Stephen Starr Takes Over Former Aba Restaurant Space at Bal Harbour Shops

Famed restaurateur Stephen Starr is expanding his presence at the Bal Harbour Shops near Miami.

Starr, under Zuzu Tacks LLC, signed a lease on the ground floor of the three-story luxury mall, taking over space previously occupied by Aba, according to filings to Miami-Dade County. 

Mediterranean restaurant Aba, which sat 250 people near the Saks Fifth Avenue department store, closed in May after two and a half years. 

At the open-air mall, Philadelphia-based Starr also operates Makato, a sushi eatery. The Zoo, another Starr concept, closed in April, with Jeffrey Chodorow’s China Grill set to replace it. 

Another newcomer at the Bal Harbour Shops is Level Shoes, a multibrand, luxury retailer owned by Dubai-based Chalhoub Group. Public documents suggest the boutique, which sells Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Chloé and Jacquemus, will open on the third floor.

Bal Harbour Shops, too, is expanding. Earlier this year, the owner of the 511,000-square-foot shopping center, Whitman Family Development, scored an additional $190 million to complete a 250,000-square-foot expansion, bringing the total debt to $740 million.

The family-owned business is also suing the Village of Bal Harbour over its refusal to approve another expansion plan, claiming the village’s action violated the state’s Live Local Act. The proposal would see four towers with additional retail, multifamily, and hotel components built onto the 18-acre site.

A representative for Level Shoes declined to comment. Spokespeople for Starr and Bal Harbour Shops did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.