Beloved Soho restaurant Lure Fishbar won’t sleep with the fishes after all.
A deal with Prada, which has a much larger space in the building at 575 Broadway, saved the nearly quarter-century old seafood eatery with a huge celebrity and neighborhood following, The Post has learned.
Lure, which has the address of 142 Mercer Street in the same building, has about 5,000 square feet compared with Prada’s 20,000 square feet.
The Post first reported in December 2024 that Prada, which has been expanding at the location, lusted for Lure’s underground space so it could install its own branded café, Pasticceria Marchesi.
Now, Lure owner John McDonald says his piscene paradise is safe under a new sublease from Prada.
Lure’s own lease was up this year. Prada leased the Lure space from the building’s owner, billionaire art collector Peter Brant – but agreed to sublease it to McDonald.
“Essentially, we are now on a long-term sublease,” said McDonald, whose other Manhattan restaurants include Seahorse and Bowery Meat Company.
“They are leaving us alone and there are no plans for a Prada café,” McDonald said.
Reps for historically secretive Prada couldn’t be reached for comment.
Lure has been called “the Balthazar of the sea” and enjoyed many accolades. It has been a defining icon of the Soho dining scene since it opened in 2004.
After The Post reported the threat to Lure, boldfaces including Chris Rock, Cindy Crawford, Heidi Klum, Justin Theroux and Wyclef Jean proclaimed their support for the restaurant.
Klum said at the time, “Lure is Soho, it has lasted the test of time and is truly the epicenter for fashion, art and entertainment. Losing it would be a sad day for all New Yorkers.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
