NYC restaurant Avra coming to Estates at Acqualina in Sunny Isles

Avra Miami Estiatorio will open at the Estates at Acqualina, the Trump Group’s $1.8 billion two-tower condo development in Sunny Isles Beach, The Real Deal has learned.

The Greek restaurant is expected to open in December, and will mark the Avra Group’s fourth eatery, following Avra Madison and Avra in Midtown in New York City and Avra Beverly Hills. It will be open to the public, serving lunch and dinner.

“We wanted something that has tremendous appeal to the Northeast group, a real star New York restaurant,” developer Jules Trump of the Trump Group told TRD. “Avra has incredible appeal with the society crowd.” Among celebrities who frequent Avra are Leonardo DiCaprio, Katie Holmes, Alexander Wang, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, according to published reports.

(ArX Solutions)

The Sunny Isles restaurant will span 10,000 square feet, including a covered terrace, and will also have additional seating on a separate, uncovered terrace overlooking the pool deck and beach, said Nick Tsoulos, a principal of the Avra Group. It will have 180 seats indoors and 100 seats outdoors.

The restaurant will be at the entrance to the 45,000-square-foot Villa Acqualina between the Estates of Acqualina’s north and south towers at 17895 Collins Avenue. The villa will house amenities for residents, including a spa, gym, movie theater, ice skating rink, a speakeasy style bar and a bowling alley.

Designed by STA Architectural Group, the restaurant will take up the entire main floor of the villa, with the interior divided into three parts with varying ceilings heights, said principal Todd Tragash. It will feature a lobby bar, an open kitchen and a large main dining room, with ceilings as high as 25 feet tall.

The decor will feature natural finishes and a neutral pallet with weathered wood, travertine and white oak floors and stone feature walls, Tragash said. “What really makes this stunning is its location,” he said. “There are many great restaurants in Miami, but very few on the beach.”

Avra is known for its fresh fish flown in from Greece and the Mediterranean, said Tsoulos, who was born in Greece and co-founded the Avra Group more than 20 years ago with his partners, Marc Packer and Nick Pashalis.

They plan another restaurant in New York City, a 24,000-square-foot, three-level restaurant in the old Time-Life Building at 50th Street and Sixth Avenue. “The opening depends on when the world is going to come back.” he said. “If offices don’t come back and Radio City doesn’t open, and theaters don’t open, we may push it back.”

Tsoulos lives in New York, but he put a four-bedroom condo under contract at the Estates. He declined to disclose the price, but said it will mark his first purchase in South Florida.

“There’s nothing like having the owner there. This gives him a huge incentive to be there all the time,” said Trump, who is not related to former president Donald Trump. “I want him to be out there, visible to the guests.”

The Estates at Acqualina’s towers are nearing completion, with the 49-story south tower on target to be finished in August, and the 52-story north tower expected to be delivered in February 2022. The development will feature lobbies created by the late fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld.

Sales have been brisk in recent months, said Michael Goldstein, president of sales at the Estates. The south tower has 15 units remaining for sale of 154 units, with prices from $4.6 million to $7.6 million. The north tower, with 94 units, has 41 units under contract, he said. Prices range from $6.5 million to $9 million.

More than $200 million in contracts have been signed in the past month, and the vast majority of buyers are from the U.S., mostly from the Northeast, Chicago and California, Goldstein said.

“For a lot of them it will be their primary residence,” he added. “People have had enough of the Northeast and big cities and are looking to save on taxes.”