Arepa Bar leaving Midtown Global Market

Chef Soleil Ramirez is closing her first Minneapolis restaurant, Arepa Bar in the Midtown Global Market, at the end of January.

"With a heavy heart, I want to let you know that Arepa Bar will be closing at the end of January," said Ramirez, who recently shared the news via a social media recording and cited neighborhood safety concerns. A Venezuelan refugee, Ramirez said she fled a country that experienced violence, "and I have trauma from that."

The good news is that her arepas, cheesy tequños and crispy little empanadas will still be available. Ramirez said she's moving Arepa Bar into a new phase — catering — that will include online ordering and event opportunities. The new era will launch in March.

Meanwhile, her second restaurant, St. Paul's Crasqui, is off to a lively start (and will be the center of operations for Arepa Bar catering). The holidays brought in business, and Ramirez prepared special dishes for the season, including stuffed pan de jamón and the tropics' frothy answer to eggnog, coquito.

Arepa Bar is at 920 E. Lake St., Mpls., and Crasqui is at 84 S. Wabasha St., St. Paul.

This is the final week to visit Khue's Kitchen at Bar Brava in Minneapolis' Near North neighborhood (1914 Washington Av. N., Mpls., khueskitchen.com). The longstanding residency inside the wine bar ends Jan. 13, and Khue's owner Eric Pham is hinting at big changes coming soon — which we're hoping is a new restaurant.

Pham is part of the family that runs the iconic Minneapolis restaurant Quang's, and grew up with culinary ambitions of his own. A former cook at Spoon and Stable, he opened Khue's Kitchen, named for his mother, as a ghost kitchen. The restaurant grew in popularity, thanks in part to a viral fried chicken sandwich made using Vietnamese and American techniques and topped with spicy chili crisp.

Khue's extended Bar Brava residency began in late 2022, just months after the natural wine bar ended in-house full-service dining. No word yet on who will take the kitchen space next — or where we'll find Khue's Kitchen. Stay tuned.

Nico's Tacos and Tequila will open its third location at 50th and Penn in Minneapolis later this month in the space formerly occupied by Tinto Kitchen. Nico's owners Jenna and Alejandro Victoria took over the space Dec. 1, nearly a decade after opening the first Nico's on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown in 2013. A second location was added in early 2019, on Como Avenue in St. Paul. Chef Alejandro delves into his Michoacán Mexican heritage for the menus, where tacos are at the heart of what they do. The newest restaurant will emphasize its agave and nixtamal offerings.

Get those pulltab fingers warmed up: Bina's is opening Jan. 26. The new bar with a dive-bar heart is the work of Centro owner Jami Olson, and is located next to the original taco restaurant that kicked off the growing local chain (1404 NE. Quincy St., Mpls.). Named for Olson's family, Bina's will serve Hamm's beer, fried pickles and burgers from Everywhen, another arm of Centro's restaurant group. Hours are expected to be 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

A second high-profile restaurant group has announced it is doing away with the COVID-era fee that many hospitality businesses instituted. Effective at the start of the year, Hai Hai and Hola Arepa, owned by chef Christina Nguyen and Birk Grudem, have eliminated the 20% service charge added to all orders and are instead returning to a traditional tip line.

Last month, Petite León, the south Minneapolis restaurant from chef Jorge Guzmán, Ben Siers-Rients and Travis Serbus, made a similar move, lowering its 20% service charge to 4.5%, with a gratuity line on every check.