Worth Avenue Isn’t the Only Center of Palm Beach Anymore
August 27, 2026
For generations, Worth Avenue has been the undisputed center of Palm Beach.
It’s where the newest luxury boutiques opened, where coveted restaurants established themselves, and where residents brought visiting friends and family to experience the unmistakable Palm Beach lifestyle.
Worth Avenue remains iconic. But something interesting is happening a few blocks north.
Around Royal Poinciana Plaza, Cocoanut Row and Royal Poinciana Way, a second luxury district has quietly emerged—and much of it came together within just a few months.
New restaurants. A restored performing arts venue. International fashion houses. And one of Palm Beach’s most anticipated hotel transformations.
Taken individually, they are notable openings.
Taken together, they represent something much bigger: a new walkable luxury corridor on Palm Beach Island.
A New Palm Beach Corridor Takes Shape
The transformation centers largely around The Royal Poinciana Plaza and the newly reopened Vineta Hotel at 363 Cocoanut Row.
Royal Poinciana Plaza has long been an important Palm Beach destination, but the concentration of new hospitality, dining, culture and retail surrounding it has changed the character of this part of the island.
And it happened remarkably quickly.
The Polo Room
The momentum began in December 2025 with the opening of The Polo Room on Sunrise Avenue.
Co-owned by internationally known polo player Nacho Figueras, the restaurant introduced continental cuisine with Argentinian influences, including a raw bar and house-made empanadas.
Its arrival helped bring new attention to an area of the island already positioned for significant change.
Tutto Mare Brings Waterfront Dining to the Plaza
In early January 2026, Tutto Mare opened at The Royal Poinciana Plaza.
Created by Gabby Karan de Felice, daughter of fashion designer Donna Karan, the restaurant shares its DNA with the popular Hamptons concept Tutto il Giorno.
But its Palm Beach setting gives it something particularly special: direct Intracoastal waterfront dining.
The result is a restaurant that feels perfectly suited to the modern Palm Beach lifestyle—sophisticated, relaxed and unmistakably connected to the water.
Glazer Hall Brings the Arts Back to Palm Beach
February brought another major milestone.
Glazer Hall reopened at The Royal Poinciana Plaza on the site of the former Royal Poinciana Playhouse, bringing performing arts back to a venue with deep Palm Beach history.
The original theater opened in 1958 but had been closed since 2004.
Its return as an approximately 400-seat nonprofit performing arts venue creates something Palm Beach residents haven't had in years: a significant year-round destination for music, dance, film and cultural programming directly on the island.
For residents, that means an evening out no longer necessarily requires crossing the bridge to West Palm Beach.
Dinner at the Plaza followed by a performance can now happen entirely within a few walkable blocks.
The Vineta Hotel Makes Its Debut
Then came one of the year's most anticipated openings.
On March 2, 2026, The Vineta Hotel opened at 363 Cocoanut Row following an extensive renovation of the former Chesterfield Palm Beach.
The reopening is particularly significant because The Vineta represents the first U.S. property for Oetker Hotels, the European hospitality group associated with legendary properties including Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the French Riviera.
The building itself dates to the 1920s and previously operated under the Vineta name before eventually becoming The Chesterfield, remembered by many longtime Palm Beach residents for its distinctive Leopard Lounge.
Reuben Brothers acquired the property in 2022 and undertook an extensive renovation that reduced the number of guestrooms from 53 to just 41—an intentional move toward a more intimate luxury experience.
The property also introduced Coco’s, its signature restaurant, along with a 36-seat bar occupying the former Leopard Lounge space.
The combination of history, European hospitality and Palm Beach glamour has made The Vineta one of the most closely watched hotel openings on the island.
Ninety Days That Changed This Part of Palm Beach
Consider the timeline:
December 2025: The Polo Room opens on Sunrise Avenue.
January 2026: Tutto Mare opens at Royal Poinciana Plaza.
February 2026: Glazer Hall reopens at Royal Poinciana Plaza.
March 2, 2026: The Vineta Hotel and Coco’s debut on Cocoanut Row.
Four significant openings arrived within roughly 90 days—and all are within walking distance of one another.
On an island where available commercial real estate is extraordinarily limited, that concentration matters.
Luxury Retail Is Following the Same Direction
The transformation isn't limited to restaurants and hospitality.
Luxury fashion brands are choosing this part of Palm Beach as well.
Bottega Veneta opened a nearly 3,000-square-foot boutique at Royal Poinciana Plaza, bringing ready-to-wear, handbags, fragrance and the brand's fine jewelry collection to Palm Beach.
Designer Rosie Assoulin also established a Palm Beach flagship at the Plaza.
Worth Avenue still holds an extraordinary collection of internationally recognized luxury brands and remains one of America's most famous shopping streets.
But the arrival of major fashion names at Royal Poinciana Plaza demonstrates that luxury retail on Palm Beach is no longer concentrated exclusively along one avenue.
The island is developing multiple luxury destinations.
Even Palm Beach Institutions Are Evolving
Sometimes the smallest changes reveal the most about a neighborhood.
The Church Mouse, the beloved Palm Beach thrift shop associated with The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, added a grab-and-go coffee counter featuring locally roasted Pumphouse Coffee.
It may sound like a minor addition compared with a new five-star hotel or waterfront restaurant.
But it reflects something important.
People are increasingly moving through this area on foot—shopping, dining, meeting friends and spending more time around the northern portion of the island's commercial core.
That increased pedestrian activity changes how nearby businesses operate.
Why Royal Poinciana Plaza?
Royal Poinciana Plaza itself isn't new.
The approximately 180,000-square-foot property was designed in 1957 by legendary Palm Beach architect John Volk, whose work helped define much of the island's architectural identity.
A major restoration completed in 2017 brought the Plaza closer to its original mid-century character while creating a foundation for the luxury retail and hospitality environment that exists today.
What we're seeing now is the next stage of that evolution.
The arrival of The Vineta, Tutto Mare, Glazer Hall and new luxury retailers has created enough density that the area increasingly functions as its own destination rather than simply an alternative to Worth Avenue.
What It Means for Palm Beach Residents
For residents, the change is less about individual openings and more about lifestyle.
Waterfront dinner?
Tutto Mare.
A performance without leaving the island?
Glazer Hall.
Cocktails inside one of Palm Beach's most anticipated new hotels?
The Vineta.
Luxury shopping?
Royal Poinciana Plaza.
All within a remarkably compact area.
That walkability is especially meaningful in Palm Beach, where proximity to dining, shopping, hotels, cultural institutions and the Intracoastal can significantly shape the experience of living in a particular neighborhood.
And Across the Bridge, West Palm Beach Is Changing Too
The transformation isn't limited to Palm Beach Island.
Across the Intracoastal, West Palm Beach continues its own evolution into a major culinary, cultural and luxury destination.
One of the year's most notable culinary developments came in the Flamingo Park neighborhood, where the intimate Cuban restaurant Emelina earned a Michelin star.
Combined with the continued transformation of downtown West Palm Beach, the waterfront and surrounding neighborhoods, it reinforces a broader trend:
The Palm Beaches are becoming increasingly sophisticated on both sides of the Intracoastal.
What Could This Mean for Palm Beach Real Estate?
For real estate, these changes are worth watching.
Luxury buyers don't evaluate a property solely by bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage.
They increasingly evaluate the lifestyle surrounding it.
Can they walk to dinner?
Is there entertainment nearby?
Are luxury hotels and boutiques within minutes?
Can they reach the waterfront easily?
Those lifestyle considerations can influence which streets and neighborhoods buyers prioritize—and ultimately how certain locations perform.
Worth Avenue isn't losing its place at the center of Palm Beach.
It remains one of the most recognizable luxury shopping destinations in the country.
But Palm Beach is evolving beyond a single commercial center.
The blocks surrounding Royal Poinciana Plaza, Cocoanut Row and Royal Poinciana Way have developed their own gravitational pull.
And for buyers considering Palm Beach real estate, understanding where that momentum is moving can be just as important as understanding the property itself.
Thinking About Buying or Selling in Palm Beach?
As a Global Real Estate Advisor with ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, I help buyers and sellers understand not only Palm Beach real estate, but the lifestyle, neighborhoods and market forces shaping property values throughout the Palm Beaches.
Jennifer Susanne Sommers
Global Real Estate Advisor
ONE Sotheby’s International Realty
561-888-3115
[email protected]
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Luxury Real Estate in Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Highland Beach and South Florida.
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