The east end of Worth Avenue, where it reaches the ocean near Midtown Beach, was built around two big stores. Neiman Marcus sat on the north side at 151 Worth Ave. until it closed in September 2020. After that its nearly 50,000-square-foot building stayed empty. On the south side, The Esplanade at 150 Worth Ave. still has the big-box space Saks Fifth Avenue once filled.
The filings and approvals for this season point the 100 block toward a Stephen Starr steakhouse with an ocean-view terrace, a Casa Tua restaurant, two private clubs, a bakery, a day spa, and smaller retail spaces. That makes it a place to sit down and stay a while. The decisions the town makes this fall are mostly about use and parking.
Three sales, about $366 million, in ten months
The Palm Beach Daily News reports that three buildings take up most of the 100 block, and all three have changed hands in about ten months:
- 151 Worth Ave., the former Neiman Marcus, sold to TZ Capital in November 2025 for a recorded $80.5 million.
- 150 Worth Ave., The Esplanade, sold for $200 million in a deed recorded in March 2026. The buyers are companies controlled by London-based Reuben Brothers and Crown Onyx Investments.
- 125 Worth Ave., a three-story office building, sold in August 2026 for a recorded $86 million to an entity affiliated with Blackstone. Chicago-based L3 Capital invested in the deal.
That adds up to about $366.5 million for one block, and each new owner is spending more to reposition its building. L3 says it plans to renovate 125 Worth Ave. to reflect "the continued evolution of Worth Avenue." Daren Rubenfeld, president of the Worth Avenue Association, told the Daily News there is "a lot of curiosity" among members about what comes next.
151 Worth: a steakhouse built for regulars
Construction is underway at the former Neiman Marcus. The Town Council approved TZ Capital's plan in February 2026. It splits the building into retail spaces of different sizes on the top two floors, with valet-only parking in the underground garage.
The first tenant announced is Stephen Starr, whose restaurant group runs Le Diplomate in Washington, D.C., and Le Coucou in New York. His Palm Beach restaurant, tentatively called Room Service, will be his first on the island. Palm Beach Daily News reported in September that he described it to the council as loosely based on a steakhouse. Dishes could include lobster mac and cheese, meatloaf, burgers, and Peking duck as a Sunday special. Ken Fulk is expected to design the interiors as "an homage to the gilded 1920s."
Starr's own description of who the room is for gives the clearest picture of where the block is headed. As quoted by the Daily News, he told the council:
"I think there's enough people in Palm Beach that this will become their local place. This will become their Cheers, the place where everybody knows your name. You go here three times a week, and we really don't depend on nor want to solicit people from far away."
The plans call for 165 seats: 133 inside and 32 on an existing terrace that looks over the Atlantic and Worth Avenue. On Sept. 9 the council conditionally approved the restaurant's special exceptions. It then voted 4-1 for a variance covering three on-site parking spaces the town code requires. The special exceptions still depend on the council approving a declaration of use agreement later. A 1,350-square-foot third-floor addition for back-of-house space also needs Architectural Commission review. The town says it won't be visible from Worth Avenue. The draft declaration of use for the Starr restaurant was on the council's Oct. 14 development review agenda.
TZ Capital says Room Service could open as early as December 2027. That means two more winter seasons of construction on the north side of the block.
150 Worth: what the council weighs on Nov. 10
On the south side, the change on paper is bigger. The Esplanade's new owners filed plans on Aug. 13, 2026, to rename the property Burlington Arcade at Palm Beach. The name comes from the Reuben Brothers' Burlington Arcade in London, which opened in 1819. Palm Beach Now notes that Reuben Brothers' Palm Beach holdings also include The Vineta Hotel and the ground floor of the Tiffany & Co. building on Worth Avenue.
The plan is still a proposal. It is item 16 on the Town Council development review agenda for Tuesday, Nov. 10. The application, filed under the names Esplanade TIC LLC and Esplanade Metro TIC LLC, asks for these special exceptions:
- A restaurant use, for Casa Tua
- A private club use, for the Birley Social Club
- Outdoor café seating tied to that club
- Specialty food take-away, for Birley Bakery
- A retail jewelry store larger than 4,000 square feet
- A day wellness spa larger than 4,000 square feet
- Shared parking among the restaurant, club, and retail uses
- Tandem parking
It also asks for three variances. One would let the property skip the required on-site parking and remove existing on-site spaces. The other two would let rooftop mechanical equipment and the building itself go over height limits for the alterations to the former Saks anchor.
The Daily News gives the scale from town records. Casa Tua, which has locations in Miami Beach, Aspen, New York, Capri, and Paris, would get a 6,500-square-foot ground-floor restaurant with 270 seats. Above it would be a connected 4,855-square-foot private club with up to 300 members. A separate 12,291-square-foot second-floor social club led by London businessman Robin Birley would have 300 members, aimed at Palm Beach residents and "hotel guests." The plans also include a 7,800-square-foot ground-floor luxury store on the west side, a 5,325-square-foot day spa with a 2,000-square-foot boutique, and a Birley Bakery of about 520 square feet on the east side.
Between Room Service and Casa Tua, the block would have 435 planned restaurant seats, plus room for up to 600 club members across two clubs. Parking requests run through both applications. At 151 the council has already granted a variance. At 150, three of the eleven requests deal with parking. After the council hearing, the Architectural Commission has the 150 Worth exterior and Via passage changes on its Nov. 20 agenda.
What is on the block for now
Under the current proposal, The Esplanade's ground floor carries on while plans move through town review. The center's own directory lists Starbucks, J. McLaughlin Men's, Carolina Herrera, Emilio Pucci, Christofle, Anne Fontaine, Piaget, Hublot, Tamara Comolli Fine Jewelry, Akris, Lugano Diamonds, Edward Beiner Eyewear, Amina Rubinacci, Altona, and Worth Avenue Yachts. It shows Sisley Paris as coming soon. Since a directory can lag behind actual store openings and closings, call ahead before making a special trip to one shop.
Just east of 151 Worth Ave., 125 Worth Ave. is an office building with a refresh planned, not a redevelopment. The Daily News reports it could bring new tenants to a building just steps from Midtown Beach.
Merchants farther west are watching. "I think TZ Capital is doing a wonderful job at 151 Worth Avenue," Michael Maus of Maus & Hoffman at 312 Worth Ave. told the Daily News. On the 200 block, the Architectural Commission approved Bulgari's storefront design 6-1, with conditions, in April. The town agenda lists the address as 237-239 Worth Ave. That approval cleared the way for the brand to seek construction permits.
The ocean block calendar for the 2026-27 season
- Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026: Town Council development review, item 16, 150 Worth Ave. special exceptions, site plan review, and variances
- Friday, Nov. 20, 2026: Architectural Commission, item 8, 150 Worth Ave. exterior and Via passage alterations
- Through the season: Construction continues at 151 Worth Ave.
- As early as December 2027: Room Service could open on the second floor of 151 Worth Ave.
Town agendas can change, and items are sometimes deferred to later meetings. The Town of Palm Beach public meetings portal posts current agendas and filed plans for anyone who wants to read the applications themselves. For more on the streets around the avenue, see our In Town neighborhood guide.
If you live near Worth Avenue and want to talk about what the 100 block's new restaurants, clubs, and parking plans could mean for your street, Brian Mahoney is following each hearing this season and is happy to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.
