The Benevolent King - Mediterranean restaurant in St. Louis - 7268 Manchester Rd, USA

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.

We had diner here tonight and it was delicious. They have a great selection of small plates and cocktails. We tried the lamb meatballs and tuna tartar. Both were rich and delicious. Pictured is the Salatim. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but all the dipping sauces were amazing. The cocktails were good. The waiter suggested a black Manhattan and I found it to be a little nuttier than expected but not in a bad way. I would get it again. Overall, good experience and would recommend.

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.

Hip cool atmosphere with amazing beautiful dishes. Favorites were the hamachi crudo, Moroccan cigars, citrus cured salmon, and scallops. For desert the cream puff with salted caramel is fabulous and the malabi is not to be missed!! Really enjoyed this place... great service and warm romantic (while trendy) vibe. Will be back...

I was sold on dining at The Benevolent King by the following review: “Love this place. Jews love the gloops and so should you.” I was looking for a place to dine with my friend for her birthday during Jewish high holy days. The previous reviewer was correct. My Jewish friend did love the gloops. We had the Salatim: zaalouk, charred tomato, baba ghanoush. Served with pita. Poached honeycrisp apples, feta, oil cured olives, mint (my absolute favorite). Cold smoked salmon, labne, tomato, latke, smoked trout roe. Chermula charred chicken, shitake-garlic rice, blistered shishitos. Everything was delicious but I highly recommend the Poached honeycrisp apples and the Cold smoked salmon. The staff was amazing! I can’t wait to go back!

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!

Seemed like it would have been a great place, but they notified me with less than 2 weeks warning that they would be changing concepts to a Japanese restaurant the day after Valentines day. At time of posting there has still been no official announcement about this on their social media, nor were they able to offer me a sample menu. It was extremely difficult to find availability at another at a comparable restaurant for Valentines day weekend. This seems really poorly executed on behalf of management and ownership. Feeling like I dodged a bullet for my special occasion if this is any indication of how the restaurant is run.