Water Street

The food at Benevolent King is excellent. They are portioned to be small plates, but I felt that they were pretty generous. We loved everything except for the poached apples - they were fine, just not to our taste. We tried a couple of the wines by the glass and appreciated the dry and not-to-sweet selection. Our server was also very hospitable and timed her checks on us, very well, always coming as well finished a plate and ready with what was next. It was a great place to eat on a cool, fall evening.

EXCELLENT food. We’ll balanced, thoughtful flavor combinations and excellent service. Cocktails were superior quality as well. The decor is a bit odd- certainly doesn’t seem to match the quality of the food, but didn’t effect the experience.

Had a fantastic dinner at The Benevolent King. Everyone there was very nice and they did a great job pacing the courses. We started with the cracked olives as a nice briney snack as we decided on our meal. We then enjoyed the chicken cigars, the blend of tumeric and cinnamon spices with the herbal sauce was fantastic and made it my favorite plate of the night. Next we had the anchovy toast with it's soft focaccia, delicious blistered tomatoes, and tasty cheese. We continued the latkes with smoked salmon. The latkes were rich and tasty and complemented the smoked salmon well. Our entree was seared tuna with soft boiled egg. The tuna was nicely spiced and all the flavors played well with the egg yolk and the fresh vegetables. We finished with two desserts the rosewater custard and the labneh cheesecake, both of which were hearty and delicious. Overall we had a great experience that made want to come back to try more dishes.

The Benevolent King has a Moroccan flare! The cuisine is intentionally not traditional — borrowing from the playbook of contemporary Israeli and French chefs. -website Jake in The Bar is one of my favorite bartenders. We’re 7 years old on the twirly chairs! The dishes are unique and creative! Must haves… 1. Hamachi Crudo 2. Apple & Feta Salad 3. Braised Octopus 4. Citrus Cured Salmon Guys… it’s #stlouispescatarianapproved @stlouispescatarians on instagram!

We stumbled upon The Benevolent King the day they opened the doors, years ago, and have found ourselves coming back over and over. For many restaurants, especially since covid, the quality tends to go down, over time. At The Benevolent King, it has only gotten better every time we’ve been. While we tend to prefer variety and interest over routine, I will admit, we’re finding ourselves to be semi-regulars here. It’s become a favorite for date nights and special occasions. And the menu always has new, interesting and creative additions — it’s never boring! The last time we went, we were celebrating with friends and the staff went out of their way to make the evening memorable. The entire staff is friendly, personable and welcoming. We look forward to seeing them, each time we go. The lamb meatballs are a must. The last time we had hamachi collar there, it was the best any of us had ever had. The hamachi crudo was also extraordinarily on point. We absolutely love the escargot and the fresh bread they serve with it (which is worth breaking my no-gluten rule for!). The oysters here, are the best we’ve had in town — immaculately cleaned, beautiful, briny, plump and fresh. It’s obvious that Chef Elliot enjoys his craft and is very good at it! The bar tender, Zachary, deserves an award for his artfully crafted cocktails — always different, interesting, balanced, and delicious. We have plans to visit the rest of the Ben Poremba group restaurants soon, but often find ourselves returning to this one. Overall, it’s an experience to satisfy the senses and every time we leave here, we are already planning our next visit.