He talks big, he walks big — and with a jet-black bushy Mohawk, a matching beard and a buff physique, he stands pretty big too.
Robert Rivani, the larger-than-life commercial real estate titan and president of Black Lion — who, until recently, called a “Harry Potter” and “Game of Thrones”-inspired mansion his home — also thinks big.
So when it came to filling the 13,634-square-foot ground-floor space he now owns at the SLS Brickell Hotel and Residences at 1300 S. Miami Ave. in Miami with a new restaurant, Rivani sought out a top international name to anchor the building in style — and hold its own on the city’s dining scene.
Rivani tapped Mexico-based Grupo RosaNegra to bring a version of one its celebrated eateries to Miami, an opening that also marks RosaNegra’s debut in the US.
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RosaNegra will be a name familiar with visitors to some of Mexico’s most-visited destinations, like Tulum, Cabo and Cancun.
The 33-year-old Rivani, who made his first big bucks selling vintage sneakers while still in his teens, had already carved a big mark in the Miami nightlife scene, and also with the Accor-owned SLS brand. Among several high-profile dining tenants, the Japanese-inspired Gekko at the sister property, the SLS LUX Brickell Hotel & Residences, is a bona fide hot spot nearby, at 805 S. Miami Ave. It didn’t hurt Gekko’s rise to have Puerto Rican hip-hop hot shot Bad Bunny as one of its investors.
“It was very important to have the right name in this space,” Rivani told The Post, referring to the 1300 S. Miami Ave. property. “Who’s on the ground floor of a building counts. This is a collaboration with a brand that’s recognized and loved. That’s RosaNegra. It’s an amazing company. SLS Brickell is an amazing building and this is the icing on the cake.”
The space previously housed a José Andrés restaurant — surprisingly, for such a top culinary name, it closed, leaving the space empty and deserted for a while, Rivani says.
“That’s not good for property prices,” he added. “Empty spaces make people wonder what’s wrong with the building. The developer tapped me because they know I will bring in someone who will add value to the property.”
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As well as being good for the building and for the neighborhood, Rivani says SLS residents gain too — not only in property values, but they will also enjoy RosaNegra as an extension of their homes’ entertaining and dining areas.
“This is great for residents here,” he added. “They can meet friends for drinks right on their doorstep. Or grab dinner at a top restaurant right downstairs.”
RosaNegra’s mix of top culinary with a high-energy nightlife-esque vibe should fit right in with Miami’s hyper-action scene, he adds.
“RosaNegra is Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons level food quality,” Rivani said. “I could bring in a McDonald’s to the space and still get the rent check in the mail. But that’s not the legacy I want for my company or for the building.”
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Expected to open in spring 2024, the restaurant is still in the design, planning and then permitting phase. As there was already a restaurant in the space previously, the operational guts, such as kitchen equipment, is already pretty much in place, which makes the process that much easier.
The design will be in keeping with the RosaNegra brand — think Day of the Dead meets the Four Seasons — and the almost 1,400 square feet of interior space will be joined by 4,634 square feet of outdoor space.
RosaNegra’s menu focuses on cuisine from Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico. As much detail goes into creating co*cktails and cultivating a fine wine list too. A resident DJ and live music programming fill out the club vibe.
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Black Lion’s portfolio includes more than $200 million in acquisitions across South Florida with a noteworthy collection of high-profile restaurant tenants, spread from Miami Beach to Wynwood, and from Brickell to Downtown. Besides Gekko and the forthcoming RosaNegra, the holdings also include Philippe by Philippe Chow anchoring One Ocean South Beach; Catch Miami Beach at the Continuum high-rise; Amara at Paraiso, with chef Michael Schwartz; Wynwood Jungle, with a newly opened Fable rooftop restaurant; GAIA on the ground floor of the Marea condo building; and Delilah at Brickell Bay boardwalk.
RosaNegra, Rivani says, will complement rather than compete with his other Brickell restaurant clients.
“We don’t want to cannibalize ourselves and bring in another sushi restaurant, like Gekko,” he said. “We wanted something different and there isn’t a high quality, vibe-y Mexican restaurant in the area. People love the vibe of RosaNegra.”
Rivani, who grew up in Los Angeles, fell in love with South Florida several years ago and moved there during the big pandemic migration with his wife Krystal, who also works at Black Lion and fully approves of onboarding RosaNegra.
“My wife is from Mexico, so I get brownie points for opening RosaNegra here,” Rivani said.
