Dear Soho Seafood Staples Lure Fishbar The Post has learned it is likely to be on the hook when its lease expires – as luxury retailer Prada has its sights set on the prized space.
The Milan-based company wants to boot Lure from its underground location on the corner of Prince Street – where it has been for two decades – and replace it with a Prada-branded bakery and café, sources said.
It’s an “it’s all done deal.” Prada has four times more space than Lure, and [landlord] Peter Brant is unlikely to say no,” a prime broker not involved in the space told The Post.
Prada, which has been aggressively expanding in the U.S., already leases about 20,000 square feet in the 176,000-square-foot office and retail building between Broadway and Mercer Street.
Lure Fishbar’s 5,000-square-foot lease expires in early 2026.
As The Post previously reported, the expected arrival comes after the company with annual revenues of $4.2 billion recently bought the Fifth Avenue sites of its flagship store from Jeff Sutton for $835 million.
“They want that same kind of control over their Soho space, and Lure is right in their way,” the broker said.
Who is Brant, investor and art patron Married to supermodel Stephanie SeymourThe owner has a long-term lease of the building. It was not known whether Brant had told Lure that its sublease would not be renewed.
Blogger Emily Sundberg posted about “a rumor” on the FeedMe newsletter site on Friday. , , Prada Lure was taking over the fishbar space.”
He wrote that he received a message that “confirmed this rumor.”
Lure owner John Macdonald told The Post on Monday that he was unaware of Prada’s discussion.
He said, “I hope that if they take over the entire building, they will want to retain the Lure Fishbar given its long history and role in Soho for over 20 years.”
Sources said the restaurant pays about $2 million a year in rent, a remarkable number for a space located entirely in the basement, accessed by an exterior metal staircase on the Mercer Street side of the building.
None of the players involved responded to requests for clarification and comment, including the Peter Brant Foundation; Carlo Crosso, retail director of Prada USA; and Prada spokesperson Nicolas Pankow.
Lure Fishbar has been one of the city’s most popular seafood eateries since opening in the heart of Soho in 2004.
Time Out NY recently named it the No. 1 best SoHo restaurant and Thrillist called it the “Balthazar of the sea.” Lure chef Preston Clark was named as “one of the black chefs shaking up the NYC dining landscape” by NYC Tourism + Conventions, the city’s official tourism agency.
Among Lure’s admirers is Mitchell Moss, an NYU professor of urban policy and planning. “Lure is more than a restaurant,” said Moss, a frequent customer. “It is the connective tissue that connects people from all areas of the city together.”
“Prada is a global brand with no local roots,” he said. Greed is its opposite. They complement each other and if Prada pulls out the lure no one benefits. Prada will be angry and belittled.”
