Bina's Cafe & Mediterranean Bistro

Jun 14th, 2021

Halal Balkan food 😋
Apr 30th, 2021

Mar 4th, 2021

Oct 13th, 2020

Revised. Apparently the new owners did not believe my last review? The old Bina's closed (a completely failed business). The new owners have made the same mistake. How much longer will they be open? Let me summarize the problem. Potential restaurantures, PLEASE LISTEN. The original Bina's failed because there are close to zero Bosnians living in the local community. You may care about Bosnian food, but the locals do not. If you claim to the contrary, then the problem was that the food was so bad by Bosnian standards that Bosnians did not want to go to the only restaurant serving Bosnian food. It was a complete ghost-town. Empty. Chronically. The location is fantastic. Just look across the street at the endless neighborhood people waiting in-line to go to the competition. I like to go locally to places that have foods familiar to generational Chicaogians like the home owners in the community who live walking distance to the restaurant. I use to eat 3-4 meals a week at the local "Mike's Diner" and the place had a steady flow of business from others in the neighborhood. It was comfort food. Very basic stuff. Homeowners would walk into the restaurant from their nearby homes to eat familiar, expected menu items. For the occasions I want exotic foods, like others, I prefer to jump into a car for a restaurant that offers something different. A destination. They better be outstanding as a destination, because it is special to go to a destination. Bina's has now re-opened. The revised name is too confusing for me to remember. They don't do any advertising so it is unlikely that anyone outside of the few local-block radius would even know about the place. Bina's is now a WEST-AFRICAN style restaurant. Is it possible that there might be even fewer West Africans than Bosnians in this neighborhood? What is on the menu? Pigs feet, cows feet, menu items called "various meats with spice" (unidentified meat sources) and "fishes with spice" (unidentified types of fish). Guess what: I'm not eating there. I don't ever see any of my neighbors eating there either. You may ask or presume, "what about all of the West Africans who live in Chicago, I bet they pack-in the place." Wrong. The place is dead as a doornail. You don't need a crystal ball. It will be closed soon. I feel bad for the new owners. They seem like nice people. The old owners were nice too. Moreover, I am certain Bosnia is a beautiful place, a tremendous culture, and has authentic foods that would razzle-dazzle me. In my lifetime I hope to learn many exciting things about Bosnia because it is an important and extraordinary place. Moreover, I am certain West Africa is a beautiful place, a tremendous culture, and has authentic foods that would razzle-dazzle me. In my lifetime I hope to learn many exciting things about West Africa because it is an important and extraordinary place. However, most days of the week I find myself trying to figure-out where to go in order to get authentic local-style fare which is familiar to the foods frequently cooked and eaten my local community. Specifically, the few walking blocks which surround the radius of this restaurant location. It is a demand without a supply. ------------
Sep 22nd, 2020