Take a look inside North Myrtle Beach’s ‘sexy’ new wine and tapas restaurant now open

When you enter Bin 2004 at 2004 Highway 17 South in North Myrtle Beach, restaurant owner Jeff Martini expects specific descriptors to come to patrons’ minds.

The 75-seat wine-tasting and tapas restaurant feels apart from other restaurants in the North Myrtle Beach area, like wine-tasting rooms in New York City, Miami, or Las Vegas. Indeed, there’s a portrait of Frank Sinatra in the men’s restroom, a gigantic pink rose in the women’s lavatory, not to mention a virtual fireplace in the dining room. Above all, Martini wants people to have two takeaways from Bin 2004.

It’s classy and just plain sexy. The interior design employs a maximalist approach to evoke these thoughts in first-time visitors.

Multiple chandeliers throughout give the eatery an evening mood, and comfortable couches and booths for patrons to sit at allow them to relax as they enjoy a plate of tapas and a glass of wine while they marvel at a portrait of the Australian wine Penfolds, akin to the realism of Salvador Dali’s painting of bread, wondering how an artist could paint something so life-like.

“You’re not in North Myrtle Beach. You’re not in Myrtle Beach,” Martini said. “It just takes you out of your element.”

Part of that element includes maps of Napa Valley in California, where Bin 2004 gets some of its wines. However, the colors in the eatery stand out, as gold is a central theme of Bin 2004.

From champagne buckets in the dining room to the cabinets above the wine sampling station, which feature a mix of different styles of wine glasses, the sparkle of gold will stand out. Indeed, people’s eyes will also be drawn to a set of two black-and-gold portraits of eyes on either side of the front door that gaze upon you when you stand in the eatery’s entrance area.

Martini said the golden cabinets used 1972 Chevy Truck Paint that a specialist sprayed and lacquered on, similar to how vehicles get painted. The eatery’s cabinet maker, based in Loris, S.C., chose the color, which cost $450 per gallon.

“We couldn’t find any really good gold paint, and he found it,” he added.

Martini also credits the eatery’s design aesthetic to his wife, who took the opportunity provided by Martini’s promise of an “unlimited” budget to heart.

Of course, wine is the main attraction at Bin 2004, and the eatery provides two twists on the experience. Behind the bar are the multiple wine stations. Martini said that the stations, designed to preserve and dispense wine, allow customers to sample certain wines before ordering an entire bottle and determining their favorite kind.

Bin 2004’s other wine-centric service is its temperature-controlled wine room, which gives customers a more intimate and private experience. With more than 400 bottles of wine from Italy, France, Napa Valley, and elsewhere in the wine-making world, groups can book the room for special events. Additionally, an expert provides guests with additional information about each wine they drink.

While the concept is new, the location is familiar to Grand Strand area restaurant goers. Bin 2004 was previously Midtown Bistro, closed in January 2024 due to rising business costs. Martini added that the rising costs of operating the restaurant and a desire to shake things up led him to make the change.

“Nobody’s really doing it around here yet. So we want to be one of the first ones around to give it a try,” he said. “A couple plates apiece, everybody was sharing them, and just something different.”

The former Midtown Bistro previously had freshly caught fish. While Bin 2004 won’t continue this special, Martini said his other establishment, Bar 19 Twelve at 1912 Highway 17 South in North Myrtle Beach, will pick up the practice.

Martini said the total revamping of Midtown Bistro into Bin 2004 cost about a million dollars. Patrons seemed to buy into Bin 2004’s offering, as Martini said the establishment sold 40 bottles of wine on its first night open June 25, 2024. Bin 2004 menu also includes different types of cocktails, mixed drinks, and bottles ranging from $27 to more than $900.

Bin 2004’s tapas menu includes desserts like churros and sorbet, build-your-own charcuterie boards and different homemade pastas.

Martini also said that Bin 2004’s menu options will change frequently, adding options will switch every three months, and the wine inventory will also get updated. As one of its bottles was painted onto one of Bin 2004’s walls, Martini recommended Penfolds as something first-time patrons should try.

Martini added that Bin 2004 is open every day except Mondays. The eatery’s hours are 4-11 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday and will close at midnight. Friday and Saturday. While seating at the bar is first come, first serve, Martini strongly recommended that those looking to sit at a table book a reservation.