New York's acclaimed Kyma Greek restaurant coming to downtown West Palm Beach

Kyma, an acclaimed New York restaurant serving Greek cuisine, will open its first location outside of New York at the Banyan & Olive office complex in downtown West Palm Beach.

The modern Greek restaurant with the cuisine of a traditional Greek taverna will lease the ground-floor space in the 300 Banyan and 111 Olive office buildings.

In addition, the restaurant's outdoor space will extend to the alley between 300 Banyan and 111 Olive. By next year, the alley will be transformed into an inviting outdoor terrace, with lights, landscaping and an overhead canvas.

There's more. Kyma also will occupy a lively rooftop space atop 300 Banyan.

More: Could a high-profile financial firm boost the Clematis Street business district?

"It took a long time to find the right restaurant," said Andrew Dance, managing partner of Brand Atlantic Real Estate Partners, the project's developer. "We wanted to have an offering that was going to be a benchmark for elevating the quality of restaurants."

This signature restaurant, which will span 14,000 square feet, not only will anchor the downstairs and rooftop of these newly built or revamped office buildings.

It also will help boost interest in the office complex by helping it stand out in the Clematis District, the city's historic business area.

"The announcement will most certainly help our leasing efforts," said Anthony Librizzi, managing director of the Cushman & Wakefield brokerage in Boca Raton. Librizzi handles office leasing for the Banyan & Olive complex.

"To have a restaurant of this caliber believe in the ownership's vision of the project, and its location, speaks volumes to what is happening in the heart of the city," Librizzi said.

Dance said he expects Kyma also will bring fresh life to the Clematis Street area, West Palm Beach's dining and entertainment district. In addition to Kyma's bar and restaurant space, a DJ will spin music in the evening, helping transform Kyma into a dance party.

"It's a great night out, an amazing night out," Dance said. "You can go here not once a season, but once a week."

What will Kyma be like?

When Kyma opens in 2025, look for customary Greek dishes with a modern flare, featuring extra virgin olive oil from the Peloponnese and fresh Mediterranean fish flown in daily.

Kyma currently has two Manhattan locations, Flatiron and Hudson Yards, and a location in Roslyn, New York, on Long Island.

In a statement, Kyma owner Merkourios (Mike) Angeliades, a Greek-American businessman and veteran restauranteur, said the West Palm Beach location's "unique combination of indoor, outdoor and rooftop spaces will make for truly memorable dining and cocktail experiences for our guests.”

Kyma is the second top New York-based Greek restaurant coming to West Palm Beach.

Milos of New York will open at the One Flagler office building now under construction along Flagler Drive.

Kyma and Milos recently were ranked on Gotham Magazine's top Greek restaurants in New York City, with Kyma ranked No. 1 and Milos No. 3.

A redo of a historic building, and something new for the downtown

300 Banyan is part of Brand Atlantic’s Banyan & Olive development along with 111 Olive, a renovation of a three-story, 1936 building designed in the art moderne style.

The post-art deco building was designed by John Volk and built with 14-foot ceilings made of Dade County pine wood. Under Brand Atlantic's ownership, plenty of modern perks were added, including a suite featuring a golf simulator.

300 Banyan, still under construction, is a waterview office tower planned with ultraluxury finishes on the site of an old parking lot. The boutique office space will feature amenities typically seen in an upscale hotel, including outdoor terraces, an amenity deck and an indoor-outdoor fitness center.

Dance said his goal in building 300 Banyan was to create a building so filled with perks that tenants and employees would want to go to the office despite the prevalence of today's work-from-home arrangements.

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Librizzi said many companies are placing a greater importance on new design, upscale amenities and a good location.

The extras were a draw for Alvarez & Marsal Capital, a private equity firm from Greenwich, Connecticut, that last year inked a lease for space in 300 Banyan. In a statement, Alvarez & Marsal founder Jack McCarthy said he was drawn to 300 Banyan's design, proximity to restaurants and the nearby Brightline passenger rail station.

More recently, in March, telecom firm Dycom Industries signed a lease for the top two floors of 300 Banyan in a transaction totaling 40,000 square feet. Librizzi, with Cushman vice chairman Brian Gale, negotiated the lease for Brand Atlantic.

The 300 Banyan building is a little more than 50% leased. The rest of the space, as well as the 111 Olive building, are fielding several interested office tenants, Dance said.

Alexandra Clough is a business writer at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. Twitter: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Kyma Greek New York restaurant coming to West Palm Beach