Trending
Rivani’s Black Lion buys SLS Brickell restaurant space from Qatari royals
Miami’s hotspot king paid $10M for 14K sf indoor/outdoor commercial unit
UPDATED, April 4, 2:30 p.m.
Robert Rivani’s Black Lion is on the prowl again, snatching the restaurant space at Brickell SLS Miami from a family of royals.
A Black Lion affiliate paid $10 million for the 13,500-square-foot, indoor/outdoor commercial unit in the condo-hotel at 1300 South Miami Avenue, Rivani told The Real Deal. The seller is a Delaware entity managed by Francois Faber of Fiduciaire Fernand Faber, an accounting and tax firm based in Luxembourg.
A source familiar with Black Lion’s purchase said Faber represents the actual owners, members of Qatar’s ruling royal family, the Al Thanis. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the Emir of Qatar. Rivani declined to comment about the seller’s identity.
Fabio and Sebastian Faerman with FA Commercial represented Black Lion, Rivani said. Andrew Dicky with JLL, and Jordan Karp represented the seller.
In 2014, the Faber-managed entity bought the hotel portion of the SLS Brickell, including the commercial unit, for $43 million. The space was previously occupied by celebrity chef Jose Andres’ Bazaar Mar until 2019 when the seafood restaurant closed.
“I’ve had my eye on this space for about a year, going back and forth with the seller,” Rivani said. “This deal puts us at another step ahead of the competition.”
For the past two years, Black Lion has amassed a portfolio of commercial units in luxury condominiums in Miami and Miami Beach, spending about $77.1 million acquiring six such properties in both cities.
Recently, Black Lion signed New York-based celebrity restaurant Philippe by Philippe Chow to a 15-year lease for the 13,500-square-foot ground-floor space at One Ocean condominium in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth Neighborhood. Black Lion paid $12 million for the commercial unit in November of last year.
Black Lion also owns the restaurant space at SLS Lux Brickell currently occupied by Gekko, a Japanese steakhouse co-owned by hospitality guru David Grutman and Grammy Award-winning reggaeton artist Bad Bunny. In 2021, Black Lion acquired the SLS Lux commercial unit for $14 million.