Ultra-Popular Armenian Barbecue and Wine Hits the Mission

There’s going to be a major culinary reason to get out of the house this coming Monday. Mission Street’s Reem’s California will host Los Angeles chef Arthur Grigoryan of iii Mas Bakery and Deli and Kareen Wine of the Sierra Foothills. The collaborative pop-up takes place December 16 from 5 to 9 p.m. and reservations are not required in advance.

Grigoryan is known for his outrageously good Armenian-infused Texas-style barbecue. Fans can’t get enough of his Basturma brisket sandwich and variety of lahmajoun, a kind of Armenian pizza. Grgigoryan’s goods are currently made out of a ghost kitchen in Glendale, so this is a special opportunity for fans of his to visit the man behind the curtain. Winemakers Greekor and Rose Nemet are no slouches, either. The Armenian American vintners will provide pairings for the evening’s menu.

Assil says she and her team are excited to collaborate with Grigoryan. She says the natural exchanges between Arabs and Armenians tell a beautiful story through their cuisines. “I personally am so in awe of Armenian contributions to the landscape of cuisine in the Arab world,” Assil wrote in a private message. “They’ve often been invisibilized but their skill is unmatched!”

This is far from the Mission District restaurant’s first collaboration coordinated to amplify Middle Eastern and North African voices. Recently Assil’s restaurant became one of a handful in San Francisco to carry Covo Coffee. The business is a new player in the Bay’s coffee scene after founding in Gaza, relocating to Northern California once the renewed Israeli assault following October 7, 2023 forced the owner and his family from the area. That coffee can be drunk in cups on-site from Habibi Ceramics; the Campbell-based Palestinian Filipina ceramicist teamed with Assil and various more California cooks to release keffiyeh-inspired cups and plate ware.

This event comes after more than a year into the renewed campaign by Israel to destroy Gaza following Hamas’s offense against Tel Aviv. For Assil, this meal honors Armenians spirit to persevere following the Armenian Genocide of 1915. She says she hopes her people can carry on into the future, pointing to Armenians as an example. “As a Palestinian who is watching genocide of my people unfold in real time, it gives me hope to see Armenians still carry their culture forward,” she wrote. “The solidarity between our communities is strong and we feel proud to use food as one of many ways to show that.”

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