about us: Charles Cabell IV - Owner & Operator

For the last decade, mesa & manifesto co-owner Charles Cabell IV has been associated with some of the most interesting restaurants and bars in Asia. Whether it’s Jakarta or Shanghai, Charlie’s restaurants always offer delicious cuisine and breathtaking interiors – and sometimes, a hint of the exotic.

Being around the exotic comes naturally to Charlie, an American who was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After graduating from business school at the University of Miami, in Florida, he moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where he gained “a new, but equally rigorous education” in Asia’s then-fledgling F & B industry.

In 1995, he directed the management and growth of the then-newly-created Hazara North Indian Frontier restaurant and New Age bar. Serving a cuisine that excited palates in a relaxed, yet exotic setting proved an enormous success, and so a new venture was formed: the Face Bar and La Na Thai restaurant.

Charlie brought the Face concept to Shanghai in 1999: La Na Thai, along with Hazara and Face Bar, are located in a gorgeous 1930s French Concession mansion, imbued with a romantic Southeast Asian aesthetic. Face has since become a Shanghai classic and “must-do,” a place that is now a standard on the Shanghai hot list for global travelers.

By 2003, Charlie was ready for a place of his own: mesa & manifesto was opened the following year. This stylish, contemporary restaurant reflects the best of Charlie’s restaurant and bar experiences over the last decade – and,
as always when Charlie is involved, delicious cuisine and breathtaking interiors.