The Benevolent King in Maplewood has closed permanently

Ben Poremba's restaurant had been open for 6 years

After six years operating at 7268 Manchester Road in Maplewood, including a concept change to a Japanese restaurant in February 2024, The Benevolent King has announced on Instagram that it has closed for regular business effective immediately.

The Benevolent King was named a Sauce Best New Restaurant in 2018, when it opened as a north African restaurant. Operated by Bengelina Hospitality Group, owned by prolific restaurateur Ben Poremba, The Benevolent King released the following statement:

“Unfortunately, The King never truly recovered after our pandemic-related closure. We had high hopes; we refreshed the interior, brought in an incredibly talented team of professionals for both front and back of house and reopened in late 2021,” the post states. “The reviews were terrific. The Japanese-themed pop-ups were so popular that we pivoted and transformed the King to a modern Japanese concept restaurant and again the feedback was positive. And yet, the business never fully rebounded.”

“This comes as we’re also in the process of relocating our commissary kitchen on Cherokee Street to Delmar. Both spaces, The Benevolent King and Commissary on Cherokee, will become available for purchase in the next few weeks,” the post continued.

The post thanked the Bengelina employees and the community that had dined at the restaurant. “We hope to see you soon at a table at any and all of the other BHG establishments: Bar Moro, Esca, Florentin, Deli Divine, AO&Co at CAM, and of course AO&Co where you can find our famous egg salad and more to enjoy at home.”

The post finished with an update on forthcoming locations of Nixta/Bar Limon, slated to open in fall 2024, and Olio and Elaia, slated to reopen in spring 2025.