Bin Wine Bar closes; owner planning new Latin restaurant

Rebecca Illingworth, owner of Bin Wine Bar in downtown St. Paul, is aiming to open a new Latin-themed restaurant in Minneapolis in the fall. (Pioneer Press file: Jean Pieri)

Bin Wine Bar in Lowertown is no more.

After construction in the building forced closure of her restaurant for a few weeks while gas lines were moved, owner Rebecca Illingworth decided to call it quits.

"My lease was up soon, and we were planning to move anyway," Illingworth said. "It didn't make sense to close, reopen and then move."

Illingworth is planning a new restaurant, to be called Latin Hills Kitchen, in an old auto-repair shop near 44th Street and Beard Avenue in Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood.

"I'm from Mexico City, and we have ironically turned into having a Latin focus at Bin," Illingworth said. "So with the new place, we're going to concentrate on what we know best. It will be a Latin menu and Latin wine varietals by the glass.

Bin Wine Bar in December 2010. (Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin).

Illingworth said her staff will make the move with her to the new restaurant after taking a few weeks off.

"It's a wonderful historic building," she said. "Raw brick, 30-foot ceilings with exposed beams. The front of the building will have garage doors that will pop open. One side will have casual counter service, and the other side will be a full-service restaurant."

Illingworth is shooting for a fall opening.

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Bin Wine Bar closes; owner planning new Latin restaurant