Battery Park City has a new all-day cafe where a beloved barbecue joint used to be. Pura Vida, the fast-casual chain that got its start in Miami, is now open at 255 Vesey Street, serving bowls, wraps, smoothies and empanadas in the space once occupied by Blue Smoke.
The opening was confirmed Thursday by Tribeca Citizen, which reported on October 29, 2026, that Pura Vida had taken a lease on the Blue Smoke space the previous spring. The space is on Vesey Street, just across from the Brookfield mall entrance. The outlet described Pura Vida as the national restaurant chain originally out of Miami, founded in 2012 by Jennifer and Omer Horev. The new cafe keeps hours of Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Blue Smoke's Battery Park City outpost had a long run before it closed. The barbecue restaurant's location at 255 Vesey Street was reported to be shutting down in December 2024, according to Eater NY, which noted it was the last remaining Blue Smoke location in the city at the time.
What's on the Menu
Pura Vida's menu leans heavily into the all-day-cafe format: breakfast runs all day alongside bowls, wraps, sandwiches, smoothies and a kids menu, per the October 29, 2026, Tribeca Citizen report. The chain also offers gluten-free and vegan options, and its kids menu is described as gluten-friendly. Beyond the basics, the menu stretches to empanadas and a roasted salmon plate.
Prices at the Blue Smoke space have run in line with the chain's fast-casual-plus positioning. Avocado toast goes for $12, the perfect egg sandwich runs $15, and the toasted chicken wrap costs $20. The smoothie list includes about nine original blends, among them the Coco Azul, made with coconut water, banana, pineapple, mango, blue spirulina, collagen protein, hemp seed and shaved coconut. For customers chasing extra wellness points, Pura Vida also sells supplements including liquid bovine colostrum and Irish sea moss powder.
A Chain on the Move
The Battery Park City opening is part of a broader growth streak for Pura Vida. The company opened its 50th location on April 16 at The Mall at Short Hills in Millburn Township, New Jersey, putting it at 50 locations across Florida, New York, California, Maryland and New Jersey, according to a release from Pura Vida Miami. By September, the company said it had grown to 56 locations across seven states as part of what it called a continuing national expansion.
That expansion has also reshaped the company's leadership. Pura Vida brought on Andrew McCaughan as chief development officer, Chad Brauze as chief culinary officer and Bruno Cardinali as chief marketing officer in June, followed by Donnie Upshaw's appointment as chief people and culture officer in September.
New York's Growing Footprint
Pura Vida's push into New York began in 2024, when the chain opened its first city location in NoMad. Owners Omer and Jennifer Horev had said at the time that they planned to open at least 10 New York locations by 2026, according to Eater NY. That first NoMad shop, at 1151 Broadway at 26th Street, was slated to keep hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays, with two more locations planned at the time for 25 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg and 65 Bleecker Street.
More recently, a Dumbo location opened a couple of weeks before Tribeca Citizen's October 29 report, and the chain now counts eight other locations in New York City alongside the new Battery Park City spot. Pura Vida also maintains dozens of locations back home in Florida, where the brand first built its following before setting its sights on the city's fast-casual scene.
