In a year when many restaurant industry “experts” claim that New York City’s become too expensive to open new places, it’s remarkable indeed how large new restaurants just keep opening — and opening and opening.
Among next year’s biggest will be the first downtown (the real downtown south of Chambers Street) edition of Sant Ambroeus, the fashionable line of northern Italian eateries that claim an avid foodie and celebrity following.
Sant Ambroeus’ parent company, SA Hospitality, has signed a lease for a 7,000- square-foot, two-level dining room and coffee shop at 200 Vesey St. at Brookfield Place. The new Sant Ambroeus, boasting 40-foot-high ceilings, will front directly onto West Street.
The 15-year lease was signed with Brookfield Property Partners (BPP), which transformed the old World Financial Center into Brookfield Place. The complex at the base of four office towers has 300,000 square feet of high-end stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Hermès, as well restaurants Amada and Beaubourg and the Le District and Hudson Eats food halls.
The new Ambroeus will open in the second quarter of 2018, Brookfield said.
Sant Ambroeus’ New York operation today includes popular restaurants on upper Madison Avenue, West 4th Street and Lafayette Street, as well as three coffee bars. It also has places in Southampton and Palm Beach.
The chain is known for its boldface clientele — such as Tory Burch and the Olsen twins on Madison Avenue and Hilary Duff on West 4th, where she’s especially fond of what she calls “amazing avocado toast.”
The new Sant Ambroeus will occupy a prominent West Street location as part of an all-Italian retail row that now includes Gucci and Ermenegildo Zegna boutiques.
The landlord was represented by BPP’s senior retail VP Michael Goldban and retail VP Mark Kostic. RKF’s Spencer Levy acted for Sant Ambroeus.
Goldban said, “Sant Ambroeus has established itself in New York City’s most coveted locations, so its arrival downtown is a true testament to the allure of Brookfield Place.”
Terms were not disclosed.