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Check Out the Shops and Restaurants Opening in Brookfield Place

 Dozens of eateries and retail shops are soon to open at the overhauled Brookfield Place.
Dozens of Shops and Restaurants Coming to Brookfield Place
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BATTERY PARK CITY — Dozens of new destinations for eating and shopping are on the way to Battery Park City.

The long-anticipated $250 million overhaul of Brookfield Place’s Vesey Street complex is set to bring more than 20 new restaurants and 40 retailers to the neighborhood.

Opening first is Hudson Eats — a 600-seat food court that will be home to 14 fast-casual eateries when it opens at the end of May, said Ed Hogan, Brookfield’s director of retail leasing.

“We really wanted to curate a place that would excite foodies and be able to handle a high volume of customers,” Hogan said. “I think we’ve found the best in class for a variety of cuisines.”

Los Angeles burger joint Umami Burger, Cambodian-inspired sandwich shop Num Pang and Beverly Hills-based Sprinkles Cupcakes are a few of the eateries on tap.

Hogan said Brookfield is still negotiating a lease for the 14th restaurant, which hasn’t been announced yet, but it will have an Asian concept and will be ready when the food court launches. Other restaurants in the 35,000-square-foot space include Dig Inn Seasonal Market; salad chain Chop't; Mexican taqueria Dos Toros; Little Muenster, known for "super fancy grilled cheese sandwiches"; and Long Island-based Skinny Pizza.

Beneath the food court, a massive French-inspired marketplace called Le District is slated to open, but not until the spring of 2015, Hogan said. The 37,000-square-foot market — set up something like Eataly, but with a French concept — is being run by restaurateur Peter Poulakakos, of Harry’s Italian and Financier Patisserie.

Along with spots to buy goods like artisanal cheeses and breads, Le District will also have two sit-down restaurants.

The revamped Brookfield will also include five other restaurants with waiter service, Hogan said.

So far, two of those restaurants, set to open in spring 2015, have been confirmed. Mulberry Street favorite Parm, which serves Italian-American comfort food, will open a second location at Brookfield. Philadelphia-based chef and restaurateur Jose Garces, who holds an Iron Chef title, will also open a new restaurant, though details of the concept have not yet been announced, Hogan said.

A slew of new retail shops — 42 in total — are also slated to open in the spring of 2015. The mix of stores, all of which are high-end, reflects the “affluent Downtown population,” Hogan said.

“We wanted to bring in a collection of stores that spoke to people who live and work Downtown — appealing to tourists was just the icing on the cake,” Hogan said. “We're hoping to really make Brookfield a new must-visit destination in New York.”

Stores on the way include French designer Hermes, Italian menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna, New York-based boutique Scoop, national brand J.Crew and iconic English retailer Burberry.

Along with shopping opportunities, a two-floor Equinox gym is slated to open in the fall of 2014. And the Institute for Culinary Education, now located in Chelsea, is also headed to Brookfield Place. The cooking school will move its home to 225 Liberty St. in the fall of 2014.

Brookfield is revamping its retail space as competition for high-end customers is heating up Downtown, with Westfield Group building more than 350,000 square feet of retail space at the World Trade Center and Howard Hughes Corporation overhauling its Pier 17 mall to create another upscale shopping destination.

Catherine McVay Hughes, the chairwoman of Community Board 1, said the neighborhood has long been looking forward to the updated Brookfield Place.

"The community can’t wait for the stores to open," Hughes said. "This is an area that’s densely populated with residents, workers and visitors — there’s definitely a need for these shops."