Restaurants

Beacon Hill Thai restaurant King & I closes

The restaurant has been serving staples like Pad Thai and Pad Krapow since 1983.

King & I, a Thai restaurant that has been open since 1983 in Beacon Hill, has closed its doors. Courtesy Nandhavan family

By Katelyn Umholtz

August 5, 2024

King & I, a Thai restaurant that has served filling dishes of Mee Nam and curries to hungry workers and the prominent figures of Beacon Hill for decades, shuttered over the weekend.

Open since 1983, a time when less than a handful Thai restaurants were around Greater Boston, it was one of the few places in the Beacon Hill neighborhood where a heaping plate of food comes relatively affordable — despite the rising costs associated with running a restaurant.

Its owner, Kent Nandhavan, died in July after years of health issues and a fall, his children said on a call Thursday. His son, Jesse Nandhavan, and daughter, Darrin Nandhavan, arrived at the difficult decision to close the business.

“With his passing, it made sense to shut down the restaurant,” Jesse said. “That was his vision and his legacy.”

Kent Nandhavan, left, with kitchen staff at King & I. Courtesy Nandhavan family.

Jesse said his father and mother immigrated here from Thailand in the 1970s. After having worked in hospitality at places like Maison Robert and Royal Sonesta Hotel, his father decided to open his own restaurant.

He apparently didn’t cook much, according to Jesse, but he decided to build a Thai menu anyway, becoming one of the few options in Boston where you could get dishes like Pad Thai and Krapow.

“It was such a different time,” Jesse said. “If you had asked your average person on the street where Thailand was on the map, they probably had no idea. It was cool that dad took a risk, and it paid off in the end.”

Jesse guessed it hadn’t changed much since its debut in the 80s. The decor and menu items of Thai food staples mostly remained the same, and Kent hesitated to increase prices.

“My dad was old school — he didn’t really change,” Jesse said.

Despite it being in Beacon Hill, one of Boston’s most expensive neighborhoods, Jesse said it persevered with the help of a loyal customer base and staff that stayed on for decades — a rarity in an industry rife with high turnover.

Some of their employees stayed on for 35 years, while some servers were employed there for more than 20 years. He had a longtime manager, Supranee “Miow” Methapornpong, who the staff affectionately called “aunt” and worked there until her death in 2017.

Anthony Bourdain and Darrin Nandhavan at King & I.

Near MGH, it was often a lunch spot for hungry hospital workers. Its prices were reasonable enough for MIT students across the bridge. And the proximity to the State House and Liberty Hotel sometimes meant a prominent figure may appear at a table, like Anthony Bourdain. Elin Hilderbrand, the “queen of beach reads,” told Boston Uncovered that the Thai restaurant was one of her Boston favorites.

But the MGH staff were their most loyal customers over the decades, Darrin said. In their father’s final days, he was cared for at MGH, by staff who “lit up” when Kent’s children told them he owned the King & I.

“Being next to MGH, the doctors would come in, knowing us and knowing my father,” Darrin said. “It was just a special place.”

Jesse said he’s seen plenty of businesses come and go from their corner of Charles Street — most recently, their neighbor Savenor’s — and he isn’t sure what will make its way into the restaurant space that for decades held his father’s dream.

But whatever it may become, he said he hopes it’s at least reasonably affordable.

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