Hillstone at Bal Harbour Closes Permanently

Hillstone at Bal Harbour has shut its doors after 11 years, marking the latest restaurant vacancy at the 61-year-old luxury mall.

The restaurant announced the closure of its 6,400-square-foot space, perched on the second floor of the Bal Harbour Shops at 9700 Collins Avenue, encouraging customers to make reservations at its Coral Gables or North Miami locations. Hillstone didn’t disclose the reason for the closure. 

Hillstone has been a staple at the mall since it opened over a decade ago as the Grill at Bal Harbour. The sudden closure joins a roster of other longtime restaurants backed by acclaimed restaurateurs that have shut their doors in the last few years, including Aba at Bal Harbour Shops by “Top Chef” alumnus CJ Jacobson and Stephen Starr’s French bistro Le Zoo.

Despite some closures in recent years, Italian eatery Carpaccio, founded by Tom Billante and owned by Piero Filpi, remains open and has been Bal Harbour’s longest-standing restaurant for over 30 years.  

Aba cited “loss of business opportunities” for shutting down last year. Le Zoo’s former space was replaced by China Grill this year after the pan-Asian restaurant took a 14-year hiatus. China Grill previously operated in Miami Beach. 

A spokesperson for Bal Harbour Shops did not immediately respond to request for comment. 

Bal Harbour Shops, led by Whitman Family Development’s Matthew Whitman Lazenby, spans 500,000 square feet and is undergoing a multimillion-dollar expansion. The mall secured a $1.3 million permit over a month ago for the project.

The shopping center reportedly generates $3,000 sales per square foot, one of the highest sales per square foot in South Florida, according to data from a previous Green Street Advisors report.

Bal Harbour Shops is also one of a half dozen malls in South Florida that aim to add mixed-use developments with housing. 

Whitman Family Development is still pursuing a proposal to expand Bal Harbour Shops with three 275-foot towers, including offices, a hotel and 500 apartments through Florida’s Live Local Act, after Bal Harbour officials unanimously rejected a settlement that would have significantly downsized the project. 

The decision extended a two-year legal battle that began after Whitman sued the village in 2024, alleging officials refused to process its Live Local Act application.

Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly said Carpaccio has closed, but it is open and has been in business for 30 years as one of the shopping center’s most-successful restaurants. We regret the error.

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