Rooftop restaurant, bar could land at The Press building near downtown West Palm
Intracoastal Waterway views are the lure for a rooftop bar, eatery on this stretch of Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach.
A reporter walks into a bar ... just upstairs from the newsroom?
An office building where The Palm Beach Post is headquartered could soon add a rooftop restaurant and bar.
The office building, known as the Offices At The Press, is at 2751 S. Dixie Highway, the southwest corner of South Dixie Highway and Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach.
Area residents may know that the otherwise low-key building has surprisingly clear views of the Intracoastal Waterway from its fourth floor.
Now the property's new owner wants to take advantage of the building's prime location by adding a rooftop venue.
"We believe that the views from the roof are some of the best you've got. It's incredible -- unobstructed Intracoastal, Palm Beach island and ocean views," said Todd Rosenberg, co-founder of Boca Raton-based Pebb Capital.
The four-story Press building is part of a larger, 11.6-acre site formerly owned by the Post's prior owner, Cox Media Group.
Miami-based Tricera Capital bought the site for $24 million in 2019, then built a separate retail strip featuring Joseph's Classic Market and Pink Steak steakhouse, plus a standalone Starbucks. (Cox Media Group sold The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News to GateHouse Media in 2018. GateHouse Media merged with Gannett in 2019.)
In 2024, Tricera sold The Press complex to Pebb Capital and Sabal Investment Holdings. At the time, the sales price wasn't disclosed, but the new owners said they expect to spend just under $80 million between the purchase and improvements on the property.
Rooftop bar idea for West Palm building garners interest from operators
In a July 14 interview, restaurant broker Tom Prakas said he's already fielding interest "from four or five different groups" interested in creating a rooftop scene on top of the Offices at the Press.
"It's a hot area of town," said Prakas of that strip of South Dixie Highway.
Prakas cited Pink Steak, the newly opened Mary Lou's restaurant and bar on Southern Boulevard, plus the popular Tropical Smokehouse eatery nearby.
A rooftop bar serving light bites on top of The Press office "definitely is a way to put the building on the map," he added.
Prakas, who owns Boca Raton-based Prakas & Co., said the building space includes the planned 3,000 square-foot rooftop, plus 6,000 square feet on the ground floor for a restaurant.
Prakas said he hopes Pebb can ink a lease with a tenant by the holidays, for an opening likely to take place in 2027.
A cocktail, a breeze and great views
Rooftop bars are a popular trend in the hospitality world, and more are being added throughout Southeast Florida. "They're very hot, from Miami to Stuart," Prakas said.
West Palm Beach has a few offerings, including Spruzzo at The Ben hotel, Bar Capri on the building next to it, the RH Rooftop at Restoration Hardware building, and Top of The Rox, a bar and pool scene above Roxy's Pub downtown.
And at least two more rooftop bars are coming to the city.
Later this year, look for Kyma, an acclaimed Greek restaurant, to open in the Banyan & Olive office complex in downtown West Palm Beach.
In addition to downstairs restaurant space, Kyma will open a large, 5,000 square-foot space on the roof of the 12-story 300 Banyan building. The breezy space offers the highest views in the city, said Andrew Dance, managing partner of Brand Atlantic Real Estate, the project's developer.
Materials are being sourced from Greece and other parts of Europe to create "a stunning restaurant and a fabulous addition to West Palm Beach," Dance said.
He expects Kyma will open sometime in the fall, possibly November.
Meanwhile, by late 2026, look for a rooftop bar at the Nora Hotel, now under construction in the Nora District, a shopping and dining district just north of the downtown.
The bar's name isn't yet known, but veteran operator STARR Restaurants will run it, as well as the downstairs eatery, Pastis, the celebrated New York City Parisian-style brasserie.
New York's mayoral candidate pushing more restaurants south?
Of course, New York is replete with rooftop bars offering views of the city skyline. And Palm Beach County already has its share of restaurant operators hailing from the Big Apple.
But could more be on the way?
Prakas said he's hearing from a fresh batch of restaurateurs looking to move to South Florida.
These operators, he said, are reacting to the June Democratic primary victory of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The 33-year-old democratic socialist beat out former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the chance to run in November.
Since then, Palm Beach County business and government leaders, as well as real estate developers and agents, say they are noticing a surprising uptick in interest from companies and individuals looking to make a move to South Florida.
These inquiries are prompted by concerns over Mamdani's platform, which includes new government programs paid for by higher taxes on affluent New Yorkers and companies.
"We've got a lot of operators over the last month calling us for space," Prakas said.
If New York-based restaurant owners decide to pull up stakes and head south, it would mark the latest wave of New York-owned companies relocating to Florida.
The first wave happened after a 2017 tax law change capped deductions for state and local taxes.
Then another larger wave took place during and after the 2020 COVID pandemic. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 254,097 New York state residents moved to the Sunshine State between 2021 and 2023.
Alexandra Clough is a business writer at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.