Restaurant: Impossible · S2 E15
St. James Soup Kitchen
Newark, New Jersey
This one survived. It remains in business.
The short answer
nonprofit food pantry/soup kitchen (St. James Social Service Corporation), not a standard restaurant; official site + directory listings appear current
What happened on the show
This was not a restaurant rescue at all, and the show framed it that way. St. James in Newark is a church-run soup kitchen and dining room serving the homeless, and the episode, one of the series' holiday charity specials, sent Robert Irvine to reopen a facility that had been ravaged by fire. The clock was the real antagonist: the team raced to relaunch the kitchen in time for Thanksgiving so it could serve a holiday meal to thousands of homeless people across Newark and New York City. Newark Mayor Cory Booker added a food challenge to the hour. Because the beneficiary was a charity rather than a commercial business, the usual measures of menu and decor mattered less than simply getting a damaged community kitchen operational again. Irvine's build team rebuilt the space so the charity could resume feeding people.
After the cameras left
As a nonprofit, St. James does not fit the open-or-closed frame we apply to restaurants, so we describe it honestly rather than force the label. The soup kitchen operates under the St. James Social Service Corporation, and its official site and directory listings, including a food-pantry directory, appear current, which suggests the charity is still serving the community. We hold this at medium confidence and note plainly that a food pantry's status is measured differently than a commercial restaurant's; what matters is that the community program looks to have continued.
Location
604 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark NJ 07102
More from Robert Irvine
These are Amazon search links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Related reading about Restaurant: Impossible
More on Restaurant: Impossible
Sources
Confidence: medium. Last checked 2026-07-19.