Rinata is in a modest building on Hennepin at 25th. Don’t be fooled by the plain jane façade, bathed in the glow of the Holiday Station across the street. Inside is an unpretentious bar and restaurant serving delicious Italian food, and a very good martini, too.
It’s also refreshingly free of televisions or overamped music, so conversations are possible. And it’s an easy walking distance for many of us in the Hill & Lake area, which comes in handy if there’s a martini involved.
Amor Hantous and his business partner, Jon Hunt, took over the former Giorgio’s in 2008. Amor suffered a stroke in 2018 and since then Sino and Sarah, two of his three children, have stepped up to run the business.
First, let me get your names right! And where did you grow up?
Sino: My full name is Yassine. Sino is a nickname our older brother gave me.
Sarah: My name is Sarah. I’m the youngest sibling and a server here at Rinata. We both grew up in South Minneapolis and went to South High School.
Sino: I later graduated from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and have been working at Rinata full time since then. I’m the bar-tender and manager.
Tell us a bit about the history of Rinata. And what does Rinata mean?
Sino: Rinata opened in late summer 2008 here at 25th and Hennepin. Our dad opened the restaurant with his former business partner Jon Hunt, who owned and operated Al Vento in the Nokomis neighborhood. Dad is still the co-owner of Rinata with his business partner Scott Butters.
Sarah: Rinata means reborn in Italian and is an ode to Giorgio’s which was in the space before us. Our dad tells us it was an iconic place in the Minneapolis restaurant scene, being one of the first authentic Italian restaurants in Minneapolis.
Your father was born in Tunisia. How did he wind up in Minnesota?
Sino: Yes, our dad was born and raised in Tunisia. He was the only boy of his six siblings. He moved to New York when he was 17 and met my mom there before moving to her home state of Minnesota. She was a NICU nurse at Children’s Minneapolis for 35 years.
You must have been quite young in the early days of Rinata. Do you have memories of coming to the restaurant as kids?
Sarah: We always wanted to be around the restaurant when we were younger and loved waiting up late for my dad to get home with a pizza after closing up.
Am I right that you took over running the restaurant after your father’s stroke? How old were you at the time? Does your dad still advise you or has he stepped back?
Sino: Sarah and I have both been helping out at Rinata since we were 15-16. I’m 27 this month and Sarah just turned 24. We started out busing tables, polishing glasses and seating guests.
Sarah: Or running whatever errands Dad needs done.
Sino: Our dad still runs the restaurant day-to-day but isn’t out on the floor as much these days. He had a stroke in 2018 and that impacted his being at the restaurant all the time like he used to. He definitely still quarterbacks the whole place.
Sarah: Something that will always be memorable to me is the number of people who ask about our dad, just checking in on him, asking how he’s doing and where he’s been (the majority of the time not even knowing that the person they’re asking is his daughter!). It’s cool and a good feeling to see how many people care for him.
Tell us about the learning curve. What surprised you?
Sarah: This has been my one and only restaurant job. The biggest surprise to me was how much more really goes into working at a restaurant than the eyes might see. There are a lot of little details that you have to pay attention to that can really make or break a night for you.
You managed to get through Covid, both personally and as a business. What was that like?
Sino: I think the toughest part of Covid was that it’s nothing this world has ever seen. No one knew what this was going to look like. And it felt that same way with the restaurant. Just waiting and wanting to reopen. When we finally were able to operate with takeout the amount of support we got from the community and neighborhood was overwhelming. I truly believe we have the best regulars in the city, and they are responsible for keeping us open through such a tough time.
Sarah: It seems like a lot of businesses in Uptown have been affected in the last couple of years with what’s going on, us included. We’re just grateful to still be here and be open for the neighborhood and everyone else.
What are some of your favorites or the most popular things on the menu? Were most dishes developed by your dad?
Sino: Rinata has always been a “scratch kitchen,” making pasta, bread, sauces, dressings and everything in between from scratch and then developing seasonal recipes with what is available. My favorite staple is the bucatini all’ amatriciana and of course the Caesar salad.
Sarah: I love the pizza we make here. Fennel sausage especially and whatever seasonal one we might have.
How are you preparing for the two-year construction period on Hennepin Avenue? How can the neighborhood help small family businesses like yours get through it?
Sino: Anytime there is construction that inhibits customers from getting to and from your business that’s a big challenge. We are definitely thinking about what it might look like and how we can continue business as usual. Moving around in the city can be a challenge so we are very thankful to our customer base and hope more people continue to come see us here at Rinata.
Sarah: The neighborhood already does an amazing job at supporting us, from coming in for dinner, recommending us to friends and family, ordering takeout and many more little things that keeps us going. With that continued support I think we will have a chance to make it through as a small business.
Rinata is located at 2451 Hennepin Ave S. For more information, visit www.rinatarestaurant.com.
