They are sending an SOS.
Celebrities like Chris Rock, Cindy Crawford, Heidi Klum, Justin Theroux and Wyclef Jean, along with legendary director Ken Burns and author Jay McInerney, are coming together to save Lure Fishbar.
The underground Soho seafood and sushi institution has anchored Mercer Street for 20 years, but is in danger of being swallowed up by Prada when its lease expires in mid-2026.
“It’s my favorite place in the city. I hope the rumors aren’t true,” Rock, who often dines at Lure with fellow comedians Dave Chappelle and David Spade, told The Post.
Earlier this week, The Post’s Steve Cuozzo reported that the luxury label, which leases about 20,000 square feet in the 176,000-square-foot office and retail building between Broadway and Mercer Street, was planning to open a Prada Cafe, Pasticceria Marchesi, in the Lure space. .
“There was no communication. I was just told by a representative, not even the direct owner, that he is moving in a different direction with the lease,” Lure Fishbar owner and restaurateur John McDonald told The Post.
Palm Beach art collector and billionaire Peter Brant owns the building that once housed the Guggenheim Soho and has been in talks with Prada to lease it to the Italian fashion house. The Post has reached out to Prada and Brant for comment.
Theroux, who also owns Ray’s Bar on the Lower East Side and in Greenpoint, is in disbelief over the possibility of Lure closing.
“It’s sad even when such an institution is threatened,” the actor told The Post. “New York sprouts failed restaurants like watermelon seeds, so the fact that Lure has survived and thrived for decades, let alone survived the pandemic, speaks to its currency in the neighborhood.”
He added,[It] it would be too bad if this couldn’t be solved. This doesn’t sound like a case of a place that can’t pay the rent or needs a break. This is a place where the neighborhood goes.”
Crawford praised the restaurant as the pinnacle of trendy food and family dining. She told the Post that Lure is a “go to spot” for a bite with her supermodel daughter Kaia Gerber — who wore a floor-length sequined Prada dress to the Met Gala in May.
“I’ve been hanging out in Soho since the ’90s and one of the mainstays that our whole family loves is Lure,” said Crawford. “It would be very sad to see a place that brought so many people from fashion and other industries together after so many years.”
Klum, also a regular, echoed the sentiment. “Lure is Soho, it has stood the test of time and is truly the epicenter of fashion, art and entertainment. Her loss would be a sad day for all New Yorkers.”
Last Wednesday night, throngs of supporters filled the dining room.
Burns and his daughter, Lily Burns, an accomplished television producer, went out for a last-minute dinner. Rapper Wyclef Jean held court in a Lure Fishbar hat.
“It’s our yellow submarine. The food is fantastic. We get miso-glazed salmon and tempura shrimp. It feels like a home away from home,” Burns told The Post.
McInerney, author of “Bright Lights Big City,” said the Lure’s forced closure would be “a crime against the escapism of New York City.”
A source told The Post Lure pays about $2 million a year in rent, a staggering figure for the basement space where guests must descend by metal stairs.
McDonald owns several other restaurants in Manhattan, including Bowery Meat Company and Smyth Tavern in Tribeca. The Lure Kitchen is led by the talented chef Preston Clark.
Fashion designer John Varvatos, whose first store was next door to the Mercer Hotel, praised McDonald’s work ethic and everyman’s ethic.
“I saw — many times — John himself shoveling snow from the sidewalks of Mercer Street,” he told The Post.
Meanwhile, McDonald hopes for a peaceful partnership with the fashion house – if they ever respond to his calls and requests for meetings.
“My plan ultimately is to communicate directly with Prada and make them understand that the smartest plan is for the two of us to work together. If they get the building, I can’t wait for this to be Lure Fishbar in the Prada building,” he told The Post, humbled by the outpouring of support.
“It’s unbelievable that thousands of people are posting and reposting. You can see it won’t stop. I’m getting more calls and people saying they want to come back for years to come.”
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Image Source : nypost.com