Mexican restaurant; bagel, ice cream parlor
A popular Boston taco and tequila restaurant and two iconic New York restaurants are among the first named tenants coming to the Nora neighborhood in West Palm Beach.
This billion-dollar dining, business and residential district is the largest planned redevelopment in the city’s history since CityPlace, now known as The Square. Nora is short for North Railroad Avenue, the western boundary of the district.
Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar will occupy 4,650 square feet of indoor/outdoor space in Nora, in a prime location at 840 N. Railroad Avenue that will be part of the project’s “front door,” said Francis X. Scire, responsible for Nora. rental.
Loco is a self-described funky neighborhood restaurant that specializes in creative tacos and fresh seafood, including oysters and ceviche. Expect a fun atmosphere and one of the largest tequila selections in the state, said Loco partner Mike Shaw.
This is Loco’s first location outside of Boston, where it has locations in South Boston and near Fenway Park.
Two New York brands are also coming to Nora: H&H Bagels, an artisan bagel shop, and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.
The imminent arrival of bagels is something that Scire believes will satisfy the public’s demand for “real New York bagels in West Palm Beach. It’s something I’ve been hearing about in the eight years I’ve been working on this walk”.
H&H isn’t just a place to sell bagels, it’s also an iconic New York brand and has been featured in several TV shows and movies, including “Seinfeld,” “Sex and the City,” “The Office », “Entourage” and “How”. I met your mother.”
The Nora location marks H&H’s second planned location in Palm Beach County. A suburban Boca Raton store is also expected to open this year.
But Nora is the first Florida location for the growing Van Leeuwen Ice Cream business.
What started as a food truck in New York has now expanded to 55 locations in eight states plus Washington DC.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is known for its fresh ingredients and creative flavors. It’s popular for another reason: its list of non-daily/vegan ice cream choices.
Nora’s first wave of tenants underscores developers’ desire to attract a range of customers and offerings, from casual dining to fine dining, to this new neighborhood located in a former city warehouse.
“We carefully selected the tenant mix,” Scire said. The goal is to create a neighborhood with an identity that combines style, sophistication and culture, he said.
Work has begun on the first phase of Nora, transforming old warehouses along North Railroad Avenue into restaurants, offices, stores and gyms. This portion of the project is known as Nora’s Main Street and is scheduled for completion in late 2024.
The Nora District covers 40 acres, 13 to 15 of which are owned by the Nora Development Group. The project is being developed by West Palm Beach-based NDT Development in collaboration with Miami’s Place Projects and Wheelock Street Capital of Greenwich, Connecticut.
The plan to transform part of the city into a bustling center for dining, living and working follows the explosive growth in demand for offices and residences in the city.
Much of the growth is the result of migration from the Northeast, sparking interest in bringing several well-known and popular restaurants to Nora.
More:Nora news: Five things to know about the new West Palm Beach neighborhood
More:Nora’s Update: When will construction begin on this new dining district in West Palm Beach?
Loco Restaurant Owner: Nora’s West Palm Beach Vibe Reminds Us of Boston
Scire singled out Loco as an innovator in breathing new life into aging places.
Loco’s parent company, Broadway Restaurant Group, has revitalized South Boston’s Broadway neighborhood with five different restaurant concepts, creating a dining district that has attracted other restaurants to the area.
Mike Shaw, partner at the Broadway restaurant, said Nora’s warehouse space is reminiscent of South Boston.
“It’s an old building that we love,” Shaw said. “And everyone is so excited about the community they live in. It reminds us of Boston. The people who are there love being there, and we dug that.”
“We believe in the vision these guys have with Nora,” Shaw added. “We’ve seen over the years that if you can perform and give people what they want in a growing field, there’s real longevity.”
Two top-rated fitness studios are also coming to Nora in West Palm
Scire said Nora has been intentional in its selection of other tenants, including fitness brands Rumble and Solidcore.
Rumble offers classes including boxing, weights, and high-intensity training. The growing company has more than two dozen locations nationwide, including in downtown Boca Raton.
Solidcore offers a high-intensity, low-impact full-body workout that uses the brand’s Pilates-inspired reformer. The popular studio has more than 100 locations across the country, including one in suburban Boca Raton.
Scire said the two companies were selected because they offer fitness classes that mix up the standard routine and provide high-intensity, high-energy workouts.
What other new tenants will join Nora?
Additional tenant announcements are expected in the coming months.
Scire said eight more restaurants would be added to the project as well as another fitness studio. Retailers and office tenants will also be announced.
Nora will also be home to a 201-key hotel developed in partnership with BD Hotels and Sean MacPherson, behind some of New York’s most iconic hotels like The Bowery, Chelsea Hotel and others.
Alexandra Clough is a business editor and columnist at the Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
Related Posts
-
This iconic Ocoee ice cream parlor celebrates its 29th anniversary with 29-cent cones
-
Biden eats ice cream and pets dogs? Totally unfit.
-
Sorry, ice cream lovers: Rainn Wilson just told us climate change could ‘endanger’ the treat
-
If you have vermouth, you can make the best clam chowder, the best cocktails and ice cream floats.