcome any longer. He was at the host stand as we exited and didn't say have a good night. We just didn't have a very happy ending here, and since it was my first visit, this really might deter me from...

We were visiting from Denver and came across Mesu via an online search I found on 8 of the best Charleston restaurants. Let’s be honest, there are more than 8 but Mesu definitely deserved to be on the list! I would never think that a restaurant serving both Japanese and Mexican cuisine existed. In my opinion, if you can do both well, then go for it. Don’t miss out on the skewer street corn as appetizers. Order a few. You will be fighting over them. The pico shrimp tacos and Fried Pork Carnitas Clothespin Tacos were oh-so-good. My daughter had the quesadilla and the mix of cheeses they used was delicious. The margarita? Awesome! I read some of the negative reviews but let’s be honest. Everybody comes in with different expectations and taste palates. Let’s just say anyone who gives their food a negative review - I won’t be eating out with them. Ever. The decor was fab with all of the art and can you say KAWS? 😍. Look it up and you’ll see these (most likely) limited edition figures displayed for your eyes only. FYI… the music can be a bit loud for people who don’t dig the music or loud anything. I thought the music was great though. Next time we’re out there, we’ll be back at Mesu. Great job with...