Bina's Café
2407 W. Lunt Avenue 2014-2016? location
2210 W. Touhy Avenue former location of Ed & Erv's; new location of Bina's
Iconic Ed & Erv's Centrella Food Mart Store To Be Restored As New Home Of Bina's Café
By Linze Rice | Tuesday, March 29, 2016 6:24 a.m. | DNAinfo.com
WEST RIDGE — The iconic green and white storefront that once housed a cherished neighborhood meat market is about to see life again — this time under the banner of Bina's Café.
Just down the block at Lunt Avenue and Western Avenue, Bina's opened in 2014, the same year that Ed & Erv's Centrella Food Mart closed its doors after 67 years of family ownership.
Over the next year, the café's owners and a team of architects and builders will work to remodel the building so Bina's can call it its new permanent home.
"The idea is to restore the building," said William Reece, the architect who will help transform the retro storefront into Bina's. "It needs a lot of work."
By next summer, the eatery should resemble a modern homage to the classic building and be nearing opening to the public, Reece said.
Reece said he planned to maintain the front facade's character while still "putting on a fresh street-face."
Floor plans for the new layout also include space for a future patio.
Floor plans for the new Bina's location include space for a future patio.
The Mediterranean bistro and café is owned by Asan and Linda Memedovski, originally of Macedonia. Linda is the main store manager and cook at the restaurant.
As part of the new layout, Bina's will have a storefront prep area where passers-by and customers can watch food being freshly prepared daily, Reece said.
It's a project Reece said he's excited to work on as a longtime resident of the area, and someone who works in the neighborhood frequently.
He said it's the type of family owned businesses and beloved architecture like that of Bina's and the former Ed & Erv's shop that makes the community special.
"It's really a unique neighborhood, it's kind of like a little hidden gem not a lot of people know about," Reece said. "So it's kind of a double-edged sword, because there's not a whole lot around here, but when something does come in it's usually really interesting and quirky."
